Self Criticism Quotes

• One should never criticize his own work except in a fresh and hopeful mood. The self-criticism of a tired mind is suicide.

  Charles Horton Cooley

  Suicide, Art, Writing

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• Success comes from curiosity, concentration, perseverance and self criticism.

  Albert Einstein

  Perseverance, Self, Curiosity

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• It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of high maturity, to rise to the level of self-criticism.

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Maturity, Self, Criticism

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (2010). “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?”, p.151, Beacon Press

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• You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.

  Louise Hay

  Inspirational, Positive, Self Esteem

  Louise L. Hay (2009). “You Can Heal Your Life”, p.20, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• Self-criticism is an art not many are qualified to practice.

  Joyce Carol Oates

  Art, Self, Practice

  Joyce Carol Oates (1989). “(Woman) writer: occasions and opportunities”, Plume

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• I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent; curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my ideas.

  Albert Einstein

  Inspirational, Education, Determination

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• A gentleman is one who doesn't and can't forgive himself for self-committed mistake even if others forget it and the self-criticism is a mark of his right attitude towards life.

  Anuj

  Attitude, Mistake, Self

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• In a way, a certain amount of self-criticism is a good thing, because it keeps you humble. Realizing that no matter what success you've achieved, you can still make enemies makes you humble, too.

  Lynn Johnston

  Humble, Self, Enemy

  Interview with Tom Heintjes, cartoonician.com. 1994.

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• Self criticism must be my guide to action, and the first rule for its employment is that in itself it is not a virtue, only a procedure.

  Kingsley Amis

  Self, Criticism, Employment

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• A final word on self-criticism: Do not beat up on yourself. Even if you think you know your flaws, there is no need to advertise them. Most people won't have noticed.

  Philip Toshio Sudo

  Thinking, Self, People

  Philip Toshio Sudo (2013). “Zen Guitar”, p.89, Simon and Schuster

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• Wise criticism always begins with self-criticism.

  Abraham Joshua Heschel

  Wise, Self, Criticism

  Abraham Joshua Heschel (1976). “God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism”, p.17, Macmillan

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• Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do. But it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.

  Dale Carnegie

  Gratitude, Character, Self

  Dale Carnegie (2016). “How to win friends & influence people”, p.21, Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd

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• If babies held the same tendency toward self-criticism as adults, they might never learn to walk or talk. Can you imagine infants stomping, 'Aarggh! Screwed up again!' Fortunately, babies are free of self-criticism. They just keep practicing.

  Dan Millman

  Baby, Self, Criticism

  Dan Millman (2010). “Body Mind Mastery: Training for Sport and Life”, p.48, New World Library

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• We all have the tendency to believe self-doubt and self-criticism, but listening to this voice never gets us closer to our goals. Instead, try on the point of view of a mentor or good friend who believes in you, wants the best for your, and will encourage you when you feel discouraged.

  Kelly McGonigal

  Believe, Good Friend, Voice

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• Self-criticism, like self-administered brain surgery, is perhaps not a good idea. Can the 'self' see the 'self' with any objectivity?

  Joyce Carol Oates

  Objectivity, Ideas, Self

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• One mustn't criticize other people on grounds where he can't stand perpendicular himself

  Mark Twain

  People, Criticism, Criticize

  Mark Twain (2014). “Mark Twain on Common Sense: Timeless Advice and Words of Wisdom from America's Most-Revered Humorist”, p.31, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

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• An artist who lacks the power of self-criticism accomplishes but little. It is good if your work stands higher than your own opinion of it; bad if it is on the same level. But it is a great disaster if your work stands lower than your judgment of it.

  Leonardo da Vinci

  Artist, Self, Criticism

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• If a person lacks self- acceptance, he can't live with himself; if he lacks self-criticism, others can't live with him.

  James Pike

  Acceptance, Men, Self

  "Beyond anxiety: the Christian answer to fear, frustration, guilt, indecision, inhibition, loneliness, despair".

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• The vocabulary of one’s self-criticism is so impoverished and clichéd. We are at our most stupid in our self-hatred.

  Adam Phillips

  Stupid, Vocabulary, Self

  Adam Phillips (2017). “In Writing”, p.223, Penguin UK

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• Maybe the most important teaching is to lighten up and relax. It's such a huge help in working with our crazy mixed-up minds to remember that what we're doing is unlocking a softness that is in us and letting it spread. We're letting it blur the sharp corners of self-criticism and complaint.

  Pema Chodron

  Crazy, Teaching, Self

  Pema Chodron (2000). “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, p.181, Shambhala Publications

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• What embitters the world is not excess of criticism, but absence of self-criticism.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Self, Criticism, Excess

  "Sidelights on New London and Newer New York : And Other Essays". Book by Gilbert K. Chesterton, 1932.

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• Criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes them strive to justify themselves. Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person's precious pride, hurts their sense of importance, and arouses resentment.

  Dale Carnegie

  Hurt, Pride, Criticism

  Dale Carnegie (0101). “Best of Dale Carnegie Vol-I”, p.13, Prabhat Prakashan

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• That was one of the big problems in the [Black Panther] Party. Criticism and self-criticism were not encouraged, and the little that was given often wasn’t taken seriously. Constructive criticism and self-criticism are extremely important for any revolutionary organization. Without them, people tend to drown in their mistakes, not learn from them.

  Assata Shakur

  Mistake, Party, Taken

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• As there must be moderation in other things, so there must be moderation in self-criticism. Perpetual contemplation of our own actions produces a morbid consciousness, quite unlike that normal consciousness accompanying right actions spontaneously done; and from a state of unstable equilibrium long maintained by effort, there is apt to be a fall towards stable equilibrium, in which the primitive nature reasserts itself. Retrogression rather than progression may hence result.

  Herbert Spencer

  Fall, Self, Long

  "The Principles of Ethics" by Herbert Spencer, (Ch. 10), 1897.

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• If you interrupt the writing of fast narrative with too much introspection and self-criticism, you will be lucky if you write 500 words a day and you will be disgusted with them into the bargain. By following my formula, you write 2,000 words a day and you aren’t disgusted with them until the book is finished, which will be in about six weeks.

  Ian Fleming

  Book, Writing, Self

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