CURATED COLLECTION

Being True to Yourself

Authenticity is a form of courage — and the world makes it surprisingly hard to practice.

50 quotes found

“
I always say, 'Stay true to yourself,' and that's what I did.

—Simone BilesAuthor & Thinker

Digital Age ERA • North America

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Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

—Nelson MandelaAnti-Apartheid Activist & President

Late Modern ERA • Southern Africa

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Be authentic. Your authenticity is your superpower in this world.

—Bozoma Saint JohnAuthor & Thinker

Digital Age ERA • West Africa

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He who fears to be a slave, is free.

—Gyula IllyésPoet & Writer

Early Modern ERA • Eastern Europe

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Why should I worry about what people say? I live for myself.

—Ismat ChughtaiWriter

Post-War ERA • South Asia

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Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the decision that something else is more important.

—Maaza MengisteNovelist, Essayist & King

Digital Age ERA • East Africa

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Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness.

—Nawal El SaadawiFeminist, Writer & Physician

Late Modern ERA • North Africa

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A woman's strength lies not in imitation, but in being herself, truly unique.

—Ángeles MastrettaNovelist & Journalist

Late Modern ERA • Latin America

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One of the criticisms I've faced is that I'm not aggressive enough. I think it's a strength.

—Jacinda ArdernPolitician

Digital Age ERA • Oceania

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The artist must possess the courageous soul that dares to look the world in the face and say, 'This I am.'

—Kate ChopinAuthor

Industrial Age ERA • North America

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I have always done my best to follow the dictates of truth.

—Benvenuto CelliniSculptor, Writer & Artist

Renaissance ERA • Southern Europe

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She was becoming herself, casting aside that fictitious self we assume to appear before the world.

—Kate ChopinAuthor

Industrial Age ERA • North America

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Coming into being and passing away are mere names.

—ParmenidesPre-Socratic Philosopher

Ancient World ERA • Southern Europe

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The fact that I am writing to you from prison makes me more free than you.

—Reinaldo ArenasNovelist & Poet

Post-War ERA • Caribbean

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The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.

—Harper LeeNovelist

Post-War ERA • North America

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I am from here. I shall live here and die here, and I shall never leave.

—Tayeb SalihNovelist

Post-War ERA • North Africa

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Is it true that the bravery of Ashanti is no more? I cannot believe it.

—Yaa AsantewaaQueen

Industrial Age ERA • West Africa

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The greatest courage for a woman is to think for herself, against all odds.

—Victoria OcampoWriter & Intellectual

Early Modern ERA • Latin America

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To survive in this city, you must be willing to lose everything.

—K. Sello DuikerNovelist

Contemporary ERA • Southern Africa

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They could imprison my body, but my spirit remained free.

—Armando ValladaresPoet

Late Modern ERA • Caribbean

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