The Absolute Best Self Compassion Quotes

Written by Christie Inge, 5/2 Splenic Projector, born in the LAX of the Clarion 2 (57/51. 62/61) and creator of the Human Design Map

NOTE: My Human Design content is my personal interpretation of mechanics and is always written through my heretical + alchemical lens. It often does not align with traditional HD perspectives. And this post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase after clicking one of my affiliate links, I may make a commission. 

I’m back with another collection of my favorite quotes! Last time, I shared 50 of my favorite self-love quotes, but today, I’ve got a lovely list of self compassion quotes for you.

Self-compassion (and compassion in general) is one of the most healing forces there are. So, I hope that these self-compassion quotes will inspire your journey. Without further ado:

The Loveliest Self Compassion Quotes of All Time


This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is part of life. May I be kind to myself in this moment. May I give myself the compassion I need. ~ Kristen Neff, the worlds leading researcher on compassion and author of Self Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself


Self-compassion is like a muscle. The more we practice flexing it, especially when life doesn’t go exactly according to plan (a frequent scenario for most of us), the stronger and more resilient our compassion muscle becomes. ~ Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection


Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens. ~ Louise Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life


Be nice to yourself… It’s hard to be happy when someone is mean to you all the time. ~ Christine Arylo, author of Madly In Love With Me


If one is cruel to himself, how can we expect him to be compassionate with others? ~ Hasdai ibn Shaprut


Speak to yourself with compassion on the inside and you will radiate peace on the outside. ~ Amy Leigh Mercree, author of The Compassion Revolution




You’re already stuck with yourself for a lifetime. Why not improve this relationship?~  Vironika Tugaleva, author of The Art of Talking To Yourself


Your inner critic is simply a part of you that needs more self-love. ~ Amy Leigh Mercree, author of The Compassion Revolution


Once we are honest about our feelings, we can invite ourselves to consider alternative modes of viewing our pain and can see that releasing our grip on anger and resentment can actually be an act of self-compassion. ~ Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection


To be self-compassionate is not to be self-indulgent or self-centred. A major component of self-compassion is to be kind to yourself. Treat yourself with love, care, dignity and make your wellbeing a priority. ~ Christopher Dines


Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. ~ Dalai Lama


Be kind to yourself. Remember that when you abuse yourself, you will experience the anger, regret, and apathy of the bully as well as the depression, anxiety, and insecurity of the victim. Whatever you do, be kind to yourself. ~Vironika Tugaleva, author of The Art of Talking To Yourself


Having compassion starts and ends with having compassion for all those unwanted parts of ourselves. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. ~ Pema Chodron, author of When Things Fall Apart


Always remember to give yourself the kindness, compassion and consideration you give to others. ~ Miya Yamanouchi


Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others. ~ Christopher Germer, author of The Mindful Path to Self Compassion


Before label yourself and before you decide that there is something irreparably wrong with your thoughts or emotions, ask yourself: “Do I have a caring, unconditionally loving best friend in myself?” If the answer is “No,” then you will not find the solution to your suffering until you address this serious, life-threatening absence of self-compassion. ~Vironika Tugaleva, author of The Art of Talking To Yourself


With mindfulness, loving kindness, and self-compassion, we can begin to let go of our expectations about how life and those we love should be. ~ Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection


When we practice self-compassion in our lives, we are compelled to be more understanding and accepting toward ourselves. ~ Jose Incer




Awakening self-compassion is often the greatest challenge people face on the spiritual path. ~ Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance


Compassion isn’t some kind of self-improvement project or ideal that we’re trying to live up to. Having compassion starts and ends with having compassion for all those unwanted parts of ourselves, all those imperfections that we don’t even want to look at. ~ Pema Chodron, author of When Things Fall Apart


It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others. ~ Unknown


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~ Dalai Lama


Self-compassion is approaching ourselves, our inner experience with spaciousness, with the quality of allowing which has a quality of gentleness. Instead of our usual tendency to want to get over something, to fix it, to make it go away, the path of compassion is totally different. Compassion allows.~  Robert Gonzales


An important aspect of self-compassion is to be able to empathically hold both parts of ourselves–the self that regrets a past action and the self that took the action in the first place. ~  Marshall Rosenberg, author of one of the books I recommend to EVERYONE, Non-Violent Communication


When hard times come, the greatest danger does not necessarily lie in the circumstances we face, but rather in the way we treat ourselves at the time. Nothing is more dangerous than self-hate. Nothing makes it more difficult to heal or to find the grace of peace than self-attack and the agony of self-doubt. ~ Stephen Schwartz


It’s like a mother, when the baby is crying, she picks up the baby and she holds the baby tenderly in her arms. Your pain, your anxiety is your baby. You have to take care of it. You have to go back to yourself, to recognize the suffering in you, embrace the suffering, and you get a relief. ~Thich Nhat Hanh, author of You Are Here


If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete. ~  Jack Kornfield


For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe we will end up being kind. If we shame ourselves, we believe we end up loving ourselves. It has never been true, not for a moment, that shame leads to love. Only love leads to love. ~  Geneen Roth, author of Women, Food, and God


Go back and take care of yourself. Your body needs you, your feelings need you, your perceptions need you. Your suffering needs you to acknowledge it. Go home and be there for all these things.~  Thich Nhat Hanh, author of You Are Here


Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity. ~ Pema Chodron, author of When Things Fall Apart




be softer with you.
you are a breathing thing.
a memory to someone.
a home to a life.
~ Nayyirah Waheed

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.Buddha


When you are compassionate with yourself, you trust in your soul, which you let guide your life. ~ John O’Donohue


A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life. ~ Christopher Germer, author of The Mindful Path to Self Compassion


Be kinder to yourself and then let your kindness flood the world. ~ Pema Chodron, author of When Things Fall Apart


Our sorrows and wounds are only healed when we touch them with compassion. ~ Buddha


The biggest sign of self-growth is self-compassion. ~ Nidhi Kush Shah


Talk to yourself as you would someone you love. ~ Brene Brown, author of The Gifts of Imperfection and many other must-reads


I do hope that you have enjoyed this collection of self compassion quotes and that they will inspire you to be kinder to yourself (which will open the space for more compassion for others!)
There is so much more where that came from:

If you loved this post, you will love the Human Design Map & Portal where Christie will explain the most important parts of your chart (Type + Strategy, Authority, Profile, and all four gates of your Incarnation Cross). And, you’ll get unlimited access to Q + A with her and her team. Get your map here

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