Karen Horney Quotes

To endure oneself may be the hardest task in the universe. You cannot hire a wise man or any other intellect to solve it for you. There's no writ of inquest or calling of witness to provide answers.

If one has such an encounter it is to be expected it will bring him into conflict, especially conflict with himself, because one sometimes literally does not know what to do or what not to do. But is this struggle and even the mistakes one may make, not better, and do they not develop us more than if we keep systematically away from emotions?

When I grew up, I studied karate for years. I got pretty strong, but eventually I had to acknowledge that I really didn't like fighting at all, so I quit.

Everything that frees our spirit without giving us control of ourselves is ruinous.

Resolution is struggle. Resolution is ego. Resolution is saying, "I cannot live spontaneously. ".

The highest strength is acquired not in overcoming the world, but in overcoming one's self. Learn to be cruel to thyself, to withstand thy appetites, to bear thy sufferings, and thou shalt become free and able.

You build inner strength through embracing the totality of your experience, both the delightful parts and the difficult parts.

When I face myself, I go, "You have a fear of really being on your own. So you know what? That's what we're gonna do right now.

Sometimes you have to confront your demons and sometimes even let them loose to genuinely find a place where you can gain some understanding.

The best thing about golf is ultimately what it teaches you about yourself. And the worst thing is how freakin' nervous it can make you feel.

There is no real security except for whatever you build inside yourself.

I've felt emotions onstage that I never felt before; it has strengthened me as a person and as an artist.

I really don't care what people think of me. I've got my family. I've got my friends. Yes, I have been trained to be a little more aggressive if I need to be, but I don't go around thumping people.

You have within you many strong and cruel enemies to overcome. You must know that there are still a thousand ties which you must break. No one can tell you what they are; only you can tell by looking at yourself and into your heart.

Fortunately analysis is not the only way to resolve inner conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist.

By the second time I sang by myself in school, I just realized that I was more in control of my environment than I had ever been before.

I have stepped off the relationship scene to come to terms with myself. I have spent most of my adult life being 'someone's girlfriend', and now I am happy being single.

Resistance to revelation, resistance to becoming conscious of all that dwells within us - high and low, light and dark - is the anti-change factor. It is also the mainspring of all our psychological fears.

Once you get in a position where your rent is taken care of and you do have a job, you really get to deal with yourself and really become one with yourself. And you wake to your mind every day. That's your best friend and your worst enemy - your own brain.

I admire people who have that integrity, who know how to peacefully move through a situation - and it's reflected in how they deal with things like loss.

I have a lot of growing up to do, or a lot of growing down. I think that's probably more appropriate.

Our ability to handle life's challenges is a measure of our strength of character.

If small things have the power to disturb you, then who you think you are is exactly that: small.

You're always trying to balance your understanding of who you are and what you need, and your longing and imaginings of freedom.

The more forcibly I'm made aware of the fact that I'll never be the kind of storyteller I most admire, the less I'll be troubled by that. I'll probably just become more myself.