30 of the Best Quotes Ever for Authenticity and Self-Expression

With so many great quotes from even greater minds at our disposal, what constitutes a quote becoming one of the best quotes ever?

I mean, it’s a pretty tall order. There are so many variables to consider, which constantly change based on what’s going on in your life.

One day, a quote will resonate, the next, not so much. It’s like hearing a new song that’s so directly related to your life that you become a walking epiphany: you listen to it on repeat for so long that eventually it loses its strength.

The best quotes ever have to slap you in the face. All. The. Time.

They have to focus on the one thing you’ll always strive for:

Being authentic and genuine, and not falling victim to external pressures that push you to become who you “should” be, instead of enhancing who you already are.

The quotes below are your slap in the face — a reminder to always go with your gut and trust that you know best.

30 of the Best Quotes Ever

1. “How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.” -Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

2. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss

3. “Imitation is suicide.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

4. “Do your own thing on your own terms and get what you came here for.” -Oliver James

5. “Flatter yourself critically.” -Willis Goth Regier

6. “Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

7. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” -Mark Twain

8. “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” -Mahatma Gandhi

9. “Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.” -Cyril Connolly

10. “We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.” -Virginia Satir

11. “Don’t look for society to give you permission to be yourself.” -Steve Maraboli

12. “If things go wrong, don’t go with them.” -Roger Babson

13. “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are.” -Kurt Cobain

14. “Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” -Chinese Proverb

15. “Where’s your will to be weird?” -Jim Morrison

16. “Some people say you are going the wrong way, when it’s simply a way of your own.” -Angelina Jolie

17. “Remember to always be yourself. Unless you suck.” -Joss Whedon

18. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt

19. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” -Oscar Wilde

20. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am.” -Sylvia Plath

21. “There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” -Anaïs Nin

22. “To find yourself, think for yourself.” -Socrates

23. “If you seek authenticity for authenticity’s sake you are no longer authentic.” -Jean Paul Sartre

24. “If you cannot be a poet, be the poem.” -David Carradine

25. “When one is pretending the entire body revolts.” -Anaïs Nin

26. “Be there for others, but never leave yourself behind.” -Dodinsky

27. “Do what you must, and your friends will adjust.” -Robert Brault

28. “Just let awareness have its way with you completely.” -Scott Morrison

29. “We must be our own before we can be another’s.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

30. “This above all: to thine own self be true.” -William Shakespeare

Can’t get enough? Here’re more great quotes that will inspire and motivate you:

– 50+ Best Motivational Quotes To Prepare You For Any Challenges In Life
– 40 Powerful Productivity Quotes From Highly Successful People
– 20 Encouraging Quotes to Level Up Your Life

In conclusion, these quotes serve as powerful reminders to be true to ourselves, embrace our uniqueness, and not let external pressures dictate our actions. They encourage us to trust our instincts, follow our hearts, and stay authentic in a world that often tries to mold us into something we’re not. Let these quotes be your guiding light as you navigate through life, always staying true to who you are.