Brené Brown is a professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Her research focuses on shame, vulnerability, and leadership. It wasn’t until 2010 that she came into the spotlight by having a viral TED talk, titled ‘The Power of Vulnerability.’ She’s also the author of six New York Times Bestselling books.

Below are 46 memorable Brené Brown quotes to inspire you:

1. “What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think – or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?” – Brené Brown

2. “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.” – Brené Brown

3. “Here’s what is truly at the heart of wholeheartedness: Worthy now, not if, not when, we’re worthy of love and belonging now. Right this minute. As is.” – Brené Brown

4. “Hope is a function of struggle.” – Brené Brown

5. “I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage, or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” – Brené Brown

6. “I now see that owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” – Brené Brown

7. “Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’ Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences—good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as ordinary courage.” – Brené Brown

8. “A crisis highlights all of our fault lines. We can pretend that we have nothing to learn, or we can take this opportunity to own the truth and make a better future for ourselves and others.” – Brené Brown

9. “Everyone wants to know why customer service has gone to hell in a handbasket. I want to know why customer behavior has gone to hell in a handbasket.” – Brené Brown

10. “Empathy has no script. There is no right way or wrong way to do it. It’s simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of ‘You’re not alone.’” – Brené Brown

11. “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” – Brené Brown

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13. “We risk missing out on joy when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary.” – Brené Brown

14. “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.” – Brené Brown

15. “When I let go of trying to be everything to everyone, I had much more time, attention, love, and connection for the important people in my life.” – Brené Brown

16. “The universe is not short on wake-up calls. We’re just quick to hit the snooze button.” – Brené Brown

17. “Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” – Brené Brown

18. “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” – Brené Brown

19. “Courage is contagious. A critical mass of brave leaders is the foundation of an intentionally courageous culture. Every time we are brave with our lives, we make the people around us a little braver and our organizations bolder and stronger.” – Brené Brown

20. “There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.” – Brené Brown

21. “Until we can receive with an open heart, we’re never really giving with an open heart. When we attach judgment to receiving help, we knowingly or unknowingly attach judgment to giving help.” – Brené Brown

22. “Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be; embrace who you are.” – Brené Brown

23. “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.” – Brené Brown

24. “When we work from a place, I believe, that says ‘I’m enough,’ then we stop screaming and start listening, we’re kinder and gentler to the people around us, and we’re kinder and gentler to ourselves.” – Brené Brown

25. “It’s not about ‘what can I accomplish?’ but ‘what do I want to accomplish?’ Paradigm shift.” – Brené Brown

26. “Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending—to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. And I will choose how the story ends.” – Brené Brown

27. “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.” – Brené Brown

28. “I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” – Brené Brown

29. “I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” – Brené Brown

30. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” – Brené Brown

31. “Vulnerability is not knowing victory or defeat, it’s understanding the necessity of both; it’s engaging. It’s being all in.” – Brené Brown

32. “If you can’t ask for help without self-judgment, you cannot offer help without judging others.” – Brené Brown

33. “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.” – Brené Brown

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35. “Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.” – Brené Brown

36. “Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.” – Brené Brown

37. “Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brené Brown

38. “We are born makers. We move what we’re learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands.” – Brené Brown

39. “Somehow we’ve come to equate success with not needing anyone. Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we’re very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It’s as if we’ve divided the world into “those who offer help” and “those who need help.” The truth is that we are both.” – Brené Brown

40. “Nostalgia is also a dangerous form of comparison. Think about how often we compare our lives to a memory that nostalgia has so completely edited that it never really existed.” – Brené Brown

41. “Healthy striving is self-focused: “How can I improve?” Perfectionism is other-focused: “What will they think?” – Brené Brown

42. “We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.” – Brené Brown

43. “Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don’t belong. You will always find it because you’ve made that your mission. Stop scouring people’s faces for evidence that you’re not enough. You will always find it because you’ve made that your goal. True belonging and self-worth are not goods; we don’t negotiate their value with the world. The truth about who we are lives in our hearts. Our call to courage is to protect our wild heart against constant evaluation, especially our own. No one belongs here more than you.” – Brené Brown

44. “Nothing has transformed my life more than realizing that it’s a waste of time to evaluate my worthiness by weighing the reaction of the people in the stands.” – Brené Brown

45. “To love someone fiercely, to believe in something with your whole heart, to celebrate a fleeting moment in time, to fully engage in a life that doesn’t come with guarantees – these are risks that involve vulnerability and often pain. But, I’m learning that recognizing and leaning into the discomfort of vulnerability teaches us how to live with joy, gratitude and grace.” – Brené Brown

46. “DIG deep–get deliberate, inspired, and going.” – Brené Brown

Which Brené Brown quote is your favorite and why? Comment below!