43 Overcoming Shame Quotes and Sayings

Shame is an unspoken epidemic. Many broken people suffer from this vulnerable feeling. Here are some great overcoming shame quotes and sayings that will encourage you.

“‘All conditioned things are impermanent’ — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”

“A man does not have to be an angel in order to be a saint.”

“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.”

“Abuse manipulates and twists a child’s natural sense of trust and love. Her innocent feelings are belittled or mocked and she learns to ignore her feelings.”

“Do you have patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?”

“Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror.”

“Empathy’s the antidote to shame. The two most powerful words when we’re in struggle: me too.”

“Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”

“Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different.”

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.”

“I am ashamed of anyone who has eyes and still can’t see.”

“I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.”

“I want to drag knives over my skin, just to feel something other than shame, but I’m not even brave enough for that.”

“If a woman sleeps alone it puts a shame on all men. God has a very big heart, but there is one sin He will not forgive. If a woman calls a man to her bed and he will not go.”

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

“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”

“Imagine the people who believe such things and who are not ashamed to ignore, totally, all the patient findings of thinking minds through all the centuries since the Bible was written.”

“In the process of letting go you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.”

“It’s not all bad. Heightened self-consciousness, apartness, an inability to join in, physical shame and self-loathing—they are not all bad.”

“Lack of forgiveness causes almost all of our self-sabotaging behavior.”

“Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.”

“Mistakes are part of life. Everyone makes them. Everyone regrets them. But some learn from them and some end up making them again. It’s up to you to decide if you’ll use your mistakes to your advantage.”

“One of the things that baffles me (and there are quite a few) is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder.”

“One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.”

“Only if you’ve been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.”

“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”

“Perfectionism is a self destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.”

“Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.”

“Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.”

“Shame is closely related to guilt, but there is a key qualitative difference. No audience is needed for feelings of guilt, no one else need know, for the guilty person is his own judge.”

“So often survivors have had their experiences denied, trivialized, or distorted.”

“The difference between guilt and shame is very clear–in theory. We feel guilty for what we do. We feel shame for what we are.”

“The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.”

“The past has no power over the present moment.”

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“Time passes unhindered. When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well.”

“To keep on trying in spite of disappointment and failure is the only way to keep young and brave. Failures become victories if they make us wise-hearted.”

“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.”

“We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds.”

“We need never be ashamed of our tears.”

“When you come out of the grips of a depression there is an incredible relief, but not one you feel allowed to celebrate.”

“With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”

“You cannot let your parents anywhere near your real humiliations.”

Overcoming shame and blame can be easily accomplished when you look to loving yourself first.