They say that college is where you go to find yourself, but I’m not sure I agree. I think our whole lives are about discovering what we like and who we are deep down inside. Every one of our actions takes us a bit closer to that knowledge. Of course, my thoughts aren’t the only ones that matter here — as you’ll see in these quotes about finding yourself, this topic has intrigued people throughout history.
From the philosophers of Ancient Greece and China to authors, poets, musicians, diplomats, and political activists around the world, everyone has had a take on this subject. Can we ever truly know ourselves? Can knowing ourselves help us understand others as well? How exactly does one embark on a road of self-discovery?
These are all questions we’ve struggled to answer for centuries. Sadly, I don’t believe we’ll get to the bottom of them just by collecting other people’s thoughts. After all, that is something you have to answer for yourself. But still, maybe some of these wise words will help you come to a conclusion.
33 Brilliant Quotes About Finding Yourself to Get You Thinking
Prepare to Dive Deep: Wise Quotes About Finding Yourself
#1. “Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” ― Lewis Carroll
#2. “In suffering, we find our truest selves.” ― Jessie Burton
#3. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” ― Aristotle
#4. “At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want.” — Lao Tzu
#5. “The longest journey is the journey inward.” — Dag Hammarskjold
#6. “The Buddhists say there are 149 ways to God. I’m not looking for God, only for myself, and that is far more complicated.” ― Jeanette Winterson
#7. “Then comes the frustrating realization
that no matter how long life endures,
no matter how many experiences
are muddled through in this existence,
you may never really be able
to answer the question…
Who am I?
Because the answer, like the seasons,
constantly, subtly, inevitably changes.
And who it is you are today,
is not the same person you will be tomorrow.” ― Richelle Goodrich
#8. “Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up if you just dig.” ― Marcus Aurelius
#9. “The act of going within, finding our truth, and then sharing it, it helps us far more than we know.” ― Kamal Ravikant
#10. “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” ― Ralph Ellison
A Path of Love and Courage: Inspiring Quotes About Finding Yourself
#11. “The deeper I go into myself, the more I realize that I am my own enemy.” ― Floriano Martins
#12. “Have love for your inner self and everything else is done for you.” ― Amit Ray
#13. “Sometimes, you have to kind of die inside in order to rise from your own ashes and believe in yourself and love yourself to become a new person.” ― Gerard Way
#14. “If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love, we find out who we want to be; in war, we find out who we are.” ― Kristin Hannah
#15. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
#16. “It takes courage…to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.” ― Marianne Williamson
#17. “Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” — Robert Kiyosaki
#18. “I was once afraid of people saying ‘Who does she think she is?’ Now, I have the courage to stand and say, ‘This is who I am.’” — Oprah Winfrey
How to Start on the Road to Self-Discovery: Revealing Quotes About Finding Yourself
#19. “Self-discovery often happens when we move out of our comfort zone and change the norm.” — Fola O’Martins
#20. “If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.” ― Jiddu Krishnamurti
#21. “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” ― Nelson Mandela
#22. “I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.” ― Hermann Hesse
#23. “Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” — Gloria Steinem
#24. “When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” ― Maya Angelou
#25. “Finding yourself is not really how it works. You aren’t a ten-dollar bill in last winter’s coat pocket. You are also not lost. Your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people’s opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became your beliefs about who you are. ‘Finding yourself’ is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning, an excavation, a remembering who you were before the world got its hands on you.” — Emily McDowell
Enjoy the Ride: Motivational Quotes About Finding Yourself
#26. “Once you’ve started down that road to self-discovery, no matter how treacherous the path before you, you can’t turn back. The universe doesn’t allow it.” — Lisa Unger
#27. “When you know yourself, you are empowered. When you accept yourself, you are invincible.” — Tina Lifford
#28. “I think self-discovery is the greatest achievement in life, because once you discover yourself and accept what you are, then you can fulfill your true potential and be happy.” — Marco Pierre White
#29. “Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” — Lolly Daskal
#30. “The greatest discovery in life is self-discovery. Until you find yourself, you will always be someone else. Become yourself.” — Myles Munroe
#31. “You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.” — Eckhart Tolle
#32. “After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It’s better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.” — Sophia Loren
#33. “And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?” ― Rumi
To Conclude
No one is saying that your road to self-discovery is going to be easy. In fact, it’ll probably challenge many of your core beliefs. But then again, as many have noted before me, this journey is one that requires you to have an open heart and plenty of backbone.
The only person who can ever truly know your inner values and your purpose in life is you. Hopefully, these quotes about finding yourself have shown you how to look inward to discover the answers you’re seeking. Remember: fortune favors the bold, so don’t be afraid to delve deep!
