50 Empowering Brené Brown Quotes On Leadership and Success

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Updated: November 16th, 2021

50 Empowering Brené Brown Quotes On Leadership and Success

Brené Brown is an American professor, lecturer, author, entrepreneur and podcast host who has had a significant impact on the world through her words.

Her main focus is the study of shame and vulnerability - both in life and in business.

We put together 50 empowering Brené Brown quotes that will help you become a better leader:

“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.”
“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.”
“The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.”
“It’s not about ‘what can I accomplish?’ but ‘what do I want to accomplish?’ Paradigm shift.”
“Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.”
“Don’t try to win over the haters; you are not a jackass whisperer.”
“Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.”
“Talk about your failures without apologizing.”
“To love ourselves and support each other in the process of becoming real is perhaps the greatest single act of daring greatly.”
“Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging have the courage to be imperfect.”
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day.”
“We run from grief because loss scares us, yet our hearts reach toward grief because the broken parts want to mend.”
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”
“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”
“Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.”
“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.”
“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”
“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.”
“Want to be happy? Stop trying to be perfect.”
“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
“Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary.”
“If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.”
“If you can’t ask for help without self-judgment, you cannot offer help without judging others.”
“DIG deep–get deliberate, inspired, and going.”
“I believe that what we regret most are our failures of courage, whether it’s the courage to be kinder, to show up, to say how we feel, to set boundaries, to be good to ourselves. For that reason, regret can be the birthplace of empathy.”
“I thought faith would say, ‘I’ll take away the pain and discomfort,’ but what it ended up saying was, ‘I’ll sit with you in it.’”
“When I look at narcissism through the vulnerability lens, I see the shame-based fear of being ordinary. I see the fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be lovable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose.”
“To me, a leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding potential in people and processes.”
“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”
“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.”
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.”
“I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.”
“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.’”
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
“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.”
“What we know matters but who we are matters more.”
“Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.”
“We risk missing out on joy when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary.”
“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.”
“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.”

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Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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