117 Quotes by David D. Burns

Achievements can bring you satisfaction but not happiness.

Perfection' is man's ultimate illusion. It simply doesn't exist in the universe.... If you are a perfectionist, you are guaranteed to be a loser in whatever you do.

In my practice I find that the great majority of the depressed patients referred to me improve substantially if they try to help themselves. Sometimes it hardly seems to matter what you do as long as you do something with the attitude of self-help.

It is okay to be flawed and defective, or even wonderful

When two people respect each other, the ability to be vulnerable and to reveal hurt feelings can create a powerful emotional connection that is the source of real intimacy and friendship.

First, you’d discover that the monster was not real. You’d realize that it was just an illusion that you never had anything to fear in the first place. You’d see that the monster had no teeth. This would be an incredible triumph.

You’d probably start laughing because you’d realize that your fears had been the result of a gigantic cosmic joke that had persisted throughout all of your previous reincarnations.

When you confront the monster you fear the most, you'll defeat your fears.

Being a woman alone can be helpful in making you more understanding of the problems women in different situations face. This can help you to learn to be more supportive of other women and can enable you to develop more meaningful relationships with them.