56 Quotes About Self-criticism

A modern philosopher who has never once suspected himself of being a charlatan must be such a shallow mind that his work is probably not worth reading.

It [speaking with words that bring about harmony] consists of speaking of what is good about people, instead of what is wrong with them. For some people this is an almost impossible exercise, for they have become totally habituated to speaking critically. We all seem to have a special talent for finding critical things to say about the world, about others, and about ourselves! (117)

They will not even dare take a minute and stand in front of a mirror to examine their faces lest they suddenly realize how defeated, how duped they have been all these years. There is something about staring at ourselves in the mirror that makes us question our very existence, and whether we are the kind of people that we wanted to be, a question that so many people avoid confronting.

The best criticism is self criticism – its constructive and helps you improvise".

Mindfulness helps us see the addictive aspect of self-criticism— a repetitive cycle of flaying ourselves again and again, feeling the pain anew.

The expectation of intelligent gossip is a powerful motive for serious self-criticism, more powerful than New Year resolutions to improve one's decision making at work and at home.

Kissinger would probably be outraged even if he reread his own memoirs, on the grounds that they are not favorable enough.

Imagine the whole world is applauding you! Is this good for you? No! Because if there isn't even a single person to criticize you, your chance to get rid of your mistakes will only depend on your self-critic!

By repeatedly losing worthy battles with the self, I gain a sense of faithful mysticism that a person’s realizes whenever his or her paltry earthly reality fails to match up their quixotic notions.