Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval.
— Lao Tzu
What Lao Tzu captures here is the paradox that self-assurance actually *reduces* our need to perform—we stop recruiting the world as our mirror. Most people assume confidence means persuading others you're worthy, but he's pointing at something subtler: genuine self-trust dissolves the anxiety that drives persuasion in the first place. A parent who truly believes in their parenting choices stops over-explaining them to skeptical relatives; a writer confident in their voice stops chasing trends. The quiet power lies not in what you convince others to think, but in no longer needing their thoughts to feel real.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
Maya Angelou“Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.”
Henry Ford“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it is having the courage to show up and be seen when we have...”
Brené Brown“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accom...”
Ralph Waldo Emerson