Best Brené Brown Quotes

Brené Brown Quotes About Courage, Love, Connection, Vulnerability, Work, Leadership, Shame & Change! Research professor, speaker, author, and podcast presenter by trade, Casandra Brené Brown is a native of the United States. On November 18th, 1965, Brown was born in San Antonio, Texas. Brown earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995, then went on to get a Master of Social Work degree from the same institution in 1996, and finally earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in social work from the University of Houston in 2002.

As a result of her research on bravery, vulnerability, shame, empathy, and leadership, Brown offers a unique perspective on human connection. She has been teaching at the Graduate College of Social Work since graduating from the University of Houston. Brown’s TEDx lecture from Houston in 2010, “The Power of Vulnerability,” is one of the five most-watched TED speeches.

Since then, her work has gone from academic obscurity to the forefront of popular culture. Her next TED presentation, entitled “Listening to Shame,” was in 2012. “The Price of Invulnerability” is another lecture she gave at TEDxKC in 2010. Alain de Botton’s School of Life, Google, and Disney, among others, have hired Brown as a public speaker.

The Gifts of Imperfection, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, Dare to Lead, and Atlas of the Heart are among her six number-one New York Times bestsellers as of 2021. As of 2020, Brown will be presenting two podcasts: Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead. Now Brown is the CEO of “The Daring Way,” a professional training and certification program on the issues of vulnerability, bravery, shame, and empathy.

Best Brené Brown Quotes

1. “What we know matters but who we are matters more.” – Brené Brown

2. “Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.” – Brené Brown

3. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”- Brené Brown

4. “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.”- Brené Brown

5. “Don’t try to win over the haters; you are not a jackass whisperer.”- Brené Brown

6. “Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.”- Brené Brown

7. “You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” – Brené Brown

8. “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.”- Brené Brown

9. “We don’t have to do all of it alone. We were never meant to.”- Brené Brown

10. “You cannot shame or belittle people into changing their behaviors.”- Brené Brown

11. “We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.” – Brené Brown

12. “I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” – Brené Brown

13. “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.” – Brené Brown

14. “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” – Brené Brown

15. “The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.” – Brené Brown

16. “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.” – Brené Brown

17. “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.” – Brené Brown

18. “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.” – Brené Brown

19. “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.” – Brené Brown

20. “Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” – Brené Brown

21. “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.” – Brené Brown

22. “Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.” – Brené Brown

23. “Nostalgia is also a dangerous form of comparison. Think about how often we compare our lives to a memory that nostalgia has so completely edited that it never really existed.” – Brené Brown

24. “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.” – Brené Brown

25. “I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” – Brené Brown

26. “Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary.”- Brené Brown

27. “We run from grief because loss scares us, yet our hearts reach toward grief because the broken parts want to mend.”- Brené Brown

28. “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”- Brené Brown

29. “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.”- Brené Brown

30. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”- Brené Brown