How often do you feel insecure? How often do you want to change something about your appearance? The truth is, the insecurities you feel about yourself are unnecessary, to say the least. Why would you want to determine who you are based on what others deem admirable and acceptable? Here’s a list of quotes to help boost your self-esteem and motivate self-love and confidence:

1. “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.”

– Harvey Fierstein

2. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”

– Buddha

3. “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”

– Lucille Ball

4. “Our self-respect tracks our choices. Every time we act in harmony with our authentic self and our heart, we earn our respect. It is that simple. Every choice matters.”

– Dan Coppersmith

5. “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”

– Malcolm S. Forbes

6. “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the face.”

– Helen Keller

7. “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

– Carl Gustav Jung

8. “Don’t rely on someone else for your happiness and self-worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can’t love and respect yourself – no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are – completely; the good and the bad – and make changes as YOU see fit – not because you think someone else wants you to be different.”

– Stacey Charter

9. “People who want the most approval get the least and the people who need approval the least get the most.”

– Wayne Dyer

10. “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”

– Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

11. “The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.”

– Rita Mae Brown

12. “She lacks confidence, she craves admiration insatiably. She lives on the reflections of herself in the eyes of others. She does not dare to be herself.”

– Anais Nin

It has taken me, personally, a while to discover the truth behind self-confidence and positive self-esteem. The thing is, the only person you should desire approval from about your body is yourself. You don’t need to be like other people in the world who believe that happiness and beauty will only come to those who look a certain way. You are already beautiful. Don't let anything or anyone--even yourself--tell you differently.

To view more inspirational quotes to boost your self-esteem and confidence, visit the articles: "Quotes About Self Esteem," and "The 50 Best Quotes on Self Love."