Do people take advantage of you because you lack confidence? Are you too nice to the extent that others think you are a pushover?
Whatever the case, learning to stand up for yourself can dramatically change the situation. Remember that assertiveness doesn’t mean being brash, and being a nice person doesn’t mean being passive, either.
Research shows that successful people know how to balance being brash and passive. And the key is standing up for your goals, dreams, happiness, and personal values.
As you probably already figured, sticking to your guns can be challenging, especially when those around you think differently. And speaking up for what you believe in can be daunting when you are the only voice with a different opinion.
To help you with that, I’ve compiled some powerful Stand Up for Yourself quotes to help bolster your confidence to be uniquely you.
Whether you struggle with self-esteem issues or don’t have well-defined personal boundaries, these quotes can make you hold your ground about your beliefs, regardless of criticisms.
Best Stand Up for Yourself Quotes
- “Be brave and be fearless, and for God’s sake, stand up for yourself.” – Gretchen Carlson
- “It’s time to stand up for yourself and your dream. This is the one and only life that you have. Don’t waste it watching someone’s life on TV, in a movie, in a series, or reality show. Take your power back and make a move. Live your life on your terms, and create something new in your life. You deserve it!” – Les Brown
- “Anything that threatens, hinders, obstructs, denies, delays your capacity to stand fully up for yourself, within yourself, take it down.” – Iyanla Vanzant
- “Stay strong. Stand up. Have a voice.” – Shawn Johnson
- “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” – Rumi
- “Sometimes standing up for yourself can be as simple as walking away from a situation that does not support or honor your self-worth.” – Anonymous
- “Stand up for yourself by not standing yourself up.” – Gina Greenlee
- “Standing up for yourself doesn’t always involve verbal confrontation. Sometimes it’s about not wasting energy on people who are negative.” – Sherry Argov
- “Being able to admit you’re wrong is important, but so is standing up for yourself when you’re right.” – Suzy Kassem
- “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something in your life.” – Winston Churchill
- “Everything is a learning process: any time you fall over, it’s just teaching you to stand up the next time.” – Joel Edgerton
- “I learned that you can stand up for yourself and still maintain your zen!” – Doreen Virtue
- “Earning respect doesn’t mean to always let go but to stand up for yourself!” – Somya Kedia
- “How many more of us are faking the facade? How many more of us are pretending to be something we’re not? Even better, how many of us will have the courage to be ourselves regardless of what others think?” – Katie McGarry
- “The world is not the most pleasant place. Eventually, your parents leave you, and nobody is going to go out of their way to protect you unconditionally. You need to learn to stand up for yourself and what you believe and sometimes, pardon my language, kick some ass.” – Queen Elizabeth II
Stand Up for Yourself Quotes to Help You Stick to Your Guns
- “Never be afraid to stand with the minority when the minority is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority.” – William Jennings Bryan
- “If you believe very strongly in something, stand up and fight for it.” – Roy T. Bennett
- “If we don’t fight for what we ‘stand for’ with our passionate words and honest actions, do we really ‘stand’ for anything?” – Tiffany Madison
- “Sometimes, in order to follow our moral compass or our hearts, we have to make unpopular decisions or stand up for what we believe in.” – Tabatha Coffey
- “When you stand up for yourself, you are standing up for everyone who will follow your positive example!” – Doreen Virtue
- “Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.” – Maya Angelou
- “Don’t believe that winning is really everything. It’s more important to stand for something. If you don’t stand for something, what do you win?” – Lane Kirkland
- “I not only have the right to stand up for myself, but I have the responsibility. I can’t ask somebody else to stand up for me if I won’t stand up for myself. And once you stand up for yourself, you’d be surprised that people say, ‘Can I be of help?’” – Maya Angelou
- “Trust your own instincts, go inside, follow your heart. Right from the start. Go ahead and stand up for what you believe in. As I’ve learned, that’s the path to happiness.” – Lesley Ann Warren
- “When you stand for something, you’ve got to stand for it all the way, not halfway.” – Kevin Gate
- “Sometimes you have to stand up for what’s right, and sometimes that may be ruffling feathers and may be frowned upon by everyone else, but at the end of the day, in your heart, knowing you’re on the right side of history and knowing that you did the right thing, good or bad, you have to live with that.” – George Hill
- “We can never be afraid to stand up for what is right, no matter what others may say. And sometimes, if that means taking a lonely road, if what we are standing for is true, then perhaps moonlight or sunshine will light our way and make it less lonely.” – Pramila Jayapal
- “Stand up for what is right even if you stand alone. Stand up for truth, regardless of who steps on it.” – Suzy Kassem
Stand Up for Yourself Quotes to Build Confidence
- “Thinking for yourself and making your own decisions can be frightening. Letting go of other people’s expectations can leave you feeling empty for a time. And yet seeing yourself as an independent adult who can stand up for your own choices frees you to accept yourself as you are.” – Ellen Bass
- “You will never gain anyone’s approval by begging for it. When you stand confident in your own worth, respect follows.” – Mandy Hale
- “It’s easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” – Norman Vincent Peale
- “To me, bravery is to stand up for what you believe in.” – Sophie Turner
- “It’s really important to stand up for yourself and not always agree with what people say if indeed you don’t feel that that’s true.” – Lily Collins
- “Stand up for yourself. Never give anyone permission to abuse you.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
- “You have two choices. You can keep running and hiding and blaming the world for your problems, or you can stand up for yourself and decide to be somebody important.” – Sidney Sheldon
- “All things are possible if you are willing to put yourself on the line. You cannot stand back and hope for the best. You have to act” – Elizabeth Edwards
- “Sometimes it just feels so amazing to finally stand up for yourself. I highly recommend it. Life is too short to be taken for granted.” – Demi Lovato
- “Don’t give in to bullying or others making fun of people. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for your friends. Be that one person who is genuinely good-hearted.” – Michelle McCool
- “As I said, ‘If you don’t stand up for yourself, people aren’t going to think that you can stand up for them.’” – Sidney Blumenthal
- “We get weak, and we fall down. It’s when we stand up again that we become stronger. You will learn from this and be better for it. It’s okay to fall once in a while. You’ll pick yourself up – eventually.” – E. L. Todd
- “Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny. All the strength and succor you want is within yourself. Therefore make your own future.” – Swami Vivekananda
- “No change can come if those who are impacted the most by discrimination are not willing to stand up for themselves.” – Zainab Salbi
- “Stand up and face your fears, or they will defeat you.” – LL Cool J
- “You become a role model because of what you do as a person. There’s a certain point where being a role model might come from standing up for yourself and getting rid of emotion that doesn’t belong to you, an emotion that is being brought on because of racist actions of others.” – Claudia Rankine
