25 Marsha Linehan Quotes on Dialectical Behavior Therapy

To learn more about the accomplished psychologist, check out these Marsha Linehan quotes.

Marsha M. Linehan is a renowned psychologist and author that is best known for creating Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

DBT is a psychotherapy that Linehan created to help treat mental health symptoms, and the therapy is based on Buddhism combined with cognitive restructuring.

Linehan was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1943 and was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child.

The treatments that she received for her diagnosis contributed to her suicidal behavior, and after leaving the Institute of Living when she was 18, she never took any more psychiatric medications.

After graduating from Loyola University Chicago, she began her work in psychology and was then trained in Zen meditation.

Take a look at these Marsha Linehan quotes to learn more about the famous psychologist.

Best Marsha Linehan Quotes

Enjoy some of the best quotes from Marsha Linehan.

1. “Pain can’t be avoided.” — Marsha Linehan

2. “It does hurt to be invalidated.” — Marsha Linehan

3. “Don’t apologize for making requests.” — Marsha Linehan

4. “Silence is the language of God. Listen.” — Marsha Linehan

5. “Which actions will make it better or worse?” — Marsha Linehan

6. “All people at any given point in time are doing the best they can.” — Marsha Linehan

7. “Accepting compliments graciously can help to build your self-respect.” — Marsha Linehan

8. “Of course, all lives are worth living in reality. No life is not worth living.” — Marsha Linehan

9. “By itself, each moment of love may not be enough. But ultimately, the pail fills.” — Marsha Linehan

10. “You can feel like a mental patient, but that doesn’t mean you have to act like one.” — Marsha Linehan

Marsha Linehan Quotes to Inspire You

Check out these inspirational quotes from the psychologist.

11. “Love seeks no reward but when given freely comes back a hundredfold.” — Marsha Linehan

12. “My only requirement was that the house have a basement so we could provide housing for the poor.” — Marsha Linehan

13. “When we are free, we can look in the face of our cravings and desires and say, ‘I don’t have to satisfy you.’” — Marsha Linehan

14. “Sometimes we cannot change the environment significantly, but we can perhaps alter the way in which we perceive it.” — Marsha Linehan

15. “A patient’s passivity must not be unilaterally interpreted as lack of motivation, resistance, lack of confidence, or the like.” — Marsha Linehan

16. “Radical acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and a willingness to notice and accept things as they are right now, without judging.” — Marsha Linehan

17. “Wisdom and freedom require the ability to allow the natural flow of emotions to come and go, experiencing emotions but not being controlled by emotions.” — Marsha Linehan

Marsha Linehan Quotes to Make You Think

Here are some thought-provoking quotes from the creator of DBT.

18. “Somehow I lost all ability to regulate not only my emotions but my behavior as well.” — Marsha Linehan

19. “The desire to commit suicide, however, has at its base a belief that life cannot or will not improve.” — Marsha Linehan

20. “The great thing about treating borderline patients is that it is like having a supervisor always in the room.” — Marsha Linehan

21. “An important distinguishing factor of DBT is its emphasis on learning how to tolerate and accept distress.” — Marsha Linehan

22. “People with BPD are like people with third-degree burns over 90% of their bodies. Lacking emotional skin, they feel agony at the slightest touch or movement.” — Marsha Linehan

23. “Many, if not most, therapeutic errors are assessment errors; that is, they are therapeutic responses based on faulty understanding and assessment of the problem at hand.” — Marsha Linehan

24. “I honestly didn’t realize at the time that I was dealing with myself. But I suppose it’s true that I developed a therapy that provides the things I needed for so many years and never got.” — Marsha Linehan

25. “Responding to a suicide attempt by insisting that it must stop, and devoting the full resources of therapy to preventing it, is a communication with compassion and care at its very core.” — Marsha Linehan

What is Linehan Doing Now?

Linehan is an Emeritus and Adjunct professor at the University of Washington and the Director of Behavior Research and Therapy Clinics.

She now lives in Seattle, Washington, with her adult adopted daughter and son-in-law and is the author of numerous psychology books.

Please share these Marsha Linehan quotes with others by clicking the share button!