99 Unique Quotes on Why It’s Best to Be Yourself

By Stephanie Kirby

Writer, Entrepreneur and Inspirational quote curator

Published November 6, 2023

If you’re ready to stop trying to be like everyone else, get inspiration from these unique quotes about being yourself.

According to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, individuals who express their true selves are more likely to experience positive emotions and overall life satisfaction.

This underscores the importance of being yourself and staying true to who you are.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to conform to what the people around you are like.

When you spend a lot of time on social media, you may find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others and doing your best to “fit in”.

But that’s not the best way to live.

There’s a lot of pressure in trying to be something that you’re not.

You’re much better off learning how to be yourself.

We are all unique, and we do our best when we find how to love ourselves and thrive in that uniqueness.

If you enjoy this collection, check out our inspirational quotes category page.

Be Yourself: Encouraging Unique Quotes

A survey conducted by OnePoll found that over 80% of Americans feel pressure to conform to societal norms and expectations.

This highlights the need for unique quotes encouraging individuals to embrace their individuality and reject conformity.

1. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” – Bernard M. Maruch

2. “Just be you, be beautiful and be comfortable in your own skin.” – Helen Edwards

3. “Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland

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4. “Some people say you are going the wrong way when it’s simply a way of your own.” – Angelina Jolie

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5. “Cherish forever what makes you unique, ‘cuz you’re really a yawn if it goes.” – Bette Midler

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6. “Our time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

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7. “Be yourself, don’t take anything from anyone, and never let them take you alive.” – Gerard Way

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8. “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” – Oscar Wilde

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9. “Being different isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.” – Luna Lovegood

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10. “Be different; be unique; be yourself.” – Christina Grimmie

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11. “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you are not.” – Andre Gide

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Be Unique Quotes on Overcoming Challenges

According to a study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion, individuals who feel authentic and self-expression in their work are more likely to experience job satisfaction and overall well-being.

Being yourself can be a powerful tool for achieving professional success and fulfillment.

12. “The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

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13. “Let go of who you think you need to be and just be who you actually are.” – Unknown

14. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou

15. “Only recently have I realized that being different is not something you want to hide or squelch or suppress.” – Amy Gerstler

16. “Learn to… be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

17. “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” – E.E. Cummings

18. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

19. “People have a problem with me being different, but that propels me forward in life.” – Mary-Louise Parker

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Unique quotes about the dangers of not being yourself

20. “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” – Oscar Wilde

21. “Don’t let others box you into their idea of what they think you should be. A confined identity is a miserable way to exist. Be you and live free. Trust that in living true to yourself, you will attract people that support and love you, just as you are.” – Jaeda DeWalt

22. “Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live.” – Gianni Versace

23. “Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.” – Unknown

24. “The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Unique quotes on being yourself

25. “You are you. Now isn’t that pleasant?” – Dr. Seuss

26. “I’ve always loved the idea of not being what people expect me to be.” – Dita Von Teese

27. “Where’s your will to be weird?” – Jim Morrison

28. “The things that make me different are the things that make me.” – Winnie The Pooh

29. “Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from.” – Jodie Foster

30. “At bottom, every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

31. “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe

32. “Don’t doubt your value. Don’t run from who you are.” – Aslan

33. “You cannot change what you are, only what you do.” – Phillip Pullman

34. “Not all who wander are lost.” – Gandolf

35. “By being yourself you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.” – Edwin Elliott

36. “If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.” – Johann von Goethe

Be unique quotes

37. “Fitting in allows you to blend in with everyone else, but being different allows you to be yourself, to be unique, and to be more creative.” – Sonya Parker

38. “Don’t ever compare yourself to others. You are not a copy, you are an original. Craft your own individuality and sense of style and just be yourself.” – Yvonne

39. “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou

40. “Don’t try to impress people. Always be yourself.” – Bella Thorne

41. “What sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden and it’s not. And a lot of the time, it’s what makes you great.” – Emma Stone

42. “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”- Oprah Winfrey

43. “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however, measured or far away.” – Henry David Thoreau

44. “The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.” – Albert Einstein

45. “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” – Coco Chanel

46. “Just be yourself. Let people see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful, magical person that you are.” – Mandy Hale

47. “Remember, it’s ok to be yourself.” – Richard Branson

48. “Whatever you do, be different – that was the advice my mother gave me, and I can’t think of better advice for an entrepreneur. If you’re different, you will stand out.”- Anita Roddick

49. “Stay true to yourself. An original is worth more than a copy.” – Suzy Kassem

50. “Be yourself, but always your better self.” – Karl G. Maeser

Unique Quotes On Overcoming Influences and Being Yourself

51. Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” — Allen Ginsberg

52. “It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.” — Dolly Parton

53. “Always be yourself. At the end of the day, that’s all you’ve really got; when you strip everything down, that’s all you’ve got, so always be yourself.” — Al Roker

54.”Our own personal brand of courage – in relationships, in conflict, in our principles – is as unique as our fingerprints.” ― Chris Cleave

55. “About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for what you can do for them, and some won’t like you at all.” — Rita Mae Brown

56. “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” — William Shakespeare

57. “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” — Bindi Irwin

58. “Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?” — Charles Bukowski

59. “Don’t chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing, and work hard. The right people—the ones who really belong in your life—will come to you, and stay.” — Will Smith

60. “It sounds so simple, but if you just be yourself, you’re different than anyone else.” —Tony Bennett

Unique Quotes To Give You Confidence Out of Being Yourself

61. “Accept right now that you are magnificent. Being your real, true, authentic self is what’s most awesome about you.” — Gabby Bernstein

62. “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” — Buckminster Fuller

63. “To help yourself, you must be yourself. Be the best that you can be. When you make a mistake, learn from it, pick yourself up and move on.” — Dave Pelzer

64. “If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.” — Elaine S. Dalton

65. “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” — Carl Jung

66. “You are who you are when nobody’s watching.” — Stephen Fry

67. “I pay no attention whatsoever to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings.” — Mozart

68. “Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.” — Bertrand Russell

69. “You eliminate competition by being yourself.” — Dan Go

70. “Existence wants you to be you.” — Osho

Unique Quotes To Embrace What Makes You

71. “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” ― Margaret Mead

72. “Uniqueness is what makes you the most beautiful.” ― Lea Michele

73. “Personality begins where comparison leaves off. Be unique. Be memorable. Be confident. Be proud.” ― Shannon L. Alder

74. “Each of us is a unique strand in the intricate web of life and here to make a contribution.” ― Deepak Chopra

75. “It is not easy to be different, and even less so to be unique. But I begin to think I was never meant for an easy road.” ― Cassandra Clare

76. “Realizing you’re completely unique… even in a crowd” ― Antony John

77. “Your calling is you unique area of expertise” ― Sunday Adelaja

78. “We were built differently. Locate your own uniqueness” ― Sunday Adelaja

79. “A woman of God may look like other women but she is unique, because she looks up to God in all that she does.” ― Gift Gugu Mona

80. “There is only one you in this world, so embrace your uniqueness and let it shine brightly.” ― Matheesha Prathapa

Unique Quotes To Celebrate Your Uniqueness

81. “When I research, I try to do unique research.” ― Steven Magee

82. “Each individual is unique, but what makes us alike is the source of our being—God!” ― Gift Gugu Mona

83. “We are all unique in someway. I am unique in this way. ‘Life has many uncertainties,’ as wise men say, but I embrace uncertainties.” ― Udayakumar DS

84. “Your gifts are ancient, your talents are endless, and your Soul’s medicine is radically unique.” ― Kris Franken

85. “Chastising one for being unique is weird.” ― H D Howard

86. “Teach others how to be bold, radiate immense self-love, and appreciate how unique you are.” ― Virginia Toole

87. “Every person has a unique success equation. What’s yours?” ― Sukant Ratnakar

88. “Never compare yourself with anyone. Neither you find someone like you in the past nor someone is going to be like you in the future. You are born unique.” ― Srinivart

89. “For every single person it’s something unique. You can’t compare your experience to mine, and I can’t compare mine to his.” ― Laird Hamilton

90. “You don’t need to be an imitation of someone else, we are all unique in our own way, so always be yourself.” ― Sheliza Alli

91. “Be yourself. That’s it. I got about 45 [billionaires] . They are all different, all unique, and they are all self-made.” ― Tony Robbins

92. “Success means to wake up, grow up, and show up, living your unique self, giving your unique gifts to the larger evolutionary symphony of life which needs your music.” ― Marc Gafni

93. “I am inspiring and activating others to wake up to their unique selves to anchor the next stage of our unfoldment.” ― Michael Beckwith

94. “Celebrate yourself. Follow your passions and eccentricities, because they are yours alone. You are unique! If everyone did that, I’m pretty sure there would be world peace.” ― Kandyse McClure

95. “Every climb is different, has its own unique set of movements and body positions. Climbing and my appreciation for nature are totally intertwined.” ― Chris Sharma

96. “Coming upon a space that sounds unique and incredible is just the best feeling.” ― Madi Diaz

97. “I try to be really, really specific, because each character is really an individual and you have to find out what makes them unique.” ― Rachelle Lefevre

98. “By expressing our unique talents and using them to serve others, we will experience unlimited love, abundance, and true fulfillment in our lives.” ― Deepak Chopra

99. “Every person faces their own unique challenges and you may not always know what others around you are going through.” ― Avril Lavigne

What did you learn from these unique quotes?

If you struggle with trying to compare yourself to others, it can be hard to start shifting your mindset to being uniquely you.

But once you do, you’ll likely find that you’re much happier because of it.

There is freedom in learning how to be yourself instead of trying to fit in with the crowd.

If you’re having a hard time making this mindset shift, choose a few of the unique quotes above that inspire you.

Then, place them up around your house or keep them by your desk or as the wallpaper on your phone, so you’ll be constantly reminded of just how uniquely wonderful you are.

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