Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston who has spent over two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. Her TED talks and bestselling books — Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and Dare to Lead — turned academic research into everyday language. This collection of brene brown quotes gathers 122 of her most powerful lines on vulnerability, courage, shame, empathy, and belonging — all drawn from her documented books and talks, with honest attributions throughout. Learn more about her life and research on Wikipedia.
In this collection (8)
Brene Brown Quotes on Vulnerability & Courage
Vulnerability is the heartbeat of Brené Brown’s research. These brene brown quotes on vulnerability and courage come from Daring Greatly and her famous TED talks.
- “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.” — Brené Brown
- “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” — Brené Brown
- “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot have both.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage.” — Brené Brown
- “Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability is not weakness. I define vulnerability as uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability is our most accurate measure of courage.” — Brené Brown
- “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability is about showing up and being seen. It’s tough to do that when we’re terrified about what people might see or think.” — Brené Brown
- “I believe that vulnerability — the willingness to be ‘all in’ even when you know it can mean failing and hurting — is brave.” — Brené Brown
- “I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and definite.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability pushed, I pushed back. I lost the fight, but probably won my life back.” — Brené Brown
- “I want to experience your vulnerability but I don’t want to be vulnerable.” — Brené Brown
- “We love seeing raw truth and openness in other people, but we’re afraid to let them see it in us.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability is the last thing I want you to see in me, but the first thing I look for in you.” — Brené Brown
- “If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.” — Brené Brown
- “If we want to be fully engaged, to be connected, we have to be vulnerable.” — Brené Brown
- “We can’t get to courage without rumbling with vulnerability.” — Brené Brown
- “Let ourselves be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen.” — Brené Brown
- “Daring greatly means the courage to be vulnerable. It means to show up and be seen. To ask for what you need. To talk about how you’re feeling. To have the hard conversations.” — Brené Brown
- “Vulnerability without boundaries is not vulnerability.” — Brené Brown
- “There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.” — Brené Brown
- “To feel is to be vulnerable.” — Brené Brown
Brene Brown Quotes on Shame & Empathy
Brown’s research uncovered shame as the fear of disconnection — and empathy as its antidote. These brene brown quotes on shame and empathy draw from her TED talks and Daring Greatly.
- “Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.” — Brené Brown
- “Shame is really easily understood as the fear of disconnection.” — Brené Brown
- “Guilt = I did something bad. Shame = I am bad.” — Brené Brown
- “If you put shame in a petri dish, it needs three ingredients to grow exponentially: secrecy, silence, and judgment.” — Brené Brown
- “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.” — Brené Brown
- “The antidote to shame is empathy.” — Brené Brown
- “Empathy is a strange and powerful thing.” — Brené Brown
- “Empathy is simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of ‘You’re not alone.’” — Brené Brown
- “Rarely does a response make something better. What makes something better is connection.” — Brené Brown
- “In order to empathize with someone’s experience, you must be willing to believe them as they see it, and not how you imagine their experience to be.” — Brené Brown
- “We judge people in areas where we’re vulnerable to shame.” — Brené Brown
- “The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness.” — Brené Brown
- “Sometimes the most dangerous thing for our kids is the silence that betrays them.” — Brené Brown
- “Courage is telling our story, not being immune to criticism.” — Brené Brown
- “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.” — Brené Brown
- “Share with people who have earned the right to hear your story.” — Brené Brown
- “When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write a brave new ending.” — Brené Brown
- “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” — Brené Brown
- “When we have the courage to walk into our story and own it, we get to write the ending.” — Brené Brown
- “I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked.” — Brené Brown
- “If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I am not interested in or open to your feedback.” — Brené Brown
- “Don’t try to win over the haters; you are not a jackass whisperer.” — Brené Brown
- “Nothing has transformed my life more than realizing that it’s a waste of time to evaluate my worthiness by weighing the reaction of the people in the stands.” — Brené Brown
- “Nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as believing that I’m standing on the outside of my life looking in.” — Brené Brown
Brene Brown Quotes on Belonging & Wholeheartedness
From Braving the Wilderness to The Gifts of Imperfection, Brown teaches that belonging starts with the self. These brene brown quotes on belonging and wholehearted living are among her most loved.
- “True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.” — Brené Brown
- “True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world.” — Brené Brown
- “Belonging so fully to yourself that you’re willing to stand alone is a wilderness — an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching.” — Brené Brown
- “Don’t walk through the world looking for evidence that you don’t belong — you will always find it.” — Brené Brown
- “We belong to each other.” — Brené Brown
- “Strong back, soft front, wild heart.” — Brené Brown
- “We don’t have to do all of it alone. We were never meant to.” — Brené Brown
- “I believe that we must learn to protect our own light.” — Brené Brown
- “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.” — Brené Brown
- “Connection is 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
- “One of the greatest barriers to connection is the cultural importance we place on ‘going it alone.’” — Brené Brown
- “I define wholehearted living as engaging with our lives from a place of worthiness.” — Brené Brown
- “Here’s what is truly at the heart of wholeheartedness: Worthy now.” — Brené Brown
- “Worthiness doesn’t have prerequisites.” — Brené Brown
- “You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” — Brené Brown
- “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.” — Brené Brown
- “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” — Brené Brown
- “Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day.” — Brené Brown
- “Letting go of what people think.” — Brené Brown
- “I am a recovering perfectionist and an aspiring good-enoughist.” — Brené Brown
- “I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” — Brené Brown
- “We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known.” — Brené Brown
- “We can’t practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly.” — Brené Brown
- “Compassion is not a virtue — it is a commitment.” — Brené Brown
- “Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us.” — Brené Brown
Brene Brown Quotes on Leadership, Trust & Daring
In Dare to Lead, Brown turned her research toward the workplace. These brene brown quotes on leadership, trust and daring are practical for anyone who leads — or is led.
- “Brave leaders are never silent around hard things.” — Brené Brown
- “Courage is contagious. A critical mass of brave leaders is the foundation of an intentionally courageous culture.” — Brené Brown
- “Our ability to be daring leaders will never be greater than our capacity for vulnerability.” — Brené Brown
- “A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” — Brené Brown
- “Daring leadership is ultimately about serving other people, not ourselves.” — Brené Brown
- “We need braver leaders and more courageous cultures.” — Brené Brown
- “Who we are is how we lead.” — Brené Brown
- “What we know matters, but who we are matters more.” — Brené Brown
- “Trust is built in very small moments.” — Brené Brown
- “Trust is choosing to make something important to you vulnerable to the actions of someone else.” — Brené Brown
- “We need to trust to be vulnerable, and we need to be vulnerable in order to build trust.” — Brené Brown
- “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” — Brené Brown
- “When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated.” — Brené Brown
- “Boundaries are simply our lists of what’s okay and what’s not okay.” — Brené Brown
- “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.” — Brené Brown
- “You can’t get to courage without rumbling with vulnerability. Embrace the suck.” — Brené Brown
- “I’m not here to be right, I’m here to get it right.” — Brené Brown
- “You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a nudger.” — Brené Brown
- “Perfectionism never happens in a vacuum.” — Brené Brown
- “Perfectionism is not self-improvement. Perfectionism is, at its core, about trying to earn approval.” — Brené Brown
- “Healthy striving is self-focused: How can I improve? Perfectionism is other-focused: What will they think?” — Brené Brown
- “Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield.” — Brené Brown
- “Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.” — Brené Brown
- “Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness.” — Brené Brown
Short Brene Brown Quotes
Short brene brown quotes hit hardest. These one-liners from her books and talks distill her whole philosophy into a sentence or two.
- “Courage over comfort.” — Brené Brown
- “Stories are data with a soul.” — Brené Brown
- “Stay awkward, brave, and kind.” — Brené Brown
- “Show up, be seen, live brave.” — Brené Brown
- “The reckoning. The rumble. The revolution.” — Brené Brown
- “In the absence of data, we will always make up stories.” — Brené Brown
- “I assume people are doing the best they can.” — Brené Brown
- “The willingness to show up changes us. It makes us a little braver each time.” — Brené Brown
- “The middle is messy, but it’s also where the magic happens.” — Brené Brown
- “We cannot selectively numb emotions.” — Brené Brown
- “Joy is the most vulnerable emotion we experience.” — Brené Brown
- “Joy comes to us in moments — ordinary moments.” — Brené Brown
- “Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes.” — Brené Brown
- “Hope is a function of struggle.” — Brené Brown
- “Faith minus vulnerability and mystery equals extremism.” — Brené Brown
- “In many ways, faith and reason are not natural enemies.” — Brené Brown
- “Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” — Brené Brown
- “We are the most in-debt, obese, addicted and medicated adult cohort in U.S. history.” — Brené Brown
- “We’re a nation of exhausted and overstressed adults raising overscheduled children.” — Brené Brown
- “Our capacity for wholeheartedness can never be greater than our willingness to be broken-hearted.” — Brené Brown
- “People who wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories are the real badasses.” — Brené Brown
- “Every time we allow ourselves to lean into joy and give in to the moment, we build resilience and we cultivate hope.” — Brené Brown
- “What does it take to live and love from a place of worthiness?” — Brené Brown
- “I call this wholehearted living.” — Brené Brown
FAQs About Brene Brown Quotes
Who is Brené Brown?
Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she has spent over two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of bestselling books including Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and Dare to Lead, and her two TED talks on vulnerability and shame are among the most watched in the world.
What is Brené Brown’s most famous quote?
Her most quoted line is “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.” Other signature lines include “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind” and “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot have both.”
What does “daring greatly” mean?
The phrase comes from Theodore Roosevelt’s famous “Man in the Arena” speech, which Brown cites as the origin of her work. To dare greatly means to have the courage to enter the arena — to show up, be seen, and risk failure — rather than judging from the sidelines. It is also the title of her 2012 book Daring Greatly.
What books has Brené Brown written?
Her best-known books are The Gifts of Imperfection (2010), Daring Greatly (2012), Rising Strong (2015), Braving the Wilderness (2017), Dare to Lead (2018), and Atlas of the Heart (2021).
Editor’s Picks: The Best Brene Brown Quotes
| Quote | Best For |
|---|---|
| “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” — Brené Brown | For daily courage |
| “Vulnerability is not weakness. I define vulnerability as uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” — Brené Brown | For defining vulnerability |
| “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot have both.” — Brené Brown | For choosing courage |
| “Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.” — Brené Brown | For understanding shame |
| “If you put shame in a petri dish, it needs three ingredients to grow exponentially: secrecy, silence, and judgment.” — Brené Brown | For naming shame |
| “Rarely does a response make something better. What makes something better is connection.” — Brené Brown | For connection |
| “True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.” — Brené Brown | For belonging |
| “I define wholehearted living as engaging with our lives from a place of worthiness.” — Brené Brown | For wholehearted living |
| “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” — Brené Brown | For kind clarity |
| “Courage over comfort.” — Brené Brown | For a life motto |
| “The reckoning. The rumble. The revolution.” — Brené Brown | For the process |
More to Explore
If these brene brown quotes spoke to you, keep going — these collections go deeper on courage, healing, and the mindset behind it all:
- Mental Health Quotes: Honest Words for Hard Days
- Kindness Quotes: Small Acts, Big Difference
- Strength Quotes: Finding Your Inner Power
- Mindset Quotes: Shift Your Thinking, Shift Your Life
- Healing Quotes: Comfort for Wounded Hearts
- Success Quotes: Lessons from Great Achievers
- Life Quotes: Wisdom for Every Season
- Encouragement Messages: Words That Lift You Up
- Short Meaningful Quotes: Big Wisdom in Few Words
- Focus Quotes: Cut the Noise, Do the Work
- Consistency Quotes: Small Steps, Every Day
- Discipline Quotes: Master Yourself First
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