Imposter Syndrome Quotes

“Absolutely everybody wants to be liked (law 1).

Everyone feels different inside (less confident, less able, etc.) from how they infer other people to feel (law 2).

Few honest and courageous people who have achieved anything of real value in life do not feel a fraud much of the time (law 3).

Acceptance of these three 'laws' alone would save an awful lot of people an awful lot of grief!”
― David Smail, Power, Responsibility and Freedom

“Yet no matter how great I shone, I was the glitter of a single star amid a galaxy of constellations.”
― M.A. Kuzniar, Upon a Frosted Star

“Humans are biased machines, and we are especially influenced by negatives. We want to believe the worst about ourselves and will pick those scraps up throughout the day and piece them together until we have something that we can look at and say, 'Look, arent I terrible' even if everyone else says otherwise. Maybe that's just me.”
― Charlotte Amelia Poe, How to Be Autistic

“There’s no issue with what you’re doing by anyone else’s standards. It’s how you view yourself that is the problem.”
― Jessamy Hibberd, The Imposter Cure: How to stop feeling like a fraud and escape the mind-trap of imposter syndrome

“You’re the person who apologizes for apologizing. Your emails start with “Just wondering if maybe...” and end with “Sorry for bothering you!” Your drafts have drafts, and your backup plans have backup plans. Perfection and hesitation are your second and third names.”
― Tempest Jemison, How to Break Free from Imposter Syndrome: A Hilarious Journey from Self-Doubt to Self-Love: A Quick, No-BS Guide to Stop Overthinking, Overcome ... Your Life With Fun Exercises and Extra Giggle

“may you live out your life as a spectacle. may you be true to the you in the mirror”
― Malebo Sephodi

“i’ve arrived at a sort of emancipation moment. one that allows me to cultivate joy and pleasure in ways that feel liberatory. one that is radically indulgent and excessive. one that holds space for me in the midst of my fear - fear of my huge presence. fear of my light. fear of my weaknesses. fear of my sexuality. fear of my neurodivergence. fear of my magic. fear of my multiple selves and entities - one that allows me to reinvent myself as many times as this skinsuit is willing to carry me . one that grants me the permission to, in all its glory, make a “spectacle of myself”
― Malebo Sephodi

“You belong and this space is for you”
― Janna Cachola

“Put yourself in places where you don't belong, get used to it now because you will get there.”
― Janna Cachola

“It's funny," Dani continued. "When I was little, I used to be scared of the freezes. Every day I was terrified that time would stop and I'd be all alone again. And now..." She paused to look around at the strange, motionless world that had become so natural to her. "Now I can't wait for them. It's like this is my real life. In normal time, people don't really know me. They don't understand. It's weird feeling like you don't belong in your own life.”
― Jared Branahl & Ryan Johnson, Unbound

“It's worth mentioning that if you do a shotty job at your last-minute frenzied effort, you might take it as evidence that you really are a fraud. But in the back of your mind you've also got a convenient, built in excuse for your poor performance. It doesn't feel good to do sub-standard work, but on some level you can tell yourself that it's because you left it to the last minute, and not because you gave it your best shot and failed. Which is terrifying - because it's your worst fear becoming reality.”
― Cassandra Dunn, The Imposter Solution

“I am emptied through shallow breaths.
Muscles tighten in my chest.
I think I am a fool dressed up in king’s chamber,
holding a four-leaf clover.”
― Zaineb Afzal, Spare Change

“I told myself that everything was fine, that my life was incredible and I wasn’t sad and I’d just send more emails and swig whiskey in order to fall asleep at two a.m. every night, empty bottles lining the foot of my bed. I
wrung my body out like a towel, twisting both ends with red fists and sinking my teeth into it, gritting out, “It’s fine it’s fine it’s fine,” until one day, I woke up and there would be a new accolade on my shelf, a new accomplishment I could never have dreamed of, and then—finally—it would be fine. It’d be perfect. For that day. Or an hour. And then tendrils of the dread started peeking into the corners of my vision. And I had to start all over again.”
― Stephanie Foo, What My Bones Know

“I told myself that everything was fine, that my life was incredible and I wasn’t sad and I’d just send more emails and swig whiskey in order to fall asleep at two a.m. every night, empty bottles lining the foot of my bed. I wrung my body out like a towel, twisting both ends with red fists and sinking my teeth into it, gritting out, “It’s fine it’s fine it’s fine,” until one day, I woke up and there would be a new accolade on my shelf, a new accomplishment I could never have dreamed of, and then—finally—it would be fine. It’d be perfect. For that day. Or an hour. And then tendrils of the dread started peeking into the corners of my vision. And I had to start all over again.”
― Stephanie Foo, What My Bones Know

“Let's grab a drink, hold hands, and have a little identity crisis together,”
― Jacob Eliza, The No-Brainers: Your Panic-Free Guide to AI and the Modern Good Life

“Every time you doubt yourself,
a door closes within,
locking away pieces of you
until your soul feels like an abandoned house.”
― Sean DeLaney, When Life Begins to Whisper: A Journey Beyond Answers

“Often the real problem is an underlying fear of not being good enough.”
― Jessamy Hibberd, The Imposter Cure: How to stop feeling like a fraud and escape the mind-trap of imposter syndrome

“Imposter syndrome prevents people believing in themselves and the more they achieve the worse they feel.”
― Jessamy Hibberd, The Imposter Cure: How to stop feeling like a fraud and escape the mind-trap of imposter syndrome

“Even as an adult, I sometimes find myself at a loss of words, as though my mind freezes. It can leave me feeling stuck and even a bit helpless - not ideal for someone who already grapples with imposter syndrome.”
― Luke Campbell, The Neurospicy Guide for Beginners: The Tiny Introduction to Neurodiversity

“I used to doubt myself, wondering if I was good enough. But I’ve learned that growth comes with doubt, failure leads to wisdom, and thriving starts with showing up. I am imperfect but unstoppable.”
― Millycent Mashele

“Credibly comes from results.”
― Richie Norton

“You lack the confidence to do it, because you do not learn how to do it. If you learn how to do it. you will have confidence to do it.”
― Audrey Mphela

“Remember that time you “accidentally” climbed Mount Everest or won an Olympic gold medal? Or maybe “mistakenly” performed brain surgery? No? That’s because success doesn’t happen by accident, no matter what your Inner Critic tries to tell you. And deep down, you know this.”
― Tempest Jemison, How to Break Free from Imposter Syndrome: A Hilarious Journey from Self-Doubt to Self-Love: A Quick, No-BS Guide to Stop Overthinking, Overcome ... Your Life With Fun Exercises and Extra Giggle

“Do you know the difference between healthy self-doubt and imposter syndrome? Compare this: a GPS recalculating your route—calm, collected, and ready to guide you back on track. Now, contrast that with your Inner Chaotic Passenger who’s simultaneously giving you wrong directions, insisting that you got your license from a garage sale, and yelling that you’re trying to scam them. Whatever happens—they’re definitely giving you one star and writing a detailed complaint about it.”
― Tempest Jemison, How to Break Free from Imposter Syndrome: A Hilarious Journey from Self-Doubt to Self-Love: A Quick, No-BS Guide to Stop Overthinking, Overcome ... Your Life With Fun Exercises and Extra Giggle

“(...) here’s the thing about pretending to have all the answers: it’s exhausting, it’s lonely, and—surprise, surprise—it’s holding you back from your greatest potential. Your worth isn't determined by a flawless facade but by your resilience, adaptability, and willingness to be genuinely human.”
― Tempest Jemison, How to Break Free from Imposter Syndrome: A Hilarious Journey from Self-Doubt to Self-Love: A Quick, No-BS Guide to Stop Overthinking, Overcome ... Your Life With Fun Exercises and Extra Giggle

“Understanding that this voice is a misguided attempt to shield you from failure by bombarding you with self-criticism is the first step to putting it in its place.”
― Tempest Jemison, How to Break Free from Imposter Syndrome: A Hilarious Journey from Self-Doubt to Self-Love: A Quick, No-BS Guide to Stop Overthinking, Overcome ... Your Life With Fun Exercises and Extra Giggle

“You have accomplished something incredible. Yet, you seek validation.”
― Jayant Chopra

“Those who experience imposter syndrome believe they have deceived others into thinking they are more competent than they really are. Instead of recognizing their skills and efforts, they attribute their success to luck, timing, or the kindness of others.”
― Janani Srikanth, Fear OFF Work: Psychological Tools To Overcome Workplace Fears

“I can say from experience that time spent feeling like an imposter and worrying that you are in the wrong field is time not spent doing your job and getting better at it.”
― Valerie Tiberius, What Do You Want Out of Life?: A Philosophical Guide to Figuring Out What Matters

“Then look me in the eye and tell me the truth, Frances. Would a man--any man--consider turning this opportunity down?”
― Stephanie Dray, Becoming Madam Secretary