Inside Critics The critical voices in our own heads are far more vicious than what we might hear from the outside. Our "inside critics" have intimate knowledge of us and can zero in on our weakest spots. You might be told by the critics that you're too fat, too old, too young, not intelligent enough, a quitter, not logical, prone to try too many things... It's all balderdash! Some elements of these may be true, and it's completely up to you how they affect you. Inside critics are really just trying to protect you. You can:Learn to dialogue with them. Give them new jobs. Turn them into allies. You can also dismantle/exterminate them.

— S.A.R.K.

In the inner courtroom of my mind, mine is the only judgment that counts.

— Nathaniel Branden

[Self]-distrust manifests blatantly in the judge's reaction to your experiences of expansion. 'Expansion' here refers to situations when you try something new, success at something you're never done before, stop a self-destructive habit, speak up in your own defense, recognize a truth about yourself, take on a new responsibility, and so on. The expansion is a shift in your sense of who you are or who you have taken yourself to be: who you are becomes a little bigger, includes a little more than it did before. What does the judge do with these moments? Almost everyone has experienced some sort of contraction after they expand: some letdown, some fear creeping in, some shame about being bigger, some withdrawal from the expansion. In one sense, this is part of a natural cycle of expansion and contraction. However, the contraction is seldom seen as part of the normal flow of the unfolding soul.

— Byron Brown

The good news is that opportunities for love enter our lives unpredictably, whether we’ve perfected self-compassion or befriended our inner critic.

— Sharon Salzberg

The more a child is abused, the more the child uses his abilities to anticipate, manage, prevent, dismantle, and challenge the abusing ways of his parents.

— Steven Franssen

Turn down the volume of your negative inner voice and create a nurturing inner voice to take its place. When you make a mistake, forgive yourself, learn from it, and move on instead of obsessing about it. Equally important, don’t allow anyone else to dwell on your mistakes or shortcomings or to expect perfection from you.

— Beverly Engel

Whenever one person in a relationship is unwilling or unable to contact his or her vulnerability in the interaction, there is a simultaneous movement into judgement: self-attack, attack of the other, or both. This is a chicken-or-the-egg situation: Do you resort to judgement for protection because you don't feel safe, or are you not feeling safe because of the presence of judgement? This is a fundamental question in dealing with the judge.

— Byron Brown

When we direct a lot of hostile energy toward the inner critic, we enter into a losing battle.

— Sharon Salzberg

Without confidence, we feel insecure. We replay the doubting voices of our parents on a loop in our own minds.

— Steven Franssen

Your inner critic is simply a part of you that needs more self-love.

— Amy Leigh Mercree