Top 34 Quotes by Albert Ellis

Self-esteem is the greatest sickness known to man or woman because it's conditional.

Let's suppose somebody abused you sexually. You still had a choice, though not a good one, about what to tell yourself about the abuse.

As a result of my philosophy, I wasn't even upset about Hitler. I was willing to go to war to knock him off, but I didn't hate him. I hated what he was doing.

Acceptance is not love. You love a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you accept everybody just because they're alive and human.

In the old days we used to get more referrals, because people had insurance that paid for therapy. Now they belong to HMOs, and we can only be affiliated with a few HMOs.

You largely constructed your depression. It wasn't given to you. Therefore, you can deconstruct it.

I had used eclectic therapy and behavior therapy on myself at the age of 19 to get over my fear of public speaking and of approaching young women in public.

By not caring too much about what people think, I'm able to think for myself and propagate ideas which are very often unpopular. And I succeed.

There's no evidence whatsoever that men are more rational than women. Both sexes seem to be equally irrational.

Many psychoanalysts refused to let me speak at their meetings. They were exceptionally vigorous because I had previously been an analyst and they were very angry at my flying the coop.