Relationship with self

Writer James Baldwin on hate as a defense mechanism: "I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."
The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts. —Meditations 5.16
“Freedom is man's capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves.” — Rollo May, “Man’s Search for Himself”
In French, “cultiver son jardin intérieur” means to tend to your internal garden—to take care of your mind.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff • You and Your Mind Garden
The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts. —Meditations 5.16