A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.

#Nick Nelson being the bravest boy

You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow, we're always doing it wrong?

You have to be thin, but not too thin, and you can never say you wanna be thin. You have to say you wanna be healthy, but also, you have to BE THIN.

You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass.

You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean.

You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas.

You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time.

You have to be a career woman, but also, always be looking out for other people.

You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is INSANE, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining!

You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood, but ALWAYS STAND OUT and ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL. But never forget that the system is rigged, so find a way to acknowledge that but ALSO, always be grateful!

You have to never get old. Never be rude. Never show off. Never be selfish. Never fall down. Never fail. Never show fear. Never get OUT OF LINE. It's too hard! It's too contradictory, and nobody gives you a medal or says 'thank you!' And it turns out, in fact, that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also, everything is your fault.

I'm just so tired of watching myself, and every single other woman tie herself into knots, so that people will like us.

And if all of that, is also true for a doll just representing a woman, then I don't even know." -Gloria the barbie movie

She was so scared of being imperfect and having cellulite and aging and dying, and then she saw how beautiful all of those things could be, and she cried, and I cried.

Is she okay? Uh, not really, no.

And then, then, you realize that was why Abuela was so hard on Mirabel from then on. To her, Mirabel was an incarnation of that powerlessness. Abuela Alma had never been able to confront the grief, to find closure. But Mirabel confronts her grief (”I’m not fine…”) and says her prayers, (”I would move the mountains…”) and eventually brings her grandmother literally to the place where she can confront everything she’s lost.

It's okay to have a low IQ.

It's okay to not be "smart", as in clever, witty, or cunning. It's okay.

It's okay to not be a leader. It's okay to be content following people- the important thing is making sure you're following the right people for you.

It's okay not to be good at maths and science, and it's okay not to be good at English or art or drama. It's okay if you're not good at anything "academic".

It's okay if you don't have a special talent, or a hobby you're particularly invested in.

It's okay to not be charming, or funny, or 'pretty'.

It's okay if you aren't society's ideal.

None of these things detract from you being a person. None of these things mean you have any less worth as a human being. Even if any of these things mean that you can't contribute to society as an engineer or a doctor or something, that doesn't mean you can't contribute to other people's lives. Don't let society determine your self worth.

Because you can still be kind. Still give people cookies, or hugs, or companionship. You can still do things, you could still find something that you're passionate about, you could still find your calling.

And even if you don't, that doesn't mean you aren't still human. All human beings have intrinsic value, just for being alive. You have the right to be part of society, and more importantly to be alive, whether or not you have something that make other people like you.

Your life is not dependent on others. You are allowed to just exist, to not have found that thing that makes you "you" yet.