I just finished reading Empowering Women: A Guide to Loving Yourself, Breaking Rules, and Bringing Good Into Your Life by Louise Hay. This inspirational book is small but powerful, consisting of 11 chapters that focus on different aspects of life. Empowering Women centers on the idea that true change comes from within—and the cover is a really pretty pink! 

Here are my favorite quotes from Empowering Women:

"Every time we learn something new, we deepen our understanding of Life." -page 30

"Stop All Criticism. It is a useless act; Don’t criticize yourself; lift that burden from yourself." -page 33

"Life gives you the opportunity you wouldn’t take for yourself." -page 41

"Everything that you do for yourself is either an act of self-love or self-hate. Exercise is self-love, and loving yourself is the key to success in every aspect of your life." -page 56

"You cannot use plastic surgery to improve your self-worth. It will never happen. You might have a temporary improvement. Soon the old feelings of unworthiness will come up, and you’ll start thinking, Well maybe if I have this other wrinkle removed… and the process never ends." -page 63

"Be happy with who you are. Above all, don’t alter your body to please someone else. If people don’t love you as you are, they will not love you anymore after you sacrifice your body for them." -page 64

"When I say no to you, I am saying yes to me." -page 66

"Forgiving the experience and those involved is part of spiritual maturity. It is over and done and cannot be changed. Letting it go frees us from bondage to the past. It is the act of releasing the past that frees us to live in the now." -page 68

"Everything that you do for yourself is either an act of self-love or self-hate." -page 69

"Love yourself as you are.” -page 70

"Any person, place, or thing that is loved will respond by being its best. The thing that is loved will respond by being its best. The love you create for yourself now will stay with you for the rest of your life. Just as we learn to hate ourselves, so too can we learn to love ourselves. It only takes willingness and a bit of practice." -page 92

"Don’t ever think it is too late for you or that you are too old to dream and have goals. Dreams and goals keep us young and interested in life. Live today to the fullest, and forget about the past." -page 94

"The universe loves to give. We are the ones that have a hard time receiving. We will remain in lack until we can expand our consciousness to accept the idea that we are allowed to prosper, that we deserve to prosper, that we can prosper. Only then can we allow the Universe to give to us." -page 106

Finally, an affirmation: 

"I know that everything that happens in my life is for the highest good. I am deeply fulfilled."  -page 46