David D. Burns

“The 'shoulds' are a form of self-coercion that creates a sense of pressure and resentment.”

“Blame is the sacred cow of depression.”

“Cognitive distortions are the root cause of our suffering.”

“The moment you have a certain thought and believe it, you will experience an emotion, a feeling. Your thoughts create your feelings.”

“You feel the way you do right now because of the thoughts you are thinking at this moment.”

“When you stop telling yourself that you’re worthless, you’ll stop feeling worthless.”

“Every bad feeling is the result of a distorted negative thought.”

“The key, then, is to change the way you think.”

“Your feelings are not facts.”

“The first principle of cognitive therapy is that all your moods are created by your 'cognitions,' or thoughts.”

“The truth is that your feelings result from the meaning you give to an event, not from the event itself.”

“Perfectionism is the enemy of happiness.”

“If you are willing to do the work, you can change the way you feel.”

“The pursuit of approval is a trap.”

“Anger is almost always caused by the belief that someone is acting unfairly.”

“What you are telling yourself is the most important factor in how you feel.”