Quotes from Albert Ellis

The more sinful and guilty a person tends to feel, the less chance there is that he will be a happy, healthy, or law-abiding citizen. He will become a compulsive wrong-doer.

The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.

When your heart begins to pound, your face gets hot, your thoughts race, your blood pressure skyrockets, and adrenaline surges through your body, you will seldom act in a rational way. Your rage may lead to a constant struggle to control your actions. Your fury itself may feel very uncomfortable and be a constant reminder that you are not dealing effectively with the world around you.

The art of love... is largely the art of persistence.

There are three musts that hold us back: I must do well. You must treat me well. And the world must be easy.

People and things do not upset us. Rather, we upset ourselves by believing that they can upset us.

Much of what we call emotion is nothing more or less than a certain kind - a biased, prejudiced, or strongly evaluative kind - of thought.

Anger is the only negative emotion that people all over the world usually want to keep.

To err is human; to forgive people and yourself for poor behavior is to be sensible and realistic.

Anger can be likened to an architect's blueprint. The availability of a blueprint does not cause a building to be constructed, but it does make construction easier.

Whatever may be, I am still largely the creator and ruler of my emotional destiny.

The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own.