Being dependent may sound like a weakness, but it is one of our greatest strengths. Spreading to the farthest corners of the globe, even walking upon the moon, humans have become so wildly successful through depending on each other: children on their parents, one parent on another, families on communities, and communities on the many adults who aren’t raising children. The root of the word “confident” means “to have trust or faith.” If others are dependable, we develop trust in them as well as faith in our own worth. But if others are not dependable, it’s normal to develop a sense of inadequacy, self-doubt, even shame. This is particularly true in childhood, when we are both most dependent on others and most affected by our negative experiences.

Confidence is a feeling, which reflects the coherence of the information and the cognitive ease of processing it. It is wise to take admissions of uncertainty seriously, but declarations of high confidence mainly tell you that an individual has constructed a coherent story in his mind, not necessarily that the story is true.

The confidence which we have in ourselves gives birth to much of that which we have in others.

There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.

There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.

Confidence was everything. But in order to possess that confidence, you had to test yourself and put yourself on the line. It doesn’t come from osmosis, out of the air. It comes from consistently going over the visualization in your mind to help you develop the confidence that you want to possess.

At its core, I believe leadership is about instilling confidence in others

Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings

Unrelenting confidence was necessary.

True self-confidence is “the courage to be open — to welcome change and new ideas regardless of their source.” Real self-confidence is not reflected in a title, an expensive suit, a fancy car, or a series of acquisitions. It is reflected in your mindset: your readiness to grow.

You earn your confidence through intentional action toward meaningful goals. You can only borrow so much confidence from the distant past.

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.

Humility is often misunderstood. It’s not a matter of having low self-confidence. One of the Latin roots of humility means “from the earth.” It’s about being grounded — recognizing that we’re flawed and fallible. Confidence is a measure of how much you believe in yourself. Evidence shows that’s distinct from how much you believe in your methods. You can be confident in your ability to achieve a goal in the future while maintaining the humility to question whether you have the right tools in the present. That’s the sweet spot of confidence.

True self-confidence is “the courage to be open — to welcome change and new ideas regardless of their source.