Making time for yourself matters most in a fast-paced society where distractions are continuous. That’s where putting yourself first pays off. Focusing on our priorities can help us become more productive, achieve our goals, and, most importantly, be happier.
That is why I put together a list of my top 113 be your own priority quotes to help us remember what is important in life. As you read through these quotes, you’ll get guidance from various perspectives, all with a similar essential message: you deserve the time, energy, and space to focus on yourself.
Let’s take a look at how these words can motivate you to prioritize yourself, not just today, but throughout your life.
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Here is the list of Be Your Own Priority Quotes

1. “Focus on your priorities before your priorities lose focus on you.” — Sarah Leigh
2. “Never make another person’s emotional or physical needs more important than your own.” — Germany Kent
3. “The root of productivity is in personal priorities. Know what matters to you and why.” — Melissa Steginus
4. “To change your life, you need to change your priorities.” — Mark Twain
5. “I have this really high priority on happiness and finding something to be happy about.” — Taylor Swift
6. “The first step to regain control of time is to decide what activities are most important so that we can plan to give them the proper priority during a day or a week or a month.” — Charles E. Hummel
7. “You have the need and the right to spend part of your life caring for your soul. It is not easy.” — Jean Shinoda Bolen
8. “Your priorities determine your happiness — place them in order and act on them.” — Francis Shenstone
9. “A great leader must focus the time and energy on the highest priorities and must maintain the single-minded, unwavering resolve to see each issue to completion.” — C. William Creighton
10. “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” — Maya Angelou
11. “You have to be self-interested in order to be selfless. You have to put yourself first if you want to be of use to other people.” — Rachel Bartholomew
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12. “Don’t wait for a crisis to realize what matters most. Put yourself first right now. Because right now is all we have.” — Brittany Burgunder
13. “Making yourself a priority is like sprinkling golden dust of richest blessings on your life.” — Hiral Nagda
14. “Success is only another form of failure if we forget what our priorities should be.” — Harry Lloyd
15. “Always choose yourself first. Women are very socialized to choose other people. If you put yourself first, it’s this incredible path you can forge for yourself.” — Rebecca Traister
16. “Passion is hidden motivator that dictates and drives every decision and determines life priorities.” — Chima Kingston Ekeke
17. “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give and nobody will care for you.” — Karl Lagerfeld
18. “Make priorities based on your goals and not desires.” — Nitin Namdeo
19. “If you want to have enough to give to others, you will need to take care of yourself first. A tree that refuses water and sunlight for itself can’t bear fruit for others.” — Emily Maroutian
20. “Prioritize your problems and take care of them one at a time, the highest priority first. Don’t try to do everything at once or you won’t be successful.” — Jocko Willink
21. “Nobody’s life is ever all balanced. It’s a conscious decision to choose your priorities every day.” — Elisabeth Hasselbeck
22. “You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be true to yourself.” — Taylor Swift
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23. “Know what matters most to you and be unwilling to compromise those priorities at almost any price.” — Frank Sonnenberg
24. “You were seen, you were heard, and you matter.” — Oprah Winfrey
25. “Our greatest danger in life is in permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important.” — Charles E. Hummel
26. “She woke up every morning with the option of being anyone she wished. How beautiful it was that she always chose herself.” — Tyler Kent White
27. “Listen to your body. It whispers to you before it screams.” — Proverb
28. “Change according to the Spirit all your priorities, and then joy is your own.” — Nirmala Srivastava
29. “You don’t need to live to fulfill other’s expectations. Live for yourself, love yourself and do not let them tell you that it is selfish.” — Mridula Singh
30. “Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It’s about listening to the needs of your soul and then honoring them.” — Kristi Ling
31. “The Principle of Priority states (a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and (b) you must do what’s important first.” — Steven Pressfield
32. “Always put yourself first – never compromise on your own happiness in order to make someone else happy.” — Hayley Mulenda
33. “Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things.” — Robert Louis Stevenson
34. “Do you generally try to satisfy others or to please yourself?” — Frank Sonnenberg
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35. “Nobody gets everything in this life. You decide your priorities and you make your choices. I’d decided long ago that any cake I had would be eaten.” — Donald E. Westlake
36. “I’m starting to judge success by the time I have for myself, the time I spend with family and friends. My priorities aren’t amending – they’re shifting.” — Brendan Fraser
37. “Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.” — Deborah Day
38. “Sometimes things in life happen that allow us to understand our priorities very clearly. Ultimately you can see those as gifts.” — Mariska Hargitay
39. “When you prioritize yourself, everything else will fall into its place.” — Rachel Jo
40. “Wise are those who learn that the bottom line doesn’t always have to be their top priority.” — William Arthur Ward
41. “When you are compassionate with yourself, you trust in your soul, which you let guide your life. Your soul knows the geography of your destiny better than you do.” — John O’Donohue
42. “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” — M. Scott Peck
43. “Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.” — Marcus Aurelius
44. “I’ve always been very aware of balance and, even before I had a child, my life always takes priority to my work.” — Charlize Theron
45. “Stop and take your time to notice things and make those things you notice matter.” — Cecelia Ahern
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46. “Invest in yourself. It’s the best investment you will ever make.” — Warren Buffett
47. “Become the person you are trying to meet.” — Germany Kent
48. “If you prioritize yourself, you are going to save yourself.” — Gabrielle Union
49. “The key is to not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” — Stephen R. Covey
50. “The most important relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself.” — Michelle Obama
51. “Your personal growth is the only thing that matters. You own and write your story; no one else does. Believe in your unique steps up the mountain.” — Brittany Burgunder
52. “When you start sacrificing yourself for other people, you make them a thief, because they are stealing from you what you need and they don’t even know it.” — Iyanla Vanzant
53. “You have a right to be you. It is a privilege for others to be around you.” — Janna Cachola
54. “Don’t wait for a crisis to realize what matters most. Put yourself first right now. Because right now is all we have.” — Brittany Burgunder
55. “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
56. “Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.” — Mark Twain
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57. “Be kind to yourself, dear—to our innocent follies. Forget any sounds or touch you knew that did not help you dance. You will come to see that all evolves us.” — Rumi
58. “When you care for yourself first, the world will also find you worthy of care.” — Haemin Sunim
59. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott
60. “You don’t need to buy yourself something every day. But you want to give yourself a gift every day.” — Rachel Jo
61. “Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” — Louise Hay
62. “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” — Jack Kornfield
63. “As you embrace this idea that you own your life, you begin to exercise dominion over it.” — Amy Leigh Mercree
64. “Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.” — Deborah Day
65. “Only those who are well aware of the instability of life give importance to priorities in life.” — Nitin Namdeo
66. “The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” — unknown
67. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” — Stephen R. Covey
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68. “Create a ladder of values and priorities in your life, reminding yourself of what really matters to you.” — Robert Greene
69. “If you just make every effort to do the right thing, you’ll come out ok. It comes down to priorities and making good decisions.” — Archie Manning
70. “On my own, I will just create, if it works, it works and if it doesn’t, I’ll create something else. I don’t have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.” — Oprah Winfrey
71. “Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.” — H. L. Hunt
72. “Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away.” — Barbara De Angelis
73. “You won’t change until changing becomes one of your priorities instead of one of your options.” — Sonya Parker
74. “To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness.” — Robert Morley
75. “The life you have left is a gift. Cherish it. Enjoy it now, to the fullest. Do what matters, now.” — Leo Babauta
76. “Sometimes you need to take a break from everyone and spend time alone to experience, appreciate, and love yourself.” — Robert Tew
77. “Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it.” — Unknown
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78. “Don’t take your health for granted. Don’t take your body for granted. Do something today that communicates to your body that you desire to care for it.” — Jada Pinkett Smith
79. “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much, there’s nothing else you can give, and nobody will care for you.” — Karl Lagerfeld
80. “Learn how to separate the majors and the minors. A lot of people don’t do well simply because they major in minor things.” — Jim Rohn
81. “If you prioritize yourself, you are going to save yourself.” — Gabrielle Union
82. “Your soul needs time for solitude and self-reflection. In order to love lead, heal, and create you must nourish yourself first.” — Linda Joy
83. “Anyone that truly cares about you will never put you last on their list. You would be a priority for life.” — Unknown
84. “If you’re not careful with your yeses, you start to say no to some very important things without even realizing it.” — Shauna Niequist
85. “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.” — Dallin H. Oaks
86. “It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make happiness a priority. It’s necessary.” — Mandy Hale
87. “No one is going to hand you an organizational chart. You have to hand it to yourself.” — Robert Genn
88. “There is no such thing as ‘I do not have the time’. This is all just a matter of priorities.” — Maciej Aniserowicz
89. “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much; it’s not real service. Everyone has to take care of themselves first.” — Parker J. Palmer
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90. “Fill your cup to the brim with things you love – and then pour some out.” — Ashley Davis
91. “Focusing on the right priorities can help you do more faster.” — David Cohen
92. “Focus on your priorities before your priorities lose focus on you.” — Sarah Leigh
93. “It is vital that in order to Navigate Life, we need to take ownership of our health as the highest priority.” — Tony Fahkry
94. “Don’t become too preoccupied with what is happening around you. Pay more attention to what is going on within you.” — Mary-Frances Winters
95. “Don’t settle for being an option; become a priority.” — Matt Mitchell
96. “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.” — Dallin H. Oaks
97. “Good things happen when you get your priorities straight.” — Scott Caan
98. “The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones.” — Brandon Sanderson
99. “The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well.” — John D. Rockefeller Jr.
100. “Invest in yourself. It pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin
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101. “The key to a good life is this: If you’re not going to talk about something during the last hour of your life, then don’t make it a top priority during your lifetime.” — Richard Carlson
102. “In all planning, you make a list and you set priorities.” — Alan Lakein
103. “If you drop the weight you are carrying, it is okay. You can build yourself back up out of the pieces.” — K. Ancrum
104. “Don’t dare to be different, dare to be yourself – if that doesn’t make you different then something is wrong.” — Laura Baker
105. “When someone does not value, appreciate and respect your love and friendship, it is a reflection of their own self-worth…not yours.” — Anthon St. Maarten
106. “You cannot pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
107. “When within yourself you find the road, the right road will open.” — Dejan Stojanovic
108. “To succeed today, you have to set priorities, decide what you stand for.” — Lee Iacocca
109. “When you start loving yourself and respecting your time and energy, things will change. Get to know your worth, and your value will go up.” — Germany Kent
110. “Taking care of yourself makes you stronger for everyone in your life… including you.” — Kelly Rudolph
111. “We can’t be all things to all people because we are everything to ourselves.” — Akiroq Brost
112. “When you have too many top priorities, you effectively have no top priorities.” — Stephen Covey
113. “Drop the people who do not value you, respect you. Life has infinite horizons. Accept yourself, love yourself, and move forward.” — Amit Ray
I hope these 113 inspirational be your own priority quotes inspire you to start taking care of yourself and putting your own needs first!

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