Your Closest And Longest Friend Is Yourself

I was reminded of a passage from Hamlet, the other day, when Polonius is giving advice to his son, Laetes:

This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

  It is easier to be honest with others if you are honest with yourself.  To accomplish this may require some work, aye, there's the rub (sorry, Hamlet, again).  Strange as it may sound, you need to treat yourself as an entity, a separate individual, you need to step away from yourself, if you will.  By doing this, you will have a perspective of yourself that is more in line with the way others see you.  When you do this, you will better see what improvements you may need to make.  You will also need the desire to make these changes.  It all comes down to respecting yourself, liking yourself, even loving yourself.  Now, I am not talking about being conceited, everything needs balance.  I am simply saying that for self dignity you need self respect:  This above all: to thine own self be true.

  When you are true to yourself, it is easier to be genuinely true to others and when you are a friend to yourself,  you will find friendship in others:  Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power. - Clint Eastwood