Quote Of The Day By Eleanor Roosevelt: 'Friendship With Oneself Is All Important Because Without It...'

Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the most well-known first ladies in history — and for very good reason. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in 1884 in New York City. Her father, Elliott Roosevelt, was the younger brother of President Theodore Roosevelt. She was only 8 years old when her mother died and 10 when she lost her father too. At that time, Eleanor moved in with her grandmother and was homeschooled by tutors until she was 15, when the future first lady headed off to an all-girls school in England. In 1905, Eleanor tied the knot with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, her fifth cousin. The couple had six children together, and Eleanor began regularly volunteering at Navy hospitals, as well as the American Red Cross. 

When FDR was diagnosed with polio, she dove into helping him with his political career however she could. When she became first lady, Eleanor used the opportunity to fight for causes she believed in, putting human rights at the forefront of her work. She was so active as first lady that she became famous the world over for it. In fact, Eleanor actually earned the nickname "First Lady of the World" thanks to President Harry S. Truman. And that's why Eleanor's words of wisdom about self-acceptance are today's chosen quote of the day. 

"Friendship with oneself is all important because without it, one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world." This quote comes from Eleanor Roosevelt's essay "How to Take Criticism," which was published in Ladies Home Journal in 1944. It acts as a vital reminder that the most important relationship you'll ever have is the one you have with yourself.

Having strong relationships with others is obviously crucial for the human experience. But sometimes, it can feel so important that it affects our self-worth. In reality, believing in and accepting yourself can set the foundation for stronger relationships with others. Truly bonding with other people is difficult if you don't believe you deserve to be treated with kindness, or if you're primed to expect the worst. Learning about Eleanor Roosevelt's younger years, it's easy to imagine that she experienced loneliness. Losing her parents and not attending school until she was a teenager, she probably learned to be comfortable with her own company. 

And yet, this challenging upbringing hardly prevented Eleanor from living a full life that involved forming strong connections and helping those less fortunate. She helped so many people and was incredibly beloved. The foundation for this was learning to love herself first. These days, it's particularly difficult to make and maintain friendships. In many ways, our society is lonelier than ever. While many people long for ways to build relationships with others, most of us spend tons of time alone. Learning to love spending time with yourself and appreciating who you are can lead you towards openness and readiness to get closer to other people.

• "If silence seems to give approval, then remaining silent is cowardly."
• "In political life I have never felt that anything really mattered but the satisfaction of knowing that you stood for the things in which you believed, and had done the best you could."
• "Our trouble is that we do not demand enough of the people who represent us. We are responsible for their activities... We must spur them to more imagination and enterprise in making a push into the unknown; we must make clear that we intend to have responsible and courageous leadership." 
• "Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down."
• "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."