“Vulnerability is about showing up and being seen. It’s tough to do that when we’re terrified about what people might see or think.” — Brené Brown, Rising Strong

“What happens when people open their hearts? They get better.” — Haruki Murakami

“When we experience a great loss or hurt that feels like ‘broken heartedness’, we now realize that our heart is not broken. It’s actually the heart’s protective shell of defences breaking open to allow us to feel all emotions fully” - Loch Kelly, Shift into Freedom: The Science and Practice of Open-Hearted Awareness

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” - Rumi

“The wound you choose in order to interpret your pain becomes a shield of protection against forgiving, because releasing your grudge means being vulnerable again.” - Mario Martinez, The MindBody Code: How to Change the Beliefs that Limit Your Health, Longevity, and Success

“Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am brave and worthy of love and belonging” — Brené Brown

“Make your heart as vast as space, so big that nothing can harm it. When our hearts are that wide, it is as if the judgments are ripples on water, flowing away and leaving no trace. This is what vulnerability makes possible. It allows the natural strength of the heart to emerge" - Mark Coleman, Make Peace with Your Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Your Inner Critic

“This feeling of rawness is key to working with vulnerability. They often feel like one and the same thing. The challenge is to find a way to be comfortable feeling the innate vulnerability of being human. If we can hold our vulnerability with a loving attention, the painful feelings can unfold and slowly move through us” - Mark Coleman