Virginia Satir

Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you deal with it is what makes the difference.

The message sent is not always the message received.

Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world who are probably not so sure themselves.

We must not allow other peoples limited perceptions to define us.

We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.

Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves.

Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.

What lingers from the parent's individual past, unresolved or incomplete, often becomes part of her or his irrational parenting.

We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us.

We can learn something new anytime we believe we can.

The recommended daily requirement for hugs is: four per day for survival, eight per day for maintenance, and twelve per day for growth.

Problems are not the problem; coping is the problem.

Every word, facial expression, gesture, or action on the part of a parent gives the child some message about self-worth. It is sad that so many parents don't realize what messages they are sending.

Life is not what it's supposed to be. It's what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.

People prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty.

Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated mistakes are tolerated communication is open and rules are flexible the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.

Problems are not the problem coping is the problem.

So much is asked of parents, and so little is given.