We deny our own beauty

Because others can’t or won’t recognise it. Instead of accepting ourselves as we are, we try to imitate what we see around us.
We try to be what other people think of as ‘pretty’ and, little by little, our soul fades, our will weakens, and all the potential we had to make the world a more beautiful place withers away.
We forget that the world is what we imagine it to be.
We stop being the moonlight and become, instead, the pool of water reflecting it.
Tomorrow, the water will evaporate in the sun.
And all because, one day, someone said: ‘You are ugly.’ Or: ‘She is pretty.’
With those three simple words, they stole away all our self-confidence.
And we become ugly and embittered.

- Manuscript found in Accra (Paulo Coelho)