No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

Roosevelt is reminding us that how we respond to others' opinions, judgments, or criticisms is within our control. No matter what someone says or does, the feeling of being "less than" or "inferior" is a choice we make.

We give others the power to influence our self-worth only when we allow it. This doesn’t mean that words or actions from others don’t have an impact. They can hurt, challenge us, or cause us to question ourselves. But Roosevelt is teaching us that we can decide how much influence we let those words have. We can choose to internalize them or let them roll off us, depending on our sense of who we are and what we value.

Philosophers like Epictetus shared a similar idea, teaching that we cannot control external events, but we can control how we respond to them. Our inner strength and self-confidence come from knowing that no one else can define us unless we let them.

Where in your life are you giving others the power to define your worth? And what would it look like to reclaim that power, taking back your permission to feel worthy, regardless of others' opinions?

No one can diminish your value unless you allow it. Your sense of self-worth is yours to define.