Quote Of The Day By Beyoncé: 'I'm At A Point Where I No Longer Need To Compete With...'

In the ranks of performers so exalted they need only one name — think the Madonnas, Chers, and Adeles — Beyoncé stands among the highest. In the '90s, the then-teenager, then known as Beyoncé Knowles, was already a sensation as part of Destiny's Child, scoring a top 10 single on their debut album with "No, No, No," and a Grammy for "Say My Name" on their second. Beyoncé made a name for herself, however, by her 2003 debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love," which sold 11 million copies. She has since become the most Grammy-awarded woman of all time.

One of Beyoncé's biggest strengths as an artist is her eagerness to evolve. She's reinvented herself with each album, from pop diva with "Dangerously in Love" to Americana maven on "Cowboy Carter." She's become Sasha Fierce on the radio, Etta James on the screen in "Cadillac Records," and a pioneer of multimedia production with the 2016 album/movie/manifesto "Lemonade." She's never afraid to become who she needs to be, and that's why Beyoncé is today's quote of the day.

"I've spent so many years trying to better myself and improve whatever I've done that I'm at a point where I no longer need to compete with myself," Beyoncé told Harper's Bazaar in 2021. "I have no interest in searching backwards. The past is the past. I feel many aspects of that younger, less evolved Beyoncé could never f*** with the woman I am today."

In the interview, Beyoncé was asked what she's learned from each decade of her life as she approached 40. Looking back on a lifetime of hustling and healing (she and husband Jay-Z normalized couples' therapy for celebrities), she expressed hope that her next decade would bring more relaxation and less restriction, with the freedom to leave the woman she used to be in the past where she belongs. You know what they say: "Always be yourself, unless you can be Beyoncé." It turns out the only person that's not true for is Beyoncé.

You don't have to be a world-famous star like Beyoncé to understand what she's saying. We all have past versions of ourselves that we may not realize we're still competing with. Maybe you're worried your "glory days" are behind you, and now you waste your energy trying to recapture the success, freedom, or beauty of your youth. Conversely, maybe you're still trying to prove to a former version of yourself you're ashamed of that you've become better than she is.

Whatever the case, if you needed someone to tell you that it's okay to stop, you can't do better than Beyoncé. If she doesn't need to prove to anyone that she can still outdance the girl in the "Crazy in Love" music video, you can also embrace your older, wiser self as a distinct entity from the person you used to be. There's nothing wrong with keeping your skin youthful as you age, but maybe draw the line at your identity.

• "To me, power is making things happen without asking for permission. It's affecting the way people perceive themselves and the world around them. It's making people stand up with pride."

• "When I'm not feeling my best I ask myself, 'What are you gonna do about it?' I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me."

• "Your self-worth is determined by you. You don't have to depend on someone telling you who you are."

• "We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that as they grow up, gender equality becomes a natural way of life. And we have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible."

• "I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world. I run my world."