Are you tired of dealing with narcissists? You are not alone. From time immemorial to the present day, many writers, poets, philosophers and scientists have spoken out on this topic. Family therapist Dan Newhart compiled a selection of 25 of the most striking quotes about narcissists.
1. Narcissism is closer to self-hatred than to self-adoration.
Christopher Lash, writer
2. Half of all the evil in the world is done by people who want to feel their own importance … They always justify themselves, because they wage an endless struggle, trying to always be pleased with themselves.
T.S. Eliot, writer
3. Narcissists don’t like people who don’t admire them. Those who admire are indifferent to them.
Mason Cooley, essayist
4. There is no one kinder than a narcissist as long as you live by his rules.
Elizabeth Bowen, writer
5. In the depths of the so-called narcissistic personality, of course, lies shame and a paralyzing fear of being ordinary.
Brené Brown, researcher
6. You can’t please a narcissist. He will treat you horribly, and as a result, you will withdraw and become depressed. And in the end, you will hear something from him in the spirit: “It has become uninteresting with you. You are forever sad. I need someone more positive.”
Susan Williams, writer
7. Psychologists classify narcissism as a so-called personality disorder. By many standards, it can be called the worst of these disorders, if only because the narcissists themselves do not understand what it is.
Jeffrey Kluger, writer
8. When people go crazy, they have neurosis or psychosis. When they drive others crazy, they have a personality disorder.
Albert J. Bernstein, psychologist
9. How hungry you are that my heart has become food for your ego.
Amanda Torroni, writer
10. Narcissism is voluntary blindness, a promise not to look deep.
Sam Keen, writer
11. Narcissistic parents are great at pretending that everything is fine, so their children often do not understand what was wrong. During therapy, you can often hear from them: “I had caring parents and a wonderful childhood. I should be grateful.”
Heather Slate, writer
12. If you want your attitude to turn from admiration to contempt in a second, just offend a narcissist with something.
Tigress Luv, blogger
13. Parents should lovingly return their freedom to the child. This does not happen if their eyes are glued with narcissism.
Jane Fonda, actress
14. When narcissists flaunt themselves, they want to be the object of admiration – like three-year-olds, and for the same reasons. They crave attention. For example, they dress inappropriately, speak too loudly, gesticulate aggressively, violating someone else’s personal space.
Mark Ettenson, psychotherapist
15. Again and again I am convinced of the dire consequences of pathological relationships [with narcissists] that slowly and imperceptibly destroy us.
Sandra Brown, psychotherapist
16. Trying to get the narcissist to behave appropriately, any form of humanity or empathy, is like banging your head against a wall. If he suddenly begins to show these qualities, he probably has a selfish motive. The narcissist behaves like a worthy person only when he needs something.
Tina Sweetin, writer
17. Now I know that one of the qualities inherent in evil is the desire to confuse everything.
M. Scott Peck, writer
18. No matter how developed the social skills of a pathological narcissist, he has big attachment problems anyway. Such a narcissist froze in childhood.
Samuel Lopez de Victoria, psychotherapist
19. The narcissist will be immensely delighted to hear that you are eating raw noodles from the garbage, sitting at the table in stale underwear.
Tina Sweetin, writer
20. I ask everyone who looks like a pathological narcissist one simple question: “Can you name three people in your professional field who are smarter and more capable than you?” In most cases, they are absolutely unable to give an honest answer.
Ingo Molnar, computer hacker
21. A narcissist falls in love with a reflection in a mirror, not because it is beautiful, but because it is his reflection. If he were fascinated by beauty, over the years, as it fades, he would be freed from obsession.
W.H. Auden, poet
22. The easiest way to displease a narcissist is to ignore them.
JB Snow, writer
23. Sometimes narcissists seem to put a mental filter in our brain: “Won’t he be displeased if I do/say/think this and that? Approve or disapprove? Will you be offended?” Until we remove this filter, the narcissist will control all our actions to some extent.
Sam Vaknin, writer
24. Narcissists do not learn from their mistakes because they are not able to take even the first step – to admit that they were wrong.
Jeffrey Kluger, writer
25. He was like a rooster, sure that the sun rises specifically to listen to his morning cry.
George Eliot, writer
About the Developer
Dan Newhart (Dan Neuharth) is a family therapist with 25 years of experience living and working in San Francisco. His .