How can you tell if someone you love or work with is a narcissist?
It can be hard to tell at first, since narcissists are often intelligent, charming, and charismatic people.
However, once you see their true colors shine through and their self-centeredness becomes apparent, it’s usually too late—you’re already hooked into the relationship.
Even if they don’t mean to hurt you, narcissists frequently do just that—hurt others in order to protect themselves from the pain of being vulnerable and rejected by other people who will inevitably not meet their standards in life.
Finding out that you’re in a relationship with a narcissist can be one of the most confusing and devastating realizations of your life, especially if you never knew what narcissism was before it happened to you.
While it’s not your fault that you ended up with a narcissist in the first place, knowing what this personality disorder means for your future can help you move forward with the best possible outlook on the situation that you can have at this point in time.
If you’ve ever wondered why your narcissistic friends, family, or colleagues do the things they do, here are 127 best narcissist quotes that might help you understand them a little better—and maybe even feel better about them!
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Since the break-up, the narcissist will try to continue their toxic cycle of tearing you down, then fluffing you back up, then tearing you down again. ―Lauren Kozlowski
Withhold admiration from a narcissist and be disliked. Give it and be treated with indifference. ―Mason Cooley
A narcissist will never care about your feelings, your emotions and your needs and will try to manipulate and exploit you. ―Amy Johnson
A man who loves others based solely on how they make him feel, or what they do for him, is really not loving others at all — but loving only himself. ―Criss Jami
Narcissism and self-deception are survival mechanisms without which many of us might just jump off a bridge. ―Todd Solondz
Underneath the so-called narcissistic personality is definitely shame and the paralyzing fear of being ordinary. ―Brené Brown
Narcissism really spreads its wings and soars on Twitter. It’s like watching a dragon hatch and learn to fly. ―Dave Anthony
And we need to know what it is to be human if we are to avoid becoming narcissists. ―Alexander Lowen
I have always been suspicious of romantic love. It looks too much like a narcissism shared by two. ―Rita Mae Brown
It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love. ―Voltaire
A narcissist wants you to adopt his version of himself. ―Hart Pomerantz
Narcissism has more in common with self-hatred than with self-admiration. ―Christopher Lasch
When the victim is completely drained dry, the narcissist vanishes. ―Steven K Craig
It is especially painful when narcissists suffer memory loss because they are losing parts of the person they love most. ―David Brooks
A narcissist will almost always dismiss your plans and ideas. ―Amanda Hope
The narcissist enjoys being looked at and not looking back. ―Mason Cooley
Mostly, the narcissists prefers to be feared or admired – rather than loved. ―Sam Vaknin
The ability to love depends on one’s capacity to emerge from narcissism. ―Erich Fromm
Where there is much pride or much vanity, there will also be much revengefulness. ―Arthur Schopenhauer
At the very core of a narcissist’s ideal prey is an empathetic nature – without this, they wouldn’t be able to use their hard-luck stories as an excuse for their unrelenting toxicity. ―Lauren Kozlowski
If you want to go from being adored to devalued in the blink of an eye, simply insult the narcissist. ―Tigress Luv
I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity. ―Diana Vreeland
Whoever loves becomes humble. Those who love have, so to speak, pawned a part of their narcissism. ―Sigmund Freud
Narcissus weeps to find that his image does not return his love. ―Mason Cooley
Relationships with narcissists are held in place by the hope of a ‘someday better,’ with little evidence to support it will ever arrive. ―Dr. Ramani Durvasula
Self-love seems so often unrequited. ―Anthony Powell
I wonder if the course of narcissism through the ages would have been any different had Narcissus first peered into a cesspool. He probably did. ―Frank O’Hara
That’s what modern narcissism really is—a pernicious mix of qualities defined by three words that start with self: selfishness, self-absorption, and self-importance. ―David Sirota
The narcissist is like a bucket with a hole in the bottom: No matter how much you put in, you can never fill it up. ―Dr. Ramani Durvasula
If the relationship with a narcissist is so rewarding, why are inverted narcissists so unhappy? ―Sam Vaknin
It’s nearly impossible for individuals with narcissistic personality disorder to truly fall in love and build a trusting, equal partnership. ―Taylor Hench
I don’t care what you think unless it is about me. ―Kurt Cobain
With a narcissist, you cannot have a voice or an opinion; you must meet their demands and tolerate and accept their disrespect towards you because they say they love you. ―Ella Jayne West
Narcissists are intoxicated by their own power and are unable to use the healthy aspects of narcissism because they lack the capacity for empathy and introspection. ―Joan Lachkar
Regrets? I think everyone has regrets, and people who say they haven’t are either liars or narcissists. ―Lee Radiziwill
People, no matter the economic class, find ways to feed their narcissism. ―Lynne Tillman
Before you think you are surrounded by idiots, make sure that you don’t suffer from narcissism. ―Giannis Delimitsos
I think a lot of self-importance is a product of fear. And fear, living in a sort of an un-self-examined fear based life, tends to lead to narcissism and self-importance. ―Moby
The extreme sociopathic narcissist is the center of his own universe. ―Kasy Spears
Live your life and aim to lessen your focus on what the narc is doing, who they are seeing or what toxic things they’re doing to others. ―Lauren Kozlowski
Most of the narcissists are geniuses and masters of Psychology. But they are using their knowledge to eradicate, rather than to help humanity. ―Mwanandeke Kindembo
The greater our own level of narcissism, the more we detest it in others. ―Steve Maraboli
The narcissist blames others for his misconduct, accuses them of provoking him into his temper tantrums, and believes firmly that they should be punished for their misbehavior. ―Sam Vaknin
No one has probably helped me more with narcissism than my dog. ―Tucker Max
For the most part people are not curious except about themselves. ―John Steinbeck
The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize. ―Robert Hughes
Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity. ―Frank Leahy
I can never tell what I’m doing when I’m in the middle of publication because I have no confidence. I have terrible self-esteem, along with boundless narcissism. ―Anne Lamott
A narcissist’s excessive self-importance is a mask to hide their low self-worth. ―Ed Russo
Children of narcissists learn that love is abuse. The narcissist teaches them that if someone displeases you, it is okay to harm them and call it love. ―M. Wakefield
A narcissist’s criticism is their autobiography. ―M. Wakefield
Learning to spot narcissists and deal with their destructive behavior can save you the world of hurt that awaits anyone who mistakes the near enemy for a friend. ―Martha Beck
Ironic as this may sound, self-love is actually a narcissist’s greatest fear. ―Lauren Kozlowski
Narcissists are toxic people who have a strong need for admiration. They have a false sense of belief that they are superior and everyone is beneath them. ―Nitya Rambhadran
Indeed, narcissists will steal credit from others when something good happens and blame others when things go badly. ―Constantine Sedikides
Narcissistic love is riding on the rollercoaster of disaster filled with a heart full of tears. ―Sheree Griffin
That which he projects ahead of him as his ideal, is merely his substitute for the lost narcissism of his childhood ― the time when he was his own ideal. ―Sigmund Freud
Self-awareness is not self-centeredness, and spirituality is not narcissism. ‘Know thyself’ is not a narcissistic pursuit. ―Marianne Williamson
Narcissists will sometimes speak authoritatively above a person’s level of understanding or knowledge. They do this to make the person feel inferior. ―Diane Metcalf
We’re stronger and braver together. Do not let this world and this narcissistic culture make competitors out of the very people who are meant to be your comrades in arms. ―Beth Moore
Hate is the complement of fear, and narcissists like being feared. It imbues them with an intoxicating sensation of omnipotence. ―Sam Vaknin
But that’s the thing about narcissists. They can try to fool you, with all their heart, but in the end, they’re just fooling themselves. ―Ellie Fox
There is a difference between supporting someone and feeding someone’s narcissism. One is support and the other is not. ―Fathom
Parents are supposed to give the child back to herself with love. If they’ve got duct tape over their eyes because of narcissism, it doesn’t happen. ―Jane Fonda
The silent killer of great men and women of achievement — particularly men, I don’t know why, maybe it’s the testosterone — I think it’s narcissism. Even more than hubris. ―James Woods
Big egos are big shields for lots of empty space. ―Diane Black
Being a narcissist isn’t easy when the question is not of loving your own image, but of recreating the self through deliberate acts of alienation. ―Orlan
Narcissists look for new victims for the same reason that tigers look for new prey: they are hungry, constantly starved for adoration, admiration, acceptance, approval. ―Sam Vaknin
He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals. ―Benjamin Franklin
Individualism. Narcissism. Value-free choices. These are all key elements in the decline of the practice of mutual accountability in Western churches, among clergy and laity alike. ―David Augsburger
Always appear calm and peaceful in the presence of a narcissist no matter what. They get narcissistic supply by feeling powerful if they can upset you. ―Cynthia Bailey-Rug
Always appear calm and peaceful in the presence of a narcissist no matter what. They get narcissistic supply by feeling powerful if they can upset you. ―Cynthia Bailey-Rug
Love doesn’t die a natural death. Love has to be killed, either by neglect or narcissism. ―Frank Salvato
No matter how socially skilled an extreme narcissist is, he has a major attachment dysfunction. The extreme narcissist is frozen in childhood. ―Samuel Lopez de Victoria
Intuition — once you have had a narcissist in your life, you must develop your intuition and learn to listen to it and act accordingly. ―Tracy Malone
I like to be admired from afar, and then complimented up close. ―Gena Showalter
You can make a deal with a narcissist, legalize it, and discover that he suddenly has changed his mind and will not honor his commitment. ―Linda Martinez-Lewi
Even though friends say they are interested in your life, they never really want to talk about you as much as you want them to. ―Charise Mericle Harper
The narcissist becomes his own world and believes the whole world is him. ―Alexander Lowen
There’s a reason narcissists don’t learn from mistakes and that’s because they never get past the first step which is admitting that they made one. ―Jeffrey Kluger
Narcissists may be sensitive to feelings like empaths, but while empaths will extend compassion, narcissists will be hostile when they experience others’ discomfort. ―Ryan James
We educate ourselves on the personality of a Narcissist. ―Lisa Scott
Leave your pride, ego, and narcissism somewhere else. Reactions from those parts of you will reinforce your children’s most primitive fears. ―Henry Cloud
The narcissist convinces their victim (or at least tries to) that they are crazy, that their suspicions are pure paranoia and that they need professional medical help. ―Sparkster Hubs
The narcissist victimizes by contempt, humiliates by indifference, subjugates by fear, and conditions by alternating between idealization and devaluation. ―Sam Vaknin
What are narcissists looking for, after all? Just someone at their level that they can feel superior to. ―Luigina Sgarro
They provoke you, but when you defend yourself, they cry victim. ―Mitta Xinindlu
The covert narcissist proudly declares an allegiance to the truth. He offers his undeniable humbleness and human imperfection in an effort to impress you. ―Wendy T. Behary
You can teach a narcissist to show up on time, but you can’t train them to listen once they get there. ―Dr. Ramani Durvasula
The more you make this world about you, the more miserable you will be. ―Matt Chandler
Narcissism is the part of my personality that I am least proud of, and I certainly don’t like to see it highlighted in everybody else I meet. ―Ben Affleck
Ultimately there is no power to narcissistic, self-indulgent thinking. Authentic thinking originates with an encounter with the world. ―Abraham Joshua Heschel
A narcissist is always in love with his REFLECTION rather than being in love with HIMSELF. ―Victoria Hoffman
A narcissist’s love is merely superficial. ―Reinhard Haller
You give up your narcissism, your egotism. That’s how you achieve chemistry. ―Nick Nolte
Please repair your narcissism before you start loving your neighbor as yourself. ―Charles F. Glassman
The paradox of the toxic narcissist is that they never reflect upon their own toxicity. ―A. Carr
No, I do not crave money, nor care for it. I need the power that it bestows on me to dare, to flare, to conquer, to oppose, to resist, to taunt, and to torment. ―Sam Vaknin
A victim of circumstance is a casualty. A victim of convenience is a narcissist. ―Alan Robert Neal
Narcissists are aided, abetted and facilitated by four types of people and institutions: the adulators, the blissfully ignorant, the self-deceiving and those deceived by the narcissist. ―Sam Vaknin
Narcissists and others who have personality disorders do not change. You can’t love their toxicity away. You can’t teach them or save them. ―Michelle Gibeault
Self-love forever creeps out, like a snake, to sting anything which happens to stumble upon it. ―Lord Byron
The narcissist devours people, consumes their output, and casts the empty, writhing shells aside. ―Sam Vaknin
Humility requires the narcissist always to assess himself humbly to determine whether his self-perceptions are merited or aggrandized. ―N. Graham Standish
The narcissistic father needs to prop up his ego at all costs because deep down he feels fragile and is unsure of his own worth. ―Carolynn Hillman
How starved you must have been that my heart became a meal for your ego? ―Amanda Torroni
I think writers are the most narcissistic people. Well, I musn’t say this, I like many of them, a great many of my friends are writers. ―Sylvia Plath
Half the pain in human life comes from gazing in mirrors. ―Marty Rubin
The narcissistic mother is deadly serious when she cries, complains or whines about you, and the infantile manipulation is intended to strike you where it hurts – your feelings. ―D. T. Bloom
Loving a narcissist can be extremely addictive, and leaving him very difficult. Say whatever you’d like about narcissistic relationships, they are not boring. ―Rokelle Lerner
That probably greatest of narcissistic wounds — not to have been loved just as one truly was — cannot heal without the work of mourning. ―Alice Miller
The lion is most handsome when looking for food. ―Rumi
When dealing with a narcissist, don’t defend yourself against attacks. Instead, say, ‘Your attempt to portray me in a negative light is noted.’ ―Tina Swithin
In the early stages of narcissist abuse, you will be angry enough to think crazy things. Be strong. They are not worth your anger. Get help and heal, that is the way to peace. ―Tracy Malone
Narcissism is not about self-love. It’s a clinical trait that belies a deep sense of emptiness, low self-esteem, emotional detachment, self-loathing, extreme problems with intimacy. ―Drew Pinsky
My father was a textbook narcissist. If he didn’t like the narrative he’d start gaslighting you. He threatened the democracy of our family. ―Randy Rainbow
Narcissists will go to extreme lengths to create their own delusional mirrors. ―Michael M. McConaughey
Narcissists only want you to show the parts of your character that benefit them. ―Maggie Petraki
Ego is borne of the need to ‘prove’ oneself, instead of making the choice to ‘be’ oneself. ―Craig D. Lounsbrough
Self-love depressed becomes self-loathing. ―Sally Kempton
Meditation is a way to be narcissistic without hurting anyone. ―Nassim Nicholas Taleb
There’s nothing that makes you more miserable (or less interesting) than self-absorption. ―Timothy Keller
The ultimate obscenity is not caring, not doing something about what you feel, not feeling! Just drawing back and drawing in; becoming narcissistic. ―Rod Serling
I mean, if a narcissist can’t recognize he’s a narcissist, how on earth do you treat his narcissism? ― Elle Kennedy
Most narcissists reject the notion or diagnosis that they are mentally disturbed. ―Sam Vaknin
Narcissist Quotes You’d Love to Tweet
Nobody can be kinder than the narcissist while you react to life on his terms. ―Elizabeth Bowen Share on XThe narcissist enjoys being looked at and not looking back. ―Mason Cooley Share on XInstead of asking her why she didn’t leave her abuser sooner, tell her you are proud of her for leaving when she could. ―Christy Anne Martine Share on XWe must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment. ―Jim Rohn Share on XIf you think leaving a narcissist is hard, just wait until you get the bill for not doing it. ―Kim Saeed Share on XHypocrissist: A narcissist who has their head so far up their ass they can’t hear the hypocrisy coming out of their mouth. ―Joel McDonald Share on XWithhold admiration from a narcissist and be disliked. Give it and be treated with indifference. ―Mason Cooley Share on XNarcissist Quotes with Images
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FAQs
What is narcissism?
Narcissism is a personality disorder characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. People with this disorder often believe they are better than others and have little regard for other people’s feelings or needs. They may take advantage of others to get what they want or be dismissive of others’ accomplishments.
How do I know if I’m a narcissist?
If you’re wondering whether or not you might be a narcissist, there are a few key indicators. Do you have an inflated sense of self-importance? Do you crave admiration and attention? Do you regularly exploit others for your own gain? If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions, there’s a good chance you might be a narcissist.
What are the symptoms of narcissism?
According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of narcissism include an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, a lack of empathy for others, often taking advantage of others, a preoccupation with success or power, and an unreasonable sense of entitlement. If you know someone who displays these tendencies, they may be a narcissist.
What causes narcissism?
While the cause of narcissism is unknown, some experts believe that it may be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. For example, children who are raised by parents who are narcissistic may be more likely to develop narcissism themselves. Additionally, people who experience significant trauma or stress in their lives may also be more susceptible to developing narcissistic personality disorder.
How can I deal with a narcissistic person?
Dealing with a narcissistic person can be difficult, but there are some things you can do to make it easier. First, try to understand why they act the way they do. Second, set boundaries with them and be clear about what you will and will not tolerate. Third, stay calm and avoid getting defensive when they try to push your buttons. Fourth, don’t take their bait when they try to start arguments or create drama.
What are best quotes on narcissism?
Some famous narcissism quotes are:
* I’m not a narcissist, I just love myself.
* There’s nothing wrong with being a little bit narcissistic. ―Kanye West
* In order to love others, we must first love ourselves.
* You can be addicted to a person, just like you can be addicted to drugs.
Conclusion
We all know someone who is a little too into themselves. Maybe they post too many selfies, or are always talking about their latest accomplishments. While it can be annoying, there’s actually a term for this behavior: narcissism.
Most people think of narcissists as vain, selfish people with an inflated sense of self-worth. And while that might sometimes be true, the truth is that some experts believe everyone has some degree of narcissistic tendencies.
Psychologists generally agree that true narcissistic personality disorder – which causes people to show high levels of traits like dominance, entitlement, superiority, envy and exploitation – only affects about one percent of the population.
Hope you have found these quotes on narcissism useful. As always, we would love to hear from you. Please fill your comments on our Contact Us page. Have a great day!
