21 Shocking Narcissist Quotes That Will Make You Leave

“Since narcissists deep down feel themselves to be faultless, it is inevitable that when they are in conflict with the world they will invariably perceive the conflict as the world’s fault.”
— M. Scott Peck

“A narcissist paints a picture of themselves as being the victim or innocent in all aspects. They will be offended by the truth. But what is done in the dark will come to light. Time has a way of showing people’s true colors.”
— Karla Grimes

“Nobody can be kinder than the narcissist while you react to life on his terms.”
— Elizabeth Bowen

“The lion is most handsome when looking for food.”
— Rumi

“Narcissists will destroy your life, erode your self-esteem, and do it with such stealth as to make you feel that you are the one that's letting them down.”

“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

“How starved you must have been that my heart became a meal for your ego.”
— Amanda Torroni

“Narcissistic love is riding on the rollercoaster of disaster filled with a heart full of tears.”
— Sheree Griffin

“There was nothing more unattractive than narcissism, she thought: nothing could transform beauty into a cloying, unattractive quality than that self-conscious appreciation of self.”
— Alexander McCall Smith

“Love doesn’t die a natural death. Love has to be killed, either by neglect or narcissism.”
— Frank Salvato

“The narcissist devours people, consumes their output, and casts the empty, writhing shells aside.”
— Sam Vaknin

“Have you ever been in a relationship with an individual who demands your attention incessantly and becomes depressed, sulky and even full of rage if your attention goes elsewhere? This is one of the earliest warning signs of a narcissist. Please understand healthy adults do not behave in such a way. This is where people who know the difference turn their back and walk away; they know that any person ringing them 10 times a day and demanding attention is not well. Unfortunately, many individuals, as I did, can mistake (or delude ourselves) that this high need for attention means we're loved, missed and adored, or maybe we felt wrong in leaving or speaking up, as a result of our own deficient boundary function. Please be assured, this is not love; it's the deadly calling card of the narcissist.“
— Melanie Tonia Evans

“Narcissists have poor self-esteem, but they are typically very successful. They feel entitled; they’re self-important; they crave admiration and lack empathy. They are also exploitative and envious. The malignant types never forget a slight. They may kill you ten years later for cutting them off in traffic. But they act perfectly normal while plotting their revenge.”
— Janet M. Tavakoli

“Withhold admiration from a narcissist and be disliked. Give it and be treated with indifference.”
— Mason Cooley

“Narcissism is a grave condition of insecurity and desperately feeling unloved and unacceptable. An individual with Narcissistic Personality Disorder inherently believes they are ‘damaged goods' and fears other individuals will discover the truth: that they feel powerless. Thus the narcissist invests a great deal of energy into ‘gaining the upper hand', to hide feeling vulnerable, insecure and broken. When they are getting what they want, the charm is flowing and plentiful. When the charm doesn't work the intimidation begins. Narcissism is categorized as an unhealthy level of self-absorption and a lack of empathy regarding how their insecure, aggressive and damaging behavior affects the world around them.”
— Melanie Tonia Evans

“Relationships with narcissists are held in place by hope of a ‘someday better,’ with little evidence to support it will ever arrive.”
— Ramani Durvasula

“Sadly, when many individuals realize that the narcissist is insecure and isn't reassured, they try harder to love this person. Additionally, the narcissist blames his her behavior on something that you are or aren't doing, and a hooked person we may try to ‘do it better' or ‘get it right.' Your increased efforts to love and fix the narcissist only lines you up for more abuse.”
— Melanie Tonia Evans

“Relationship with a narcissist in a nutshell: You will go from being the perfect love of their life, to nothing you do is ever good enough. You will give your everything and they will take it all and give you less and less in return. You will end up depleted, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and probably financially, and then get blamed for it.”
— Bree Bonchay

“When I look at narcissism through the vulnerability lens, I see the shame-based fear of being ordinary. I see the fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be lovable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose.”
— Brené Brown

“We react to our experiences according to our training and temperament and health and so on. One pattern of reactions we call Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Narcissists do not choose to be Narcissists.

On the other hand, just because I feel compassionate, this does not mean that it is okay to hurt me or other people. Many people’s methods of taking care of themselves are not very evolved.

If I encounter a toddler with a machete, I may feel worried about the toddler, but I still get out of the way so that I do not get hurt.

In the process of taking care of their own needs, many people with NPD hurt those around them. They are swinging mental machetes — devaluing words and abusive actions.

Punchline: I believe that Narcissists deserve our compassion, but compassion does not involve giving them permission to hurt other people or overlooking any damage that they do.”
— Elinor Greenberg

“I am a recovering narcissist. I thought narcissism was about self-love till someone told me there is a flip side to it. It is actually drearier than self-love; it is unrequited self-love.”
— Emily Levine