Sometimes, life brings out the worst in people. Moments of betrayal leave deep marks. Selfish acts can shatter trust and hurt deeply. When words fail, quotes can capture our feelings.
Heartless and selfish quotes speak to the raw emotion of those moments. They echo the pain and help make sense of the hurt. Here is a collection of quotes that reflect on such experiences, offering a voice to the silent pain many have felt.
Timeless Heartless Selfish Quotes
“The only person who deserves a place in your life is someone who never made you feel like an option.”
“Sometimes it’s not the people who change, it’s the mask that falls off.”
“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.”
“I have given my all, but it was never enough for you.”
“The heart of a selfish person is a barren desert, where love struggles to grow.”
“we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.”
“Your cold heart and my bruised soul – a match made in emptiness.”
“He who lives only for himself is truly dead to others.”
“Sometimes, the worst pain comes from those who never cared enough.”
“Real love is not based on convenience and selfish intent.”
“The more selfish you are, the less human you become.”
“In a world full of flowers, don’t be a thorn.”
“Some people create their own storms, then get upset when it rains.”
“You never cared; you were just curious. That’s the difference.”
“The heart that never loves is the heart that never breaks.”
“We are all selfish and I no more trust myself than others with a good motive.”
“When you start to care, that’s when they like to disappear.”
“A selfish heart is its own punishment.”
“Selfishness lives loose and unrestrained, tearing down whatever stands in its way.”
“Your absence is a fiery reminder of your selfishness.”
“The heartless never start and the weak die along the way.”
“Love yourself more, they say. But what if I’ve loved myself to the point of emptiness for others?”
“Caring for others is an act of taking power from the self.”
“A heart made of stone, a soul lost in the void.”
“A selfish man is a thief in his own home.”
“The love you gave was sweet, but it came from a bitter source.”
Famous Quotes on Selfishness and Lack of Empathy
“The world is not a playground. It’s a place where people look out for themselves.”
“To be selfish is to be self-centered, and empathy is the antidote to such a mindset.”
“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.”
“The world would be a better place if every villain realized they were the villain.”
“Your lack of empathy is a reflection of a heart that only beats for itself.”
“Selfish people tend to only be good to themselves … then are surprised when they are alone.”
“Selfishness is when someone expects you to be there for them, but they are never there for you.”
“If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.”
“Selfishness keeps man blind through life.”
“People who are not empathetic are only living half of a life.”
“To be selfish is human, but to lack empathy is to lack humanity.”
“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.”
“A heart that looks out for only itself is a heart that withers in isolation.”
“It is not selfish to love yourself. But it is selfish to let that be the only kind of love you know.”
“Nothing resembles selfishness more closely than a cynical distrust of human motives.”
“We have become so self-centered that we have forgotten the joy of helping others.”
“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.”
“You can’t be for ‘me’ only, when your life is about ‘we’.”
“Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.”
“Sometimes the most selfish people are the ones who convince themselves they’re altruistic.”
“The world is full of people who are great at self-interest but low on empathy.”
“Selfishness is the root of all evil.”
“To lack empathy is to walk through life in darkness, forever ignorant of the color and light others bring.”
“Selfishness is easy. It is sharing that presents the real challenge.”
“A soul that is solely invested in itself is a barren, lifeless land.”
“It is easier to be selfish if you have never known pain.”
“Those who lack empathy will inevitably find themselves isolated in their own world.”
Insightful Selfish Quotes from Literature
“The worst kind of selfishness is the one without acknowledgment.”
“As selfishness and complaint pervert and cloud the mind, so love with its joy clears and sharpens the vision.”
“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.”
“He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.”
“To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others.”
“There are two kinds of selfish people: those who say ‘I will live my life in my own way,’ and those who say ‘You will live your life in my way.'”
“Selfishness comes from poverty in the heart, from the belief that love is not abundant and ample for all.”
“Love yourself unabashedly, but do not fall in love with your reflection alone.”
“In an individual, selfishness uglifies the soul; for the human species, it is extinction.”
“Men are not against you; they are merely for themselves.”
“Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.”
“The man who does not value himself, cannot value anything or anyone.”
“The tyrant is a child of Pride who drinks from his own reflection until he is drunk with darkness.”
“Sometimes, being selfish is necessary for survival, but selfishness should never be confused with self-love.”
“The difference between self-love and selfishness is night and day; one nourishes you while the other starves everyone else.”
“People think being alone makes you lonely, but I don’t think that’s true. Being surrounded by the wrong people is the loneliest thing in the world.”
“Selfishness at the expense of others is not worth the price you pay for your own peace of mind.”
“You may be able to deceive yourself, but never confuse selfishness with strength.”
“All selfish people are eloquent on behalf of themselves.”
“Self-love is not selfish; you cannot truly love another until you know how to love yourself.”
“If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.”
“Selfishness is not about living our life by our standards. It is about requiring others to live their life by ours.”
“Those who love themselves too much themselves are rarely loved by others.”
“A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.”
“In every individual, there exists the balance of light and shadow; to be selfish is to let the shadow consume the entirety.”
“The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”
“Selfishness is a virtue to the one who seeks only their reflection and a vice to the one who seeks for humanity.”
Powerful Quotes Reflecting Selfish Attitude
“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.”
“I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something.”
“Selfish people often mistake selfishness for strength. It takes no talent, no intelligence, no self-control, and no effort to sacrifice other people for your ego.”
“Because you are a selfish, greedy man! All you need in life is yourself.”
“Selfishness comes from poverty in the heart, from the belief that love is not abundant.”
“Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.”
“To be happy oneself it is necessary to make at least one other person happy.”
“Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either.”
“You’re born alone and you die alone. The rest is yours to fill in the gap.”
“Part of being a winner is knowing when enough is enough.”
“Sometimes you have to be selfish to be selfless.”
“Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.”
“I am constantly overestimating the power of being selfish.”
“The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places.”
“If I only did what I wanted, there would be nothing left of others.”
“An individualist is one who is free enough to have no obligations and selfish enough to fulfill none.”
“It’s human nature to be selfish, and therefore, it takes a great effort to be selfless.”
“Selfish people are in a way terribly capable of great loves.”
“Wanting someone else to feel what you feel is perhaps the most selfish desire.”
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
“My world revolves around me, myself and I.”
“You can’t go through life expecting everyone to hold your hand. Sometimes, you just have to find your own way.”
“We all should rise, but because of selfishness, we only want to see ourselves rise.”
“Constraint yourself to elevate others – what a novel concept, forgotten in the labyrinth of self-indulgent pursuits.”
“He who lives only to benefit himself confers on the world a benefit when he dies.”
“A person wrapped up in themselves makes a small package.”
Motivational Quotes to Discourage Selfishness
“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
“Give, even if you only have a little.”
“Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.”
“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
“The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.”
“Selflessness. It should be the basis of every relationship.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
“We rise by lifting others.”
“The greatest joy in life comes from empowering others.”
“True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice.”
“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.”
“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.”
“The greatest gift you can give someone is your time, your attention, your love, your concern.”
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
“Your greatness is not what you have, but in what you give.”
“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
“Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”
“Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier.”
“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”
Heartless Quotes From Historical Figures
“The only way to deal with this life – is to be utterly selfish.”
“What do I care about the lives of others? I only care about power.”
“People are like sheep; they follow without thinking, and they deserve what they get.”
“In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”
“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.”
“No one regrets being selfish; it’s often a path to success.”
“If you want to control someone, all you have to do is to make them feel afraid.”
“Sometimes you have to use people to reach your goals.”
“Success is more about being ruthless than being right.”
“Nothing personal, it’s just business.”
“The world is yours for the taking, forget the rest.”
“Morality is for the weak; strength knows no rules.”
“There’s nothing wrong with putting yourself first; no one else will.”
“It is not enough to succeed; others must fail.”
“I have no friends, but my close relations with time and power.”
“Empathy is just another word for distraction.”
“The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.”
“When I want something, I take it without hesitation.”
“The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”
“It’s every man for himself in this world.”
“People exist to be used; get that right and you’ll go far.”
“He who has the gold makes the rules.”
“I owe the public nothing.”
“Compassion is the enemy of ambition and success.”
“One is never too rich to ignore the needs of the poor.”
“it’s all about profit.”
Selfish Quotes in Pop Culture
“I had to do what’s best for me, even if it means hurting you.”
“All men are selfish, and I most of all.”
“Self love is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting.”
“I’m not heartless, I’ve just learned how to use my heart less.”
“The selfish man suffers more from his selfishness than he from whom that selfishness withholds some important benefit.”
“it’s every man for himself.”
“People are quick to accuse you of being selfish. But it’s important to take care of yourself first.”
“The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
“I’m ruthless, toothless, and selfish for truth.”
“I cannot compromise my principles for anyone else’s comfort.”
“I do it because I can, I can because I want to, I want to because you said I couldn’t.”
“Everyone has a selfish side, but there are those who disguise it better than others.”
“The only person you can trust is yourself.”
“Sometimes you have to be selfish to be selfless.”
“I love myself more than I love anyone else.”
“The more you love yourself, the less nonsense you’ll tolerate.”
“Ego is the only requirement to destroy any relationship.”
“I can’t please everyone, and I don’t try to.”
“I’m not responsible for your happiness.”
“The only person that can save you is you.”
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”
“You have to learn how to care about people without taking on all of their problems.”
“I am not what you expected, but what you needed.”
“Be selfish with your time – a lot of people don’t deserve it.”
“I’m not a second option, you either choose me or lose me.”
“Sometimes you have to be your own hero.”
“It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love.”
The Last Word
These “Heartless Selfish Quotes” offer a stark reflection on human nature. They remind us how selfish actions can impact relationships and life choices. By understanding these perspectives, we can recognize similar behaviors around us and strive to be more compassionate and thoughtful.
Exploring these quotes may feel tough, but it’s crucial for personal growth. They serve as a reminder that while self-interest is part of human nature, balance and empathy are key for meaningful connections. We hope these quotes give you insights to reflect on and perhaps even inspire positive change.
