People can sometimes try to control others, shaping their actions and thoughts. These attempts can be subtle or obvious, but they often leave a mark. This collection of quotes delves into the complex world of control and its effects on human relationships.
Each quote shines a light on the struggles and realities faced when dealing with controlling people. They serve as both a reflection and a guide, offering wisdom that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the grip of control.
Quotes on Identifying Controlling People
“The desire for power in excess caused the angels to fall; the desire for knowledge in excess caused man to fall.” – Francis Bacon
“To free oneself from controlling people, one must first identify the chains that bind them.” – Unknown
“Some people think that holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.” – Ann Landers
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” – Lao Tzu
“The best way to identify a controlling person is to observe their reaction when they realize they cannot control you.” – Unknown
“we are our choices. Build yourself a great story.” – Jeff Bezos
“To control others is to lose one’s path; to control oneself is to find it.” – Unknown
“A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious.” – Aristotle
“Control is not a power move, but a fear-induced reaction to uncertainty.” – Unknown
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Real power comes not from control but from true influence.” – Unknown
“Beware of those who constantly speak of loyalty but betray trust.” – Unknown
“Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement.” – Daniel H. Pink
“Love is not control, it is freedom. If anyone tries to cage you in the name of love, then that is not love.” – Unknown
“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you.” – Brian Tracy
“To attempt to control another is to cage oneself in fear.” – Unknown
“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” – Voltaire
“Let go of those who think they can rule your path; your journey is your own.” – Unknown
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” – Carl Rogers
“Controllers, abusers, and manipulative people don’t question themselves. They don’t ask themselves if the problem is them. They always say the problem is someone else.” – Darlene Quimet
“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Once you identify someone as controlling, you should also notice that their power over you diminishes.” – Unknown
“Control is an illusion. The only thing any of us control is our response to that which we cannot control.” – Unknown
“The greatest power you can wield is to be your true self, beyond the reach of anyone’s control.” – Unknown
“Eventually, you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.” – Gary Zukav
Overcoming Manipulative Behaviour Quotes
“Sometimes the hardest part of the journey is believing you’re worthy of the trip.” – Glenn Beck
“You don’t let go of a bad relationship because you stop caring about them. You let go because you start caring about yourself.” – Charles Orlando
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.” – Mark Twain
“Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.” – J.K. Rowling
“It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.” – Aisha Mirza
“Manipulation, fueled with good intent, can be a blessing. But when used with ill will, it’s nothing but a deadly sin.” – Tamara Natividad
“The moment you start to wonder if you deserve better, you do.” – Unknown
“One of the most courageous decisions you’ll ever make is to finally let go of what is hurting your heart and soul.” – Brigitte Nicole
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” – Ram Dass
“Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness.” – Susan Gale
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
“Don’t give someone the power to control your emotions. Those are only yours to manipulate.” – Alesha Z. Ritchie
“People who are not happy with themselves cannot possibly be happy with you.” – Unknown
“Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it.” – Dorothy M. Neddermeyer
“we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Growth begins when we start to accept our own weakness.” – Jean Vanier
“Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of going after yours.” – Zig Ziglar
“Self-respect by definition is a confidence and pride in knowing that your behavior is both honorable and dignified.” – Shannon Alder
“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
“The greatest harm can result from the best intentions.” – Terry Goodkind
“Don’t be afraid to lose what was never meant to be.” – Unknown
“Be careful who you trust, the devil was once an angel.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi
“Stay away from people who make you feel like you’re hard to love.” – Unknown
“To be manipulated is to be moved like a pawn on a chessboard. Stand firm on your values and let no one dictate your moves.” – Unknown
Quotes about Standing Up to Controlling Individuals
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” – Albert Camus
“Tell them that I’ve been standing here, Holding on to me the best I can.” – Bruce Springsteen
“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” – Dalai Lama
“You may control the actions of other people, but you cannot control their thoughts or feelings about you.” – Author Unknown
“Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” – Socrates
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” – Anne Frank
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.” – Aristotle
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” – Rumi
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” – Ambrose Redmoon
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anaïs Nin
“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J.K. Rowling
“You have power over your mind— not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
“Don’t let anyone ever dull your sparkle.” – Author Unknown
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” – Muhammad Ali
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right— for you’ll be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“You can’t be afraid of what people are going to say, because you’re never going to make everyone happy.” – Selena Gomez
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” – Nora Ephron
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“When a man is pushed, tormented, defeated, he has a chance to learn something.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life— to be happy— it’s all that matters.” – Audrey Hepburn
“You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” – Dan Millman
Empowering Quotes against Control Freaks
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Edmund Hillary
“Freedom is the oxygen of the soul.” – Moshe Dayan
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” – Dan Millman
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” – Albert Camus
“we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being authentic.” – Unknown
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel
“Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking true.” – Honoré de Balzac
“You can’t change people, but you can change how you deal with them.” – Unknown
“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity.” – Mae Jemison
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James
“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” – Lao Tzu
“Control your destiny or someone else will.” – Jack Welch
“You do not need to be controlled by anyone other than yourself.” – Unknown
“He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.” – Aristotle
“Real freedom lies in wildness, not in civilization.” – Charles Lindbergh
“Find the courage to ask for what you need and say ‘no’ to what you don’t.” – Unknown
“The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them.” – Chris Jammi
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame.” – Erica Jong
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart
“Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” – Dalai Lama
Quotes on Dealing with Domineering Personalities
“You don’t have to let that person control your mind, you hold the key to your own happiness.” – Unknown
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Control freaks are often feed off the fear they instill.” – Amy Dickinson
“The best way to deal with a controlling person is to simply keep your distance.” – Maya Angelou
“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.” – Vernon Howard
“Control is never achieved when sought after directly. It is the surprising outcome of letting go.” – James Arthur Ray
“To free yourself from a controlling person, you must first realize the power you hold within you.” – Bryant McGill
“If you don’t control your mind, someone else will.” – John Allston
“No one can make you feel uncomfortable without your permission.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The only way to deal with a manipulative person is to distance yourself from their toxic energy.” – Lalah Delia
“Some people try to be tall by cutting off the heads of others.” – Paramahansa Yogananda
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” – Lao Tzu
“True power comes from standing in your own truth and walking your own path.” – Elizabeth Gilbert
“You cannot control the behavior of others, but you can always choose how you respond to it.” – Roy T. Bennett
“When you notice someone doing something toxic the first time, don’t wait for the second time before you address it or cut them off.” – Shahida Arabi
“The person who seeks all their applause from outside has their happiness in another’s keeping.” – Dale Carnegie
“The best way to deal with a controlling person is not to allow them to make their dysfunction your reality.” – Dr. Henry Cloud
“Beneath every strong, controlling personality is a weak, insecure person.” – Robert Tew
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
“To let go of control is to gain freedom.” – Anonymous
“Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.” – Mandy Hale
“Your peace is more important than driving yourself crazy trying to understand why something happened the way it did.” – Karen Salmansohn
“Never be a prisoner of someone else’s opinion of you.” – Les Brown
“You are master of yourself, and that is the only control you truly have.” – Steve Maraboli
“Emotional independence is the foundation of resilience.” – Original
Inspirational Quotes to Counteract Control Issues
“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.” – Michel de Montaigne
“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” – Steve Maraboli
“When you stop living your life based on what others think of you, real life begins.” – Shannon L. Alder
“You may control the actions of other people, but you cannot control their reactions.” – Unknown
“We cannot control the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” – Dolly Parton
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
“When you let go of control, you empower yourself to live the life you’ve always wanted.” – Unknown
“You are not a puppet, and they are not your puppeteer.” – Jessica Turner
“Control is an illusion. The only thing you can control is yourself.” – Unknown
“Your success and happiness lie in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” – Helen Keller
“You can’t control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax and have faith that things will work out. Let go a little and just let life happen.” – Kody Keplinger
“To find peace, one must be willing to lose control.” – Unknown
“You can’t control the past, but you can control where you go next.” – Kirsten Hubbard
“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Don’t let someone else control what you do in life. It’s your road, and yours alone.” – Unknown
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” – Lao Tzu
“Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.” – Rumi
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The moment you try to control everything, you’ve lost the ability to enjoy anything.” – Unknown
“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.” – Marianne Williamson
“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.” – Buddha
“You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.” – Unknown
“Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.” – Mark Twain
“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” – Steve Maraboli
“You don’t have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.” – Mary Oliver
The Bottom Line
Reflecting on the best quotes about controlling people can open our eyes to the influence others may try to have over us. These quotes can remind us of the importance of staying true to ourselves and recognizing unhealthy behavior. By learning from the wisdom in these quotes, we can better navigate relationships and protect our well-being.
Sharing powerful quotes can also spark important conversations. When we discuss these ideas with friends or loved ones, we can support each other in fostering healthy and respectful connections. Stay mindful of these quotes and let them guide you in your interactions.