Difficult People Quotes

“Relationships with negative people are simply tedious encounters with porcupines. You don’t have the remote knowledge how to be close to them without quills being shot in your direction.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“There are only two kinds of people who can drain your energy: those you love, and those you fear. In both instances it is you who let them in. They did not force their way into your aura, or pry their way into your reality experience.”
― Anthon St. Maarten

“In order to master compassion, you have to spend time getting to know monsters. When you can do that you will see that there are no monsters, only people that acted like monsters because no one gave them the time or compassion to hear their story.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“Always remember that you can explain things for people, but you can't comphrend for them.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“Sadly, whenever I make my opinions more important than the difficult people God made, I turn the wine back into water.”
― Bob Goff, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People

“People who have strong likes and dislikes find life very difficult; they are as rigid as if they had only one bone.”
― Eknath Easwaran, The Mantram Handbook

“Sometimes the bad things we experience in life can teach us the greatest and most valuable lessons. The bad things we experience and the bad people we meet teaches us how to be stronger, how to learn to forgive how to have patience, how to keep a good attitude when things are difficult.”
― Jeanette Coron

“The difficulties in life are vital for our personal growth and well-being.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

“Never allow carping critics to deter you from success. Instead, silence them with it.”
― Christian Baloga

“The knowledge that [he] had passed a loveless, institutionalized childhood and had escaped from his origins by prodigies of pure intellect, at the cost of all other human qualities, helped one to understand him—but not to like him.”
― Arthur C. Clarke, A Fall of Moondust

“Our culture's response to egotism is as misguided as our approach to inadequacy. When people feel and act as if they're better than others—belittling those around them, for instance, or persistently interrupting to assert their own views—we're encouraged to "bring them down a peg." According to my guides, however, people who strive for superiority are wrestling with a deep internal conflict. Disconnected at a conscious level from the genuine magnificence of their Spirit, they retain an unconscious remembrance of this innate grandeur. Longing to realize the potential they sense within, but confused by identifying only with what is commonly referred to as the ego—the limited, human aspect of their being—they believe they can feel powerful and significant only through dominating and outshining others.”
― Ellen Tadd, The Infinite View: A Guidebook for Life on Earth

“To catch a wild animal, you need not just to be courageous and wild, but wise and calm as well for any wild animal would be wild towards any threat, but after you have entangled it with good calmness, courage and wisdom, you can easily tame it.”
― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

“Manage your relationships. Great relationships may not be profitable, but bad ones always result in losses.”
― Tarun Sharma

“Being agreeable didn't make people less difficult.”
― Stewart O'Nan, Henry, Himself

“Val," said Father, “we don't expect you to understand this, but some of the things that make Peter . . . difficult . . . are the very things that might also make him great someday."
“What about me?" asked Valentine. “As long as you're telling fortunes."
“Oh, Val," said Father. "All you have to do is live your life, and everyone around you will be happier."
"No greatness, then."
"Val," said Mother, "goodness trumps greatness any day."
"Not in the history books," said Valentine.
"Then the wrong people are writing history, aren't they?" said Father.”
― Orson Scott Card, Ender in Exile

“Feeling compassion toward a dangerous person will not lead you to submit to them or put yourself at risk or condone their actions. What it does simply, is relieve your anxiety – which immediately makes you stronger and more resilient.”
― Laurie Perez, Breakthrough: How to Have Compassion for Those Who Do Harm

“A common mistake people make is assuming compassion requires some kind of action they’re not ready to take. In other words, if I feel compassion for this dangerous, havoc-wreaking person (or for my tedious co-workers, the guy who cut me off in traffic, my abusive parents, that politician, etc.) then I’ll have to drop everything I’m into and go hug and try to heal or help...or
...do something I don’t know how to do. Not so.

Compassion begins within; the compassion you have for yourself will guide you to act or detach with regard for your own well-being.”
― Laurie Perez, Breakthrough: How to Have Compassion for Those Who Do Harm

“In war and other difficult enterprises in life, one can expect that people who possess useful skills will also display their share of eccentric habits, cruel behavioral traits, and bombastic personas. We can either shun such people or accept other people’s unusual behavioral actions in a nourishing perspective.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“God has a plan for your life. He wants you to get your hopes up and to dream big, but I would not be wrong to tell you that there are going to be situations that come about which are intended by the enemy to hurt you, bother you, hinder you, and keep you back from your destiny...but the journey is worth it.”
― Drenda Keesee, Shark Proof: How to Deal with Difficult People

“Lady Vennaway is a horrible, horrible woman, is she not, Cookie?'
Cook hesitated. "Everyone has their own story, even those we find the hardest. Best to accept things the way they are and count your blessings.”
― Tracy Rees, Amy Snow

“Everyone has met the most difficult person in the world before. Except they don’t look in the mirror.”
― Abiodun Fijabi

“All of us have impossible people in our lives. All we can do is circle them in prayer. It's the only way to keep our attitude in check. And prayer has the power to change the heart of Pharaoh. So every time I got angry, I converted it into prayer. I think it's the closest I've ever come to praying without ceasing because I was angry all the time.”
― Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge

“The difficult people in our life are really our teachers.”
― Bert McCoy, A Lil' Bert Can't Hurt: Words and Wisdom for Daily Life