If you’ve recognized you need to set limits with people in your life, these toxic people quotes will help you do just that.

We all have toxic people in our lives who can’t be avoided.

It could be a friend, family member, or coworker whom you just can’t stand.

You may also enjoy our article on:

• Toxic family quotes
• Fake friends quotes
• Selfish people quotes

According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania, setting and maintaining strong boundaries is crucial in dealing with toxic individuals. 

The research suggests that individuals prioritizing boundary-setting are more likely to experience healthy relationships and positive mental health outcomes, even when dealing with toxic people.

What are the benefits of reading these toxic people quotes?

Their toxicity manifests in a lot of different ways.

Not every toxic person is a sociopath.

Maybe they are full of interpersonal issues, are needy and disrespectful, or maybe they try to manipulate and control you, and are extremely critical of themselves and other people.

Whatever the case, dealing with toxic people isn’t easy.

If you are often made uncomfortable by how those around you treat you, maybe it’s time to set and maintain personal boundaries.

Clear boundaries that will help ensure your relationships are mutually respectful, supportive and caring.

You deserve to be treated well.

It’s time to establish boundaries in your life for negative people, and these toxic people quotes are the necessary first step.

They will inspire you to set the limits for acceptable behavior from those around you and help you avoid getting too close to people who don’t have your best interests at heart.

Toxic people can only upset you if you let them upset you.

Recognize and distance yourself from their behavior.

And when interacting with them, focus on the positive.

Below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and thoughtful, toxic people quotes, toxic people sayings, and toxic people proverbs, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

If you love this quote collection, read out our most popular quote article about short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

If you need more inspirational quotes, check out our motivational quotes category page.

Toxic People Quotes To Help You Develop Boundaries

A study by the University of Michigan found that toxic people can have a negative impact on our overall life satisfaction and happiness.

The study emphasizes the importance of developing resilience and positive self-talk in dealing with toxic individuals.

1. “Toxic people will pollute everything around them. Don’t hesitate. Fumigate.” ― Mandy Hale

You will also enjoy our article on naughty quotes.

2. “It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around when you remove toxic people from your life.” — Robert Tew

You will also enjoy our article on bad relationship quotes.

3. “You create more space in your life when you turn your excess baggage to garbage.” ― Chinonye J. Chidolue

You will also enjoy our article on tupac quotes.

4. “Pay no attention to toxic words. What people say is often a reflection of themselves, not you.” ― Christian Baloga

You will also enjoy our article on haters quotes.

5. “Letting go of toxic people in your life is a big step in loving yourself.” – Hussein Nishah

You will also enjoy our article on liar quotes.

6. “Don’t let toxic people infect you with the fear of giving and receiving one of the most powerful forces in this world… LOVE!”― Yvonne Pierre

You will also enjoy our article on kinds toxic people.

7. “Don’t let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out.” — Robert Tew

You will also enjoy our article on ungrateful quotes.

8. “You lift your spirits by moving away from what upsets you. If the stove is hot, you can’t ask how to touch it but be happy about it.” ― Queen Tourmaline

You will also enjoy our article on honesty quotes.

9. “If a person finds negative people in his life, then he needs to mend his own nature than that of others, for his own basic grounding decides the level of acidic or toxicity surrounding him.” — Anuj Somany

You will also enjoy our article on petty quotes.

10. “If it comes, let it come. If it goes, it’s ok, let it go. Let things come and go. Stay calm, don’t let anything disturb your peace, and carry on.” ― Germany Kent

Also, read these manipulation quotes to keep toxic people away.

Toxic people quotes to inspire healthy self-respect

Research from the University of Georgia has shown that toxic people can undermine our confidence and self-esteem. 

The study emphasizes the importance of setting clear boundaries and cultivating a positive sense of self-worth to protect our mental and emotional health.

11. “There’s folks you just don’t need. You’re better off without em. Your life is just a little better because they ain’t in it.” ― William Gay

You will also enjoy our article on misery loves company quotes.

12. “There are people who break you down by just being them. They need not do anything. Dissociate” ― Malebo Sephodi

You will also enjoy our article on how people treat you quotes.

13. “Every day you must unlearn the ways that hold you back. You must rid yourself of negativity, so you can learn to fly.” — Leon Brown

You will also enjoy our article on being used quotes.

14. “We all have those toxic people around us that make our lives miserable… The day we take them out from our lives, we will all become better people; including them…” ― Rodolfo Peon

You will also enjoy our article on walk away quotes.

15. “Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.” — Deborah Reber

You will also enjoy our article on weed quotes.

16. “How you choose to feel today should not be dependent on others.” ― Anthon St. Maarten

You will also enjoy our article on unappreciated quotes.

17. “May you reach that level within, where you no longer allow your past or people with toxic intentions to negatively affect or condition you.” ― Lalah Delia

You will also enjoy our article on Big Mouth quotes.

18. “Surround yourself with positive people who believe in your dreams, encourage your ideas, support your ambitions, and bring out the best in you.” — Roy Bennett

You will also enjoy our article on quotes about breaking your limits.

19. “Let negative people live their negative lives with their negative minds.”― Moosa Rahat

You will also enjoy our article on intention quotes.

20. “Toxic people attach themselves like cinder blocks tied to your ankles, and then invite you for a swim in their poisoned waters.” ― John Mark Green

Quotes about toxic friends, family and relationships

21. “As you remove toxic people from your life, you free up space and emotional energy for positive, healthy relationships.” ― John Mark Green

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of toxic relationships quotes that will remind you it’s time to make some big changes.

22. “I have found the best way to deal with a toxic person is to not respond in any other way than monotone voice and a businesslike manner.” ― Jen Grice

23. “Weeding out the harmful influences should become the norm not the exception.” ― Carlos Wallace

24. “You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles.” — C. JoyBell C.

25. “We teach people how to treat us.” – Dr. Phil

26. “Sometimes it’s better to end something & try to start something new than imprison yourself in hoping for the impossible.” – Karen Salmansohn

27. “People appear like angels until you hear them speak. You must not rush to judge people by the color of their cloaks, but by the content of their words!” ― Israelmore Ayivor

28. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too can become great.” — Mark Twain

29. “Look around you at the people you spend the most time with and realize that your life can’t rise any higher than your friendships.” ― Mandy Hale

30. “Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings, and emotions.” — Will Smith

Toxic people quotes to help you set and maintain boundaries

31. “When people pressure you to engage in negative decisions and actions, look at them boldly in the eyes and dare them to do good.” ― Edmond Mbiaka

32. “Don’t ever stop believing in your own transformation. It is still happening even on days you may not realize it or feel like it.” ― Lalah Delia

33. “Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” — Dr. Steve Maraboli

For additional reading, be sure to also check out these letting go quotes for finally moving on.

34. “If a negative viewer looks at you with an ugly fiendish eye, find a way and pluck off his eyes, or better still, protect your good image.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson

35. “People inspire you, or they drain you. Pick them wisely.” — Hans F. Hasen

36. “Save your skin from the corrosive acids from the mouths of toxic people. Someone who just helped you to speak evil about another person can later help another person to speak evil about you.” ― Israelmore Ayivor

37. “I will not allow anyone to walk in my mind with dirty feet.” – Mahatma Gandhi

38. “Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light. Try not to take it personally.” ― Kamand Kojouri

39. “We do not have to be mental health professionals to identify the traits of the possible sociopaths among us.” ― P.A. Speers

40. “These are the attributes of Bullshit people; they will…blur your imagination, take your endowments for a piece of debris, make you ridiculous, and most importantly, you got to send them to the recycle bin.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson

Toxic people quotes to help you deal with negativity

41. “Don’t let people get the best of you they can say what they want but don’t let that distract you from achieving your goals.” ― Alcurtis Turner

42. “Until you let go of all the toxic people in your life you will never be able to grow into your fullest potential. Let them go so you can grow.” – DLQ

43. “The friends who would forsake you for choosing to live a positive life, would also leave you if you find yourself going through some painful consequences due to some negative decisions and actions.” ― Edmond Mbiaka

44. “You cannot expect to live a positive life if you hang with negative people.” — Joel Osteen

45. “We don’t get to choose our family, but we can choose our friends. With courage, we can weed out narcissistic people. We can focus on those who do appreciate us, love us, and treat us with respect.” ― Dana Arcuri

46. “If they do it often, it isn’t a mistake; it’s just their behavior.” — Dr. Steve Maraboli

47. “My encouragement: delete the energy vampires from your life, clean out all complexity, build a team around you that frees you to fly, remove anything toxic, and cherish simplicity. Because that’s where genius lives.” — Robin S. Sharma

48. “Someone who smiles too much with you can sometime frown too much with you at your back.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson

49. “It is really exhausting to live in a dictatorship of ‘Me’, which is basically a tyranny of others.” ― Stefan Molyneux

50. “Let go of negative people. They only show up to share complaints, problems, disastrous stories, fear, and judgment on others. If somebody is looking for a bin to throw all their trash into, make sure it’s not in your mind.” – Dalai Lama

Toxic people quotes to enlighten you

51. “To be of good quality, you have to excuse yourself from the presence of shallow and callow minded individuals.”― Michael Bassey Johnson

52. “The best defence is to keep off the radar of negative people.”― Steven Redhead

53. “Negative people can only infest you with discouragements when they find you around… Just get lost and get saved!” ― Israelmore Ayivor

54. “Avoid negative people, for they are the greatest destroyers of self confidence and self-esteem. Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you!” – Auliq Ice

55. “Stay away from negative people. They drain your energy like vampires suck out human’s blood. Hell. They’re the real ‘dementors’.”― Riza Prasetyaningsih

56. “People who try to bring you down everyday aren’t important in your life, so you better treat their opinions as such.” – Terry Mark

57. “Negativity will distracts you from your goals, so don’t entertain it.”
― Carlos Wallace

58. “Negative people need drama like oxygen. Stay positve, it will take their breath away.” – Unknown

59. “Beware of those around you who subtly sow the seeds of doubt.”
― Wayne Gerard Trotman

60. “If you attach to the negative behavior of others it brings you down to their level.” – Guru Singh

Toxic people quotes to help you break free

61. “Stack all the rocks you want, but if you don’t let go of the toxic people and behaviors in your life, nothing will change.” – Steve Maraboli

62. “You better go alone, than with negative people!” – Israelmore Ayivor

63. “There are many good seeds in you. Therefore you must avoid every bad soil in the world.” – Israelmore Ayivor

64. “Unhappy people can be very dangerous, don’t forget that.” – S.E. Lynes

65. “An oppressive nature is like inclement weather, surrounding others and crushing them down with its infectious gloom.” – Stewart Stafford

66. “Don’t confuse “familiar” with “acceptable”. Toxic relationships can fool you like that.” – Steve Maraboli

67. “They like you more when you don’t challenge them. They prefer to have an upper hand over you.” – Mitta Xinindlu

68. “Toxic people don’t like it when others see through them, so they’ll do all they can to make everyone else look like a monster.” – Nitya Prakash

69. “Handling toxic people is not an art, they will be the victim of their own toxicity.” – P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar

70. “Hanging around the small-minded eventually makes us small-minded. The plant only grows as big as the environment it’s in.” – Torron-Lee Dewar

71. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

72. “Keeping baggage from the past will leave no room for happiness in the future.” –
Wayne L. Misner

73. “Like arsenic, toxic people will slowly kill you. They kill your positive spirit and play with your mind and emotions. The only cure is to let them go.” — Denisse Lisseth

74. “Real love moves freely in both directions. Don’t waste your time on anything else.” — Cheryl Strayed

75. “Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” – Albert Einstein

Other toxic people quotes and sayings

76. “Don’t settle for a relationship that won’t let you be yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey

77. “If you walked away from a toxic, negative, abusive, one-sided, dead-end low vibrational relationship or friendship — you won.” – Lalah Delia

78. “Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line.” — Lucille Ball

79. “Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

80. “Toxic people will make you feel like you’re holding a grudge. No, dude. That’s a boundary.” – Unknown

81. “Poisonous relationships can alter our perception. You can spend many years thinking you’re worthless. But you’re not worthless. You’re underappreciated.” – Steve Maraboli

82. “The less you respond to negative people, the more powerful your life will become.” – Unknown

83. “Yes, the people around us can be insensitive, narcissistic, toxic, and sometimes even abusive, but it is up to us to take that energy on or let it flow through us. No one is responsible for taking away our happiness but us.” – Aletheia Luna

84. “Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you.” — Unknown

85. “The idea is quite simple, stay a light year away from people who make you feel less about yourself.” – Mohith Agadi

Toxic people quotes to help you get rid of negative relations 

86. “Keeping bad company is like being in a germ-infested area. You never know what you’ll catch.” – Frank Sonnenberg

87. “Losing will not always amount to a loss, sometimes you have to lose those toxic relationships and bad habits to create a space for better things.” – Gift Gugu Mona

88. “When you notice someone​​ does something toxic the first time, don’t wait for the second time before you address it.” – Shahida Arabi

89. “Toxic people create chaos, point fingers, shift blame and avoid taking responsibility.” – Dr. Anne Brown RNMS

90. “An entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you.” — Goi Nasu

91. “Because at some point you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life.” – Sandi Lynn

92. “Don’t let toxic people sabotage your happiness, ruin your positive attitude, contaminate your mind or destroy your self-confidence. Instead, surround yourself with generous, positive, and nurturing people who will lift you up.” — Farshad Asl

93. “Remember… whoever is trying to bring you down is already below you.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour

94. “The only relationships that exist are based on truth. Everything else is just a mutual and isolating delusion.” ― Stefan Molyneux

95. “The wrong person will give you less than what you’re worth but that doesn’t mean that you have to accept it.” — Sonya Parker

Setting boundaries with toxic people quotes

96. “‘No’ is a complete sentence.” -Anne Lamott

97. “When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated.” -Brene Brown

98. “Evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of any relationship is your responsibility. You do not have to passively accept what is brought to you. You can choose.” -Deborah Day

99. “If you live your life to please everyone else, you will continue to feel frustrated and powerless. This is because what others want may not be good for you. You are not being mean when you say NO to unreasonable demands or when you express your ideas, feelings, and opinions, even if they differ from those of others.” -Beverly Engel

100. “Whether they’re family or friends, manipulators are difficult to escape from. Give in to their demands and they’ll be happy enough, but if you develop a spine and start saying no, it will inevitably bring a fresh round of head games and emotional blackmail. You’ll notice that breaking free from someone else’s dominance will often result in them accusing you of being selfish. Yes, you’re selfish, because you’ve stopped doing what they want you to do for them. Wow. Can these people hear themselves?!” -Rosie Blythe

101. “Boundaries are, in simple terms, the recognition of personal space.” -Asa Don Brown

102. “About the expression “Hurt people, hurt people”.. Hurt people are not going to stop HURTING other people until they receive the memo that it is WRONG, (or if there are actual consequences for their behaviour.) Feeling sorry for them and understanding where they ‘came from’ is not helping to stop the cycle of abuse.” -Darlene Ouimet

103. “Having healthy boundaries not only requires being able to say “no”, but also being willing and able to enforce that “no” when necessary.” -Jessica Moore

104. “An educational strategy to help you maintain your clear boundaries is the JADE technique. JADE is an acronym and it stands for:

J = Justify: Don’t try to justify yourself to toxic people. It’s unproductive.

A = Argue: Do not waste your energy arguing with toxic people.

D = Defend: Don’t waste your breath trying to defend yourself to those who don’t care.

E = Explain: Never explain yourself, especially to those who discredit you.

The goal of the JADE technique is to take back your power. To stand up for yourself without needing to defend or explain yourself. It’s essential to not engage in this ridiculous mind-game with abusive people.” -Dana Arcuri

105. “Boundaries we set for our life are important, life-saving even. A lot of hurt comes from allowing others to guilt us into breaking them.” -Zara Hairston

Toxic People Quotes That Life Becomes Easier Without Them

106. “When being in a toxic relationship in life at times you may have to step outside yourself, to see yourself, so you can find yourself and love yourself again.” — Angel Moreira

107. “When being in a toxic relationship in life at times you may have to step outside yourself, to see yourself, so you can find yourself and love yourself again.” — Angel Moreira

108. “A lot of people who have experienced trauma at the hands of people they’ve trusted take responsibility, and that is what’s toxic.” — Hannah Gadsby

109. “Entitlement is an expression of conditional love. Nobody is ever entitled to your love. You always have a right to protect your mental, emotional, and physical well-being by removing yourself from toxic people and circumstances.” — Dr. Janice Anderson & Kiersten Anderson

110. “Never rely on another person to make you feel whole.” — Karen Salmansohn

111. “I’ve found the most tragic aspect of losing loved ones wasn’t the big boom of the fallout, but realizing later how much healthier I was without them.” — Maggie Young

112. “Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” — Anna Taylor

113. “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Hermann Hesse

114. “When someone tells me ‘no,’ it doesn’t mean I can’t do it, it simply means I can’t do it with them.” — Karen E. Quinones Miller

115. “I think most people know when they’re in a toxic relationship – it requires an enormous amount of effort to keep it going, and you don’t get what you want from it.” — Joanna Coles

Toxic People Quotes That Will Make You Achieve More After Cutting Them Off

116. “If people keep stepping on you, wear a pointy hat.” ― Joyce Rachelle

117. “If you’ve been through trauma you don’t need more drama, so surround yourself with those who bring you peace.” ― Christy Ann Martine

118. “The presence of the person you hate is far more agonizing than the absence of the person you love.” ― Shon Mehta

119. “Negativity is toxic. If you get busy celebrating life you will have no time for it. If for some reason, you’re not entirely satisfied with your life, boss up and change your situation.” ― Germany Kent

120. “Stop complaining about toxic people. You have the chance now to be better and do something new. Don’t settle where you harbor feelings of loss and guilt. New doors can open for you if you are willing to move forward and drop the negative attitude.” ― Germany Kent

121. “When dealing with toxic people, they always choose distance over disrespect.” ― Germany Kent

122. “Just because someone is your family doesn’t mean you have to keep them around if they are toxic or abusive. Don’t let people guilt you.” ― Winnie Nantongo

123. “I love the sound of NOT hearing from some people.” ― Steve Maraboli

124. “In order to reach your highest potential, it is imperative that you remove all negative people from your life.” ― Germany Kent

125. “Removing toxic people (including Naysayers) from your life can repay you in scores of holistic wealth.” ― Keisha Blair

Toxic People Quotes To Avoid Being Manipulated

126. “Never argue with stupid people, because they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” — Mark Twain

127. “Toxic people are people who cause harm to another, often through emotional manipulation.” — Perpetua Neo

128. “Toxic people have no concept of boundaries.” — Sarah Regan

129. “Letting go of toxic people is self-care.” — Maxime Lagacé

130. “Don’t reconnect with toxic people just because you are lonely right now. You don’t drink poison when you are thirsty.” — Etoilepoesie

131. “Toxic people only change their victims, never themselves. Remember that.” — Soulja Boy

132. “Toxic people are great actors. They will utilize whichever props are available to maintain control in the relationship.” — Shannon Thomas

133. “Toxic people will often make you question your sanity.” — Sarah Regan

134. “Don’t associate yourself with toxic people. It’s better to be alone and love yourself than surrounded by people that make you hate yourself.” — Robin Williams

135. “Always be brave enough to cut off toxic people.” — Soulja Boy

Toxic People Quotes To Distance Yourself From Hatred

136. “Hatred is toxic to you and those around you. The condition should be treated with understanding and love until it is healed.” ― Leon Brown

137. “Toxic people defy logic. Some are blissfully unaware of the negative impact that they have on those around them, and others seem to derive satisfaction from creating chaos and pushing other people’s buttons.” ― Travis Bradberry

138. “A toxic person kills, and by kills I mean totally destroys teamwork.” ― Rands

139. “A negative and toxic person never feels teased with the genuine presence of the pretenders in his network and he always feels pleased with the absence of the genuine leader in his circle.” ― Anuj

140. “Belief is a toxic and dangerous attitude toward reality. After all, if it’s there it doesn’t require your belief- and if it’s not there why should you believe in it?” ― Terence McKenna

141. “Perfection is a toxic desire. We are not supposed to be perfect. The challenge is not to be perfect, it’s to be whole.” ― Jane Fonda

142. “The toxic residue of humanity – you have to guard yourself, guard that sensitivity even more heavily because otherwise you can pick up so many pollutants that you’ll become more toxic.” ― Frederick Lenz

143. “Who has time for toxic relationships? If someone isn’t honoring your feelings, it’s not a real relationship. If you feel drained after spending time with someone, that’s a red flag!” ― Doreen Virtue

144. “Sometimes toxic people are so resistant to change that therapy does not really help them – but they send everybody else into therapy to find ways to cope.” ― Amy Dickinson

145. “Bitterness is a nonproductive, toxic emotion, usually resulting from resentment over unmet needs.” ― Craig Groeschel

Which of these toxic people quotes was your favorite?

Sometimes you find yourself with a friend, family member, or a partner who is really difficult to get along with.

When you’re around them, you feel degraded or manipulated.

Dealing with such people is never easy so you should find ways to tune out the toxicity that can’t be avoided.

Don’t invest too much time or effort with toxic people.

They don’t deserve your mental energy.

Hopefully, the toxic people quotes above will help you deal with such negative people.

How did you find these toxic people quotes?

Do you have any other inspirational quotes to add to the list?

Let us know in the comment section below.

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