Misanthropy Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old misanthropy quotes, misanthropy sayings, and misanthropy proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

Knowledge subverts love: in proportion as we penetrate our secrets, we come to loathe our kind, precisely because they resemble us. Emil M. Cioran
You always feel like you are the only one in the world, like everyone else is crazy for each other, but it's not true. Generally, people don't like each other very much. And that goes for friends, too. Miranda July
Whoever is not a misanthrope at forty can never have loved mankind. Nicolas Chamfort
The one thing in me more powerful than a general misanthropy is an inescapable compassion for individuals. Jasper Sole
The misanthrope, as an essentially solitary man, is not a man at all: he must be a beast or a god. Aristotle
Most people are full of themselves and speak only the obnoxiously superficial, in other words they're annoying as hell Novala Takemoto
Sensuality reconciles us with the human race. The misanthropy of the old is due in large part to the fading of the magic glow of desire. Eric Hoffer
Real misanthropes are not found in solitude, but in the world; since it is experience of life, and not philosophy, which produces real hatred of mankind. Giacomo Leopardi
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. George Bernard Shaw
Regardless of its causes, thoughtlessly blaming the present is a weakness which, even if it is never outlawed, ought to be resisted. Though commonly flaunted as a sign of sophistication, it can be an opportunity for one-upmanship and an excuse for misanthropy, especially against the young. Steven Pinker
Nobody enjoys the company of others as intensely as someone who usually avoids the company of others. Mokokoma Mokhonoana
In affability there is no hatred of men, but for that very reason there is all too much contempt for men. Friedrich Nietzsche
If we define a misanthrope as 'someone who does not suffer fools and likes to see fools suffer,' we have described a person with something to look forward to. Florence King
The multiplication of our kind borders on the obscene; the duty to love them, on the preposterous. Emile M Cioran
Animal lovers often tend to be misanthropes or loners, and so they transfer their affection to the creature in their control. Paul Theroux
A man may make a misanthrope of himself, but he is never one by nature. Lucy Larcom
Misanthropes have some admirable if paradoxical virtues. It is no exaggeration to say that we are among the nicest people you are likely to meet. Because good manners build sturdy walls, our distaste for intimacy makes us exceedingly cordial "ships that pass in the night." As long as you remain a stranger we will be your friend forever. Florence King
A fine line separates the weary recluse from the fearful hermit. Finer still is the line between hermit and bitter misanthrope. Dean Koontz
If you ever meet someone who cannot understand why solitary confinement is considered punishment, you have met a misanthrope. Florence King
A hermitage in the forest is the refuge of the narrow-minded misanthrope; a hammock on the ocean is the asylum for the generous distressed. Herman Melville
A poet or philosopher should have no fault to find with his age if it only permits him to do his work undisturbed in his own corner; nor with his fate if the corner granted him allows of his following his vocation without having to think about other people. Arthur Schopenhauer
The opinions of the misanthropical rest upon this very partial basis, that they adopt the bad faith of a few as evidence of the worthlessness of all. Christian Nestell Bovee
Let the misanthrope shun men and abjure; the most are rather lovable than hateful. Martin Farquhar Tupper
Misanthropy is a suit of armor lined with thorns. Marie Ebner-Eschenbach
The personality susceptible to the dream of limitless freedom is a personality also prone, should the dream ever sour, to misanthropy and rage. Jonathan Franzen
A savage review is much more entertaining for the reader than an admiring one; the little misanthrope in each of us relishes the rubbishing of someone else. Arthur Smith
Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped. Elbert Hubbard
Misanthropy don't pay - there ain't no man living whose hate the world cares one cuss for. Josh Billings
Landscape painting is the obvious resource of misanthropy. William Hazlitt
Stay low, stay quiet, keep it simple, don't expect too much, enjoy what you have. Dean Koontz