Top 40 Toxic People Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “Don’t waste another minute dealing with a toxic, negative, energy-draining person. Some people are wired for negativity. They love being argumentative, combative and abusive. Run for your life as quickly as possible.”

— Les Brown

Also featured in: Self-Care Quotes, Personality Quotes, Quotes About People, Love Is Quotes

2. “When someone shows you who they are believe them; the first time.”

— Maya Angelou

Also featured in: Relationship Quotes, Deep Quotes About Life, Meaningful Quotes, Life Lessons Quotes

3. “Avoid negative people at all costs. They are the greatest destroyers of self-confidence and self-esteem.”

— Brian Tracy

Also featured in: Confidence Quotes, Self-Esteem Quotes, Self-Worth Quotes, Mental Health Quotes

4. “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”

— Buddha

Also featured in: Deep Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Quotes About Trust, Hurt Quotes

5. “Toxic people will pollute everything around them. Don’t hesitate. Fumigate.”

— Mandy Hale

6. “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

Also featured in: Goal Quotes, Self-Esteem Quotes, Positive Life Quotes, Short Positive Quotes

7. “Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.”

— Robert Tew

Also featured in: Happiness Quotes, Self-Esteem Quotes, Positive Inspirational Quotes, Short Positive Quotes, Positive Motivational Quotes

8. “I used to think the worst thing in life is to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone.”

— Robin Williams

Also featured in: Relationship Quotes, Emotional Quotes, Depressing Quotes, Quotes About Feelings, Quotes About People

9. “Silence is the best reply to a fool.”

— Ali ibn Abi Talib

Also featured in: Silence Quotes, Disrespect Quotes

10. “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

Also featured in: Willpower Quotes, Personal Responsibility Quotes, Mind Quotes, Respect Quotes

11. “Dealing with backstabbers, there was one thing I learned. They're only powerful when you got your back turned.”

— Eminem

Also featured in: Haters Quotes, Disrespect Quotes, Trust No One Quotes

12. “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise!”

— Maya Angelou

Also featured in: Perseverance Quotes, Self-Esteem Quotes, Poetry Quotes, Moving On Quotes

13. “Never run back to what broke you.”

— Frank Ocean

Also featured in: Relationship Quotes, Personality Quotes, Moving On Quotes, Struggle Quotes, Pain Quotes

14. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. People know themselves much better than you do. That’s why it’s important to stop expecting them to be something other than who they are.”

— Maya Angelou

Also featured in: Personality Quotes, Quotes About Believing, Being Yourself Quotes, Honesty Quotes

15. “Be careful who you trust, the devil was once an angel.”

— Ziad K. Abdelnour

Also featured in: Quotes About Trust, Trust No One Quotes

16. “You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.”

— Warren Buffett

Also featured in: Integrity Quotes, Wealth Quotes, Decision-Making Quotes

17. “We make our own hell out of the people around us.”

— Jean-Paul Sartre

Also featured in: Existentialism Quotes

18. “People, generally, suck.”

— Christopher Moore

Also featured in: Sarcastic Quotes, Quotes About People, Haters Quotes

19. “Don’t allow negative people to steal your joy. When you lose your joy, you lose your strength.”

— Joel Osteen

Also featured in: Positivity Quotes, Optimistic Quotes, Impact Quotes, Positive Life Quotes, Encouragement Quotes

20. “Watch out for the joy-stealers: gossip, criticism, complaining, faultfinding, and a negative, judgmental attitude.”

— Joyce Meyer

Also featured in: Positivity Quotes, Wednesday Motivational Quotes, Thursday Motivational Quotes, Joy Quotes

21. “To the people I forgot, you weren’t on my mind for some reason and you probably don’t deserve any thanks anyway.”

— Eminem

Also featured in: Sarcastic Quotes, Haters Quotes, Disappointment Quotes

22. “Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher of poison with milk on top.”

— Chanakya

Also featured in: Integrity Quotes, Strategy Quotes, Human Nature Quotes, Quotes About Trust

23. “I will hurt you for this. I don’t know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you’ll know the debt is paid.”

— George R.R. Martin

Also featured in: Fiction Quotes, Suffering Quotes, Hurt Quotes, Darkness Quotes

24. “Do not put your trust in a bad companion nor even trust an ordinary friend, for if he should get angry with you, he may bring all your secrets to light.”

— Chanakya

Also featured in: Quotes About Trust, Trust No One Quotes, Fake Friends Quotes

25. “Poisonous people do not deserve your time. To think otherwise is masochistic.”

— Tim Ferriss

Also featured in: Toxic Relationship Quotes

26. “A friend is nothing but a known enemy.”

— Kurt Cobain

27. “Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of going after yours.”

— Zig Ziglar

Also featured in: Fulfillment Quotes, Goal Setting Quotes, Giving Up Quotes, Desire Quotes

28. “If you're horrible to me, I'm going to write a song about it, and you won't like it. That's how I operate.”

— Taylor Swift

Also featured in: Music Quotes, Broken Heart Quotes, Heartbreak Quotes

29. “Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than to be in bad company.”

— Booker T. Washington

Also featured in: Friends Quotes

30. “The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.”

— Colin Powell

31. “Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.”

— Steve Maraboli

Also featured in: Past Quotes

32. “Bullying is not okay. Period.”

— Jim C. Hines

Also featured in: Be Kind Quotes, Encouraging Quotes for Students, Common Sense Quotes, School Quotes, Respect To Be Respected Quotes

33. “People will use you as long as you let them.”

— Dolly Parton

34. “Negative people need drama like oxygen. Stay positive, it’ll take their breath away.”

— Tony Gaskins

Also featured in: Haters Quotes

35. “Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.”

— Anonymous

Also featured in: Cheer Quotes, Sunday Quotes, Acceptance Quotes, Recovery Quotes

36. “Bad company ruins good morals.”

— Paul the Apostle

Also featured in: Scripture Quotes

37. “I’m not crying because of you; you’re not worth it. I’m crying because my delusion of who you were was shattered by the truth of who you are.”

— Steve Maraboli

Also featured in: Sorrow Quotes, Broken Heart Quotes, Liars Quotes

38. “There are two types of relationships: nourishing and toxic. Do not keep the toxic. What interaction does light have with darkness? None!”

— Les Brown

39. “Good riddance to bad rubbish.”

— Rodman Philbrick

40. “Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I am kind to everyone, but when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember about me.”

— Al Capone

Also featured in: Reputation Quotes