Social anxiety can limit us from living a full and healthy life. It can be absolutely paralyzing. It is a fear of being judged and being embarrassed. It is the fear of humiliation and embarrassment. It is the fear of standing out in a negative way, or being a disappointment to people we care about. It is the fear that our discomfort will be so obvious to people we know or meet that they will see us as flawed
The following social anxiety quotes are from people who have experienced it, and from therapists and psychologists who treat it. They are revealing thoughts from both sides of the story. Some offer coping mechanisms to help those who are suffering, while others speak of the damage that social anxiety can inflict.
Famous Social Anxiety Quotes
In almost every conversation, people will try to fit in with the crowd in order to avoid becoming the center of attention. People who suffer from social anxiety, however, struggle with this issue on a much deeper level. They not only worry about whether or not they will become the center of attention, but they also worry about what people will think of them based on their actions and words.
Here are some social anxiety quotes from famous personalities:
- “Your mind is your prison when you focus on your fear.” – Tim Fargo
- “You cannot always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.” – Wayne Dyer
- “Breathe, darling. This is just a chapter. It’s not your whole story.” – S.C. Lourie
- “You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Self-consciousness is the enemy of all art, be it acting, writing, painting, or living itself, which is the greatest art of all.” – Ray Bradbury.
- “I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stunned by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, ‘Hi.’ They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.” – Augusten Burroughs
- “If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It’s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.” – Dale Carnegie
- “I’m not anti-social. I’m just not social.” – Woody Allen
- “Anxiety was born at the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it – just as we have learned to live with storms.” – Paulo Coelho
- “Now that I have conquered social anxiety disorder, I find pleasure in fans approaching me.” – Ricky Williams
- “Please, don’t worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting.” – Robin Williams
- “Everything you have ever wanted, is sitting on the other side of fear.” – George Addair.
- “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss
- “Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” – Norman Vincent Peale.
- “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” – Chuang Tzu
- “The only way out is through.” – Robert Frost
- “I’m shy, but I’m not clinically shy. I don’t have social anxiety disorder or anything like that. I more have a gentle shyness. Like, I have a little trouble mingling at parties.” – Samantha Bee
- “Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” – Albert Camus
- “I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anybody else to feel like that.” – Robin Williams
- “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer
- “A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you. – Joyce Meyer
- “All I insist on, and nothing else, is that you should show the whole world that you are not afraid. Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak – and speak in such a way that people will remember it.” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- “What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.” – Martha Graham
- “The fear of being laughed at makes cowards of us all.” – Mignon McLaughlin
- “You don’t drown by falling into water. You only drown if you stay there.” – Zig Ziglar.
- “Shyness is invariably a suppression of something. It’s almost a fear of what you’re capable of.” – Rhys Ifans
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Quotes About Understanding Social Anxiety
One of the most painful aspects of social anxiety disorder is that it can make a person feel like they are the only person in the world who feels this way. It’s a feeling of isolation, but it’s not true. There are many people who also deal with anxiety and understand what it’s like to feel so different and misunderstood. The following are social anxiety quotes to help you understand and put this disorder into perspective.
- “The worst thing about social anxiety is that people simply don’t understand.”– Unknown
- “The constant vigilance and my heightened anxiety that I’d screw it up anyway exhausted me, but I persevered.” – Tracey Garvis Graves
- “Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.” – Erma Bombeck
- “I’ve spent most of my life and most of my friendships holding my breath and hoping that when people get close enough they won’t leave, and fearing that it’s a matter of time before they figure me out and go.” – Shauna Niequist.
- “It can be confusing and heartbreaking to see the person you care about suffering in this way.” – Kelly Jean
- “It’s not all bad. Heightened self-consciousness, apartness, an inability to join in, physical shame, and self-loathing – they are not all bad. Those devils have been my angels. Without them I would never have disappeared into language, literature, the mind, laughter and all the mad intensities that made and unmade me.” – Stephen Fry
- “That nervousness that makes your palms sweat and your heart race before you get up and make a speech in front of an audience? That’s what I feel in a normal conversation at the dinner table. Or just thinking about having a conversation at the dinner table.” – Jen Wilde, Queens of Geek
- “The impact of social anxiety disorder on quality of life is enormous.” – James Jefferson
- “Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” – Deepak Chopra
- “Deep inside, she knew who she was, and that person was smart, and kind, and often even funny, but somehow her personality always got lost somewhere between her heart and her mouth, and she found herself saying the wrong thing or, more often, nothing at all.” —Julia Quinn
- “Social anxiety has this twisted way of poisoning your mind, making you believe terrible things that aren’t true.” – Kelly Jean, Anxious Lass
- “It convinces you that every situation will have a terrible outcome. It convinces you that everyone sees you in the worst light.” – Kelly Jean, Lying Because of Social Anxiety
- “Every day is a struggle, even when I’m at my best. My anxiety is always with me, and panic taps me on my shoulder a few times a day. On my good days, I can brush it off. On my bad days, I just want to stay in bed.” – Unknown
- “Lying because of social anxiety leaves us in a vicious cycle of trying to protect ourselves but continuing the negative thought patterns” – Kelly Jean, Lying Because of Social Anxiety
- “I’m a lonely person at heart, I need people but my social anxiety prevents me from being happy.” – Unknown
- “Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” – Deepak Chopra
- “Instead of telling your loved one to do something social and getting frustrated when they can’t, try and bring more positive vibes to the table.” – Kelly Jean, 6 Simple Ways to Help Someone With Social Anxiety
- “Even now it comes as a shock if by chance I notice in the street a face resembling someone I know however slightly, and I am at once seized by a shivering violent enough to make me dizzy.”– Osamu Dazai.
- “Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world.” – Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
- “Most people with social anxiety disorder try to hide it from others, especially from family and loved ones.” – Thomas Richards, What is it Like to Live With Social Anxiety
- “It’s just easier to avoid social situations.” – Thomas Richards, What is it Like to Live With Social Anxiety
- “Nothing so much prevents our being natural as our desire to seem so.” – François de La Rochefoucauld, French Author.
- “The only thing that could spoil a day was people, and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.”― Ernest Hemingway, American journalist.
- “People with social anxiety disorder generally avoid social and performance situations whenever possible or endure them with considerable distress.” – James Jefferson, Social Anxiety Disorder
- “All I feel are the assaults of apprehension and terror at the thought that I am the only one who is entirely unlike the rest.” – Osamu Dazai.
- “People with social anxiety are not devoid of the basic desire for human connection; they just have trouble obtaining it in certain situations.” – Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
- “I think my biggest flaw in dating me is that I need a lot of reassurance because my anxiety and past experiences have convinced me that you don’t actually want me and that you’ll just end up leaving like everyone else.” – Unknown
- “Social anxiety tries to protect us from rejection.” – Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
- “I think one thing that does cause unhappiness is protracted anxiety and worry.” – Derek Bok.
- “All day, every day, life is like this. Fear. Apprehension. Avoidance. Pain. Anxiety about what you said. Fear that you said something wrong. Worry about others’ disapproval. Afraid of rejection, of not fitting in.” – Thomas Richards, What is it Like to Live With Social Anxiety
- “Anxiety is a lot like a toddler. It never stops talking, tells you you’re wrong about everything, and wakes you up at 3 am.” —Anonymous.
- “Social anxiety made me feel pathetic and weak, and I often told myself that I was rubbish at everything.” – Kelly Jean, How Social Anxiety Made Me Grateful for These 5 Things
- “You don’t have to control your thoughts. You have to stop letting them control you.” – Dan Millman
- “Our fear of rejection is really a fear of being less than.” – Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
- “She didn’t understand how other people did it, how they just strolled right up to strangers and started conversations… She wasn’t shy, not exactly. She was afraid.” – Katie Cotugno.
- “When someone tells you not to be anxious and then looks at you, waiting for you to be cured.” – AnxiousLass
- “Sometimes just being there for someone and not saying anything can be the greatest gift you can give.” – Kelly Jean, 6 Simple Ways to Help Someone With Social Anxiety
- “She didn’t understand how other people did it, how they just strolled right up to strangers and started conversations… She wasn’t shy, not exactly. She was afraid.” – Katie Cotugno
- “To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal.” – Boyd K. Packer
- “I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth.” – Daphne du Maurier.
- “Social anxiety isn’t a choice. I wish people knew how badly I wish I could be like everybody else, and how hard it is to be affected by something that can bring me to my knees every single day.” – Anonymous
- “The real tragedy of social anxiety is that it robs individuals of their greatest resource: other people.” – Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
- “I desperately wanted to talk to someone about it, but I was too afraid to say something.” – Kelly Jean, Lying Because of Social Anxiety
- “My anxiety doesn’t come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.” –Hugh Prather.
- “I grew up thinking that there was something wrong with me and that others were judging me negatively for existing. This mindset manifested itself into fear and social anxiety.” – Katy Morin, Medium
- “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” – Fred Rogers.
Quotes About Overcoming Social Anxiety
There are many quotes about overcoming social anxiety, but there is nothing better than hearing about people’s personal experiences with the topic. Below are some honest quotes from people who have dealt with social anxiety.
- “Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action”. – Walter Anderson.
- “What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.” – Martha Graham
- “Stop beating yourself up for not being perfect. You were never designed to be anyway.” – Unknown
- “The moment I started treating my social anxiety disorder, I started feeling better.” –Ricky Williams
- “The truth is, I was strong. I left the house at times I thought I couldn’t face it. I went into situations that made my heart palpitate, hands sweat, body tremble and stomach nauseated. I wasn’t weak at all.” – Kelly Jean, How Social Anxiety Made Me Grateful for These 5 Things
- “Facing your anxiety is so much harder when you’re too controlling of each situation and your environment.” – Kelly Jean, Social Anxiety Safety Behaviors
- “Many of us have been through the crippling fears and constant anxiety that social anxiety produces – and have come out healthier and happier on the other side.” – James Jefferson, Social Anxiety Disorder
- “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell.
- “Act the way that you want to feel.” – Gretchen Rubin.
- “You’re not going to master the rest of your life in one day. Just relax. Master the day. Then just keep doing that every day.” – Unknown
- “When you feel overwhelmed, remember: A little at a time is how it gets done. One thing, one task, one moment at a time.” –Anonymous
- “You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” – Steve Maraboli
- “You probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do.” – Olin Miller.
- “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
- “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James.
- “Everything you have ever wanted, is sitting on the other side of fear.” – George Addair.
- “Knowing what caused your social anxiety is an important first step in healing from social anxiety and having empowering relationships with those around you.” – Katy Morin, Medium
- “Slow breathing is like an anchor in the midst of an emotional storm: the anchor won’t make the storm goes away, but it will hold you steady until it passes.” – Russ Harris
- “It’s okay if they don’t understand.” – Kelly Jean, How to Explain Social Anxiety
- “I wanted to know that there were people like me, who had been broken and had their lives stolen from them because of social anxiety but had come out of the other side and learnt to manage it.” —Kelly Jean, Starting a Social Anxiety Blog to Raise Awareness
- “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside of you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson.
- “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Rule number one: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two: It’s all small stuff.” – Robert S. Eliot
- “At the end of the day, tell yourself gently: ‘I love you, you did the best you could today, and even if you didn’t accomplish all you had planned, I love you anyway.” – Anonymous
- “Anxiety happens when you think you have to figure out everything all at once. Breathe. You’re strong. You got this. Take it day by day.” – Karen Salmansohn.
- “Anxiety and depression are the prices you pay for a well-lived life.” – George Vaillant
- “When all by myself, I can think of all kinds of clever remarks, quick comebacks to what no one said, and flashes of witty sociability with nobody. But all of this vanishes when I face someone in the flesh…” – Fernando Pessoa.
- “It’s not stress that kills us; it is our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye
- “Don’t let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all, it is only in the darkest nights that stars shine more brightly.” – Anonymous.
- “Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” – Albert Camus.
- “You’re not going to master the rest of your life in one day. Just relax. Master the day. Then just keep doing that every day.” – Unknown
- “You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” – Steve Maraboli
- “Don’t believe every worried thought you have. Worried thoughts are notoriously inaccurate.” – Renee Jain.
- “Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” — Eckhart Tolle
- “Give your family and your friends a chance to be there for you and help you. That’s what they are there for and I just know you would do the same for them!” – Kelly Jean, How to Explain Social Anxiety
- “It’s weird how we have to get a little older to realize that people are just people. It should be obvious, but it’s not.” – Christine Riccio
- “You can’t go back and make a new start, but you can start right now and make a brand new ending.” – James R. Sherman
- “I learned that the root cause of social anxiety is fear and I can change this fear into love, acceptance, and empowerment.” – Katy Morin
- “Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression…It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.” – Grenville Kleiser
- “My old fears, my diffidence, my shyness, my hopeless sense of inferiority, must be conquered now and thrust aside. If I failed now I should fail forever.” – Daphne du Maurier.
- “No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.” – Virginia Woolf
- “Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” – Jamie Paolinetti.
- “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” – Amit Ray.
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Funny Social Anxiety Quotes
Humor is a coping mechanism for many people. No matter who you are, when you feel healthy and confident in your life, this energy can be infectious and can help make others feel the same way. It’s a way of managing stress and getting through the day. It’s also a way of relating to others.
Here are some quotes about how humor can help in understanding and coping with social anxiety.
- “Social anxiety is: letting your phone go to voicemail but not being able to call the person back because using the phone is scary.” – anxious lass
- “People with anxiety don’t have a train of thought. We have 7 trains on 4 tracks that narrowly avoid each other when paths cross, and all the conductors are screaming.” – unknown
- “If I was accidentally weird to you once, just know I will be thinking about it every night for the next 50 years.” – Hana Michels
- “I laugh in the face of danger!!!! … but, like, a nervous laugh and then I have a panic attack and run away.” – Unknown
- “Social anxiety is when someone tells you not to be anxious and then looks at you, waiting for you to be cured.” – Unknown
- “I think too much. I think ahead, I think behind, I think sideways, I think it all. If it exists, I’ve f***ing thought of it!” – unknown
- “Walk up to the club like ‘what up, I have social anxiety and I want to go home.’” – unknown
- “You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf.” – Jon kabat-zinn
- “I thought I had social anxiety, turns out I just don’t like people.” – unknown
- “Social anxiety is: thinking of ways to fake your own death every time you’re too anxious to go somewhere.” – anxiouslass
- “Social anxiety is: letting someone call you by the wrong name because you’re too scared to correct them.” – anxiouslass
- “The feeling of absolute betrayal when you’ve geared yourself up to going out and then your friend brings along someone you’ve never met at the last minute.” – Unknown
- “I just give myself permission to suck…I find this hugely liberating.” – John green
- “Let’s just say, my anxieties have anxieties.” – unknown
- “Social anxiety is listening to music on your headphones in public and worrying that you’re breathing too loud.” – Unknown
- “Sometimes, the worst place you can be is in your own head.” – unknown
- “Social anxiety is freaking out when someone asks you what you do for fun because nothing you do is socially accepted as fun.” – Unknown
- “I came, I saw, I had anxiety, so I left.” – Unknown
- “Social anxiety is having people think you’re rude because you’re barely talking to them.” – Unknown
- “I’ve got 99 problems and 86 of them are completely made up scenarios in my head that I’m stressing about for absolutely no logical reason.” – unknown
- “Social anxiety is thinking someone hates you because they’ve seen your message and not replied yet.” – Unknown
- “I’m not fake, I just have social anxiety and a social battery with a lifetime of 10 minutes.” —@therealkimj via twitter
- “Social anxiety is feeling sick about a social event that isn’t even happening until a year’s time.” – Unknown
- “Social anxiety is not being able to remember anything about yourself when someone asks you a question.” – Unknown
- “I don’t struggle with anxiety. I’m actually pretty good at it.” – Unknown
Social anxiety is a disorder that can affect people in every aspect of their lives. It can be debilitating for those who experience it, making even the most mundane of tasks into a major event.
The social anxiety quotes listed above are from people who have experienced it, and from therapists and psychologists who treat it. They are revealing thoughts from both sides of the story. Some offer coping mechanisms to help those who are suffering, while others speak of the damage that social anxiety can inflict. We sincerely hope that we have helped to provide some insight into the world of social anxiety disorder and how to deal with it.
At Quotes Dome, we curate the best of quotes for everyone to consume. We hope you enjoyed reading our list of social anxiety quotes. If yes, then you will definitely love this list of 60+ Powerful Trust the Process Quotes That Will Inspire You to Keep Going.
