Narcissism Book of Quotes | Page 6

made me feel like I just didn't match up. Now I realise that probably no one ever could have. He was always looking for such an amount of NS that no normal person/relationship could have possibly have supplied it, and I think that insecurity was also behind the need to have, ideally, lots of different alternatives."
"It is THEM, not you or I, who can't trust enough to invest/try/be content with one relationship and build on that. The lack of commitment, sneaky manipulation of targeting new NS, guarantee that they will get dumped by anybody decent - lowering their self esteem even further. But they seem to hurl compulsively along the same tired worn-out path."
"I had to analyze him closely and that's what saved me. I drew up a list of things he had done, sat down with my therapist and discussed what those behaviours/symptoms were, from a psychological perspective. We were like 2 scientists, working on a project, where there wasn't a lot of documentation to refer to. Ultimately we identified Narcissism, but went further. We wound up with the diagnosis that, not only was he a psychopath, he was also a sociopath, as he had no conscience."
"Diagnosing Ns truly isn't rocket science. Go through the list of criteria. Give an example beside each one stating why s/he's like that. When you get 5 or more, BINGO. It's the stories, the anecdotal reports that diagnose Ns. My N fully met the criteria for 4 different PDs, plus bi-polar. He went to a psychiatrist only once, about 16 years ago. He's a successful businessman and he's a Narcissistic psychopath."
"In actual fact, it was the doctor who diagnosed my husband who remarked on the high incidence of NPD among prison inmates, i.e. among the criminal population. This same doctor is also a prison psychologist working for the State, (as well as a university lecturer)."
"Yes, absolutely. It's not a disorder of intelligence. Far from it. My N graduated law school near the top of his class. Emotionally, he's 5 years old!!!"
"He told me that based on what he has read in my journals and narratives, providing that all the information is correct (which it is) that my N is a psychopath, narcissist and borderline. I was shocked that he thought it was more than narcissism. So, I am interpreting it to mean that a person with multiple personality disorder tendencies will exhibit some of the characteristics from each, but not necessarily all of them."
"On first meeting an N, what is it that they do, that a normal person does not do? From the perspective of the one who is meeting the N for the first time, a N goes to great lengths to make a big impression on the listener. The N never stops doing that. They want to be sure they have your attention and they will appear to be listening very attentively, as you speak. The listening attentively part is an illusion. If questioned about the discussion later, they will not remember a word that was said. Reason: They were too busy studying you. What you care about. They make such observations to use against you, later on."
"It is best to keep them at arm's length and not even start a relationship with someone who is too much 'over the top', in every way. They leave a path of destruction and dozens of broken hearts, in their wake. Sometimes, the damage cannot be undone and you must live with it. So beware of someone who is coming on too strong."
"We have a saying around my house which is that an N will put you through a series of increasingly difficult (and more ludicrous) tests in order to get you to prove loyalty to them. If you manage to pass all of these ridiculous tests, you are rewarded for your considerable effort with the right to worship the N. I don't know about anyone else, but I've got other plans."
"I have come to think of those years as a classroom in which I learned about my own vulnerabilities. Nothing seems as scary to me anymore... how can it be when I have survived living with, as Sam Vaknin has said, an encounter with 'the first carbon-based form of artificial intelligence'."
"I had never known a real conman in my life. I thought only the stupid or elderly got suckered."
"What I, and others on this board, have learned from dealing with N bullies in our personal lives, applies to terrorists. There can be no appeasement, no attempting to reason with them, no attempt to "fix" them, to unseat their deep-seated hatred, shame and envy. Sounds terribly harsh to the uninitiated, but not recognizing that can only lead to our own destruction."
"I've come to believe that, to the N, the world looks like a place