90 Attention Seeker Quotes with Tips on How to Avoid It

Learn why you shouldn’t care about the opinions of others with these attention seeker quotes.

It’s not uncommon to struggle with seeking attention and approval from others.

Naturally, people long to be accepted by others.

This starts from a young age.

However, the more you focus on seeking attention from others, the easier it is to compromise who you are, what you believe, and what you really want to do.

Learning to be true to yourself and gain self-confidence in yourself, will help you stop seeking attention from others, which will help you live a happier and more successful life.

Don’t forget to also check out these be yourself quotes about being authentic and real.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Our inspirational quotes category page has all of our motivational quotes for all the different areas of life.

Attention seeker quotes about the dangers of being one

1. “People can become addicted to fame, money, and attention as deeply as they become addicted to drugs.” – Dennis Prager

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2. “He who seeks only for applause from without has all his happiness in another’s keeping.” – Oliver Goldsmith

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3. “A woman will always be insecure if she attaches her identity and sense of worth to the amount of male attention she gets.” – Anupama Garg

4. “I’m terribly attention-seeking. It’s very different once you get all this attention, though. Because then you want to control it. And you can’t exactly.” – David Williams

5. “Everyone is trying to be famous and everyone is trying to trend. These people and the ones who are seeking attention on social media. They are more pandemic than coronavirus, because they are misleading, hurting and destroying a lot of lives while they are at it.” – DJ Kyos

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6. “If attention was a product on the market, a lot of people would spend their entire savings on it.” – Edmond Mbiaka

7. “Freedom on the inside comes when validation from the outside doesn’t matter.” – Richie Norton

8. “Approval is a lover who will always break your heart.” – Sammy Rhodes

9. “The hunger for attention is an enemy of self-love.” – Edmond Mbiaka

Meaningful attention seeker quotes

10. “I am the youngest of four children – three boys and one girl. I don’t think becoming an actor had anything to do with seeking attention, though. My relationship with my siblings when I was growing up was close and playful.” – David Harewood

11. “I didn’t really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

12. “I realised when I sang at family parties and Christmases I’d suddenly get everyone’s attention, and, being the youngest of three, I thought what a brilliant attention-seeking ploy it was.” – Kiki Dee

13. “I pay no attention whatever to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings.” – Wolfgange Amadeus Mozart

14. “That’s the motivation of an artist – to seek attention of some kind.” – James Taylor

15. “I have always been the first on the dance floor. Before fame, people thought it made me a good laugh; now, people point and call me an attention seeker! I’m very aware of the way people can view me, but I’m very aware that I have to just enjoy my life.” – Jessie J

16. “Of course I’m naughty. I’ve always had to compete for attention, you see.” – Rachel Johnson

Insightful attention seeker quotes

17. “If you want to call attention to your good deed, it’s a self-serving one. Why? Not only have you patted yourself on the back but you’re fishing for others to do the same.” – Donna Lynn Hope

18. “An amazing thing happens when you stop seeking approval and validation; You find it. People are naturally drawn like magnets to those who know who they are and cannot be shaken!” – Mandy Hale

19. “We may seek a fortune for no greater reason than to secure the respect and attention of people who would otherwise look straight through us.” – Alain de Botton

20. “Quoting an old proverb. An empty cart rattles loudly,” She said. Meaning, One who lacks substance boasts loudest.” – Alan Brennert

Attention seeker quotes on what they really want

21. “People with an unbridled thirst for attention is usually very empty and trying to fill themselves at the expense of others.” – Amelia Rose

22. “All bad behavior is really a request for love, attention, or validation.” – Kimberly Giles

23. “A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.” – Vernon Howard

24. “Stop looking outside for scraps of pleasure or fulfillment, for validation, security, or love – you have a treasure within that is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.” – Eckhart Toller

25. “The lack of unconditional self-love tends to lead one to hunger for attention.” – Edmond Mbiaka

26. “If you reach out to your phone every few minutes, it isn’t the urgency you are catering to but your need to be needed by others, you are seeking attention while battling loneliness” – Shahenshah Hafeez Khan

27. “It is tragic that we recognized our self worth from external validation.” – Aditya Ajmera

Attention seeker quotes to remind you not to be one

28. “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry S Truman

29. “Once you figure out what respect tastes like, it tastes better than attention. But you have to get there.” – Pink

30. “Stop worrying about approval and appreciation. Enjoy the beauty and effect of contributing to the universe.” – Debasish Mridha

31. “The people who receive the most approval in life are the ones who care the least about it – so technically, if you want the approval of others, you need to stop caring about it.” – Wayne Dyer

32. “If you are going to do something truly innovative, you have to be with someone who does not value social approval. You can’t need social approval to go forward. Otherwise, how would you ever do the thing that you are doing.” – Malcolm Gladwell

33. “What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.” – Confucius

34. “Don’t seek approval. This may be the toughest suggestion for you to follow — and the most important. Whether you’re a teenager seeking approval from your peers, a middle-aged parent seeking the approval of your kids, or a man or woman seeking the approval of a partner, it all amounts to the same thing. You’re giving your personal power away every time you seek validation from someone else for who you are.” – Trish MacGregor

35. “When you do not seek or need approval, you are at your most powerful.” – Caroline Myss

36. “The sun announces its presence with light, not words; do likewise.” – Matshona Dhliwayo

37. “A woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.” – Mohadesa Najumi

38. “A busy vibrant, goal-oriented woman is so much more attractive than a woman who waits around for a man to validate her existence.” – Mandy Hale

39. “The only permission, the only validation, and the only opinion that matters in our quest for greatness is our own.” – Steve Maraboli

More attention seeker quotes

40. “He who seeks only for applause from without has all his happiness in another’s keeping.” – Oliver Goldsmith

41. “Seek respect not attention.” – Ben Bereng

42. “Seeking validation will keep you trapped. You don’t need anyone or anything to approve of your worth. When you understand this, you’ll be free.” – Unknown

43. “The better you feel about yourself, the less you feel the need to show off.” – Robert Hand

44. “When will you love yourself: that other people’s approval no longer matters?” – Gillian Duce

45. “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just want what they do.” – Andrew Carnegie

46. “Who are you trying to impress? Better yet, why?” – Frank Sonnenberg

47. “Eventually you just have to realize that you’re living for an audience of one. I’m not here for anyone’s else’s approval.” – Pamela Anderson

48. “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.” – Johannes Kelper

49. “Seek respect, not attention. It lasts longer.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour

50. “Be yourself. Don’t worry about what other people are thinking of you.” – Phil Lester

Attention Seeker Quotes To Help You Stay Focused

51. “Boys seek attention, men demand respect.” ― Habeeb Akande

52. “We only shout when we neglect what silence can do.” —  Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

53. “Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.” —Terry Pratchett.

54. “Some people love attention so much that they usually wish for their rhetorical question to be answered.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

55. “Enough with climbing the greasy pole of validation! Grab hold of your backbone, toughen up your conviction.” ― Abhijit Naskar

56. “As long as you look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval, you are setting yourself up for disaster. You have to be whole and complete in yourself.” — Nic Sheff.

57. “Do not wait for someone else to validate your existence; it is your own responsibility.” — Jasz Gill.

58. “Thirst for attention is a cry of loneliness.” – Toba Beta

59. “The constant attention is what is so difficult.” – Natalie Wood

60. “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” — Alexander Graham Bell

More Attention Seeker Quotes and Sayings.

61. “Attention is a limited resource, so pay attention to where you pay attention.” – Howard Rheingold

62. “It is not a character fault or weakness or seeking attention. It is somebody who is ill.” – Jerry Reed

63. “Needing approval is tantamount to saying, ‘Your view of me is more important than my own opinion of myself.'” – Wayne W. Dyer.

64. When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.” – Dale Carnegie.

65. “Not every emotion deserves the same attention” ― Ramana Pemmaraju

66. “Those who focus on attention never attain ascension, those who live for ascension don’t have time for attention.” ― Abhijit Naskar

67. “The reason when many people are on social media is because they want attention. It’s measured by the number of likes, views, retweets, comments etc. Remember, you don’t have to rely on others for your confidence and self-esteem. Disengage from seeking attention. Love yourself first!” – Mufti Menk

68. “Most people who seek attention and regard by announcing that they’re writing a novel are actually so devoid of narrative talent that they can’t hold the attention of a dinner table for thirty seconds, even with a dirty joke.” – Paul Fussell

69. “In a social media world, the danger is being overexposed and when something is overexposed it is no longer interesting…if ever it was.” – Donna Lynn Hope

70. “Beware of those who seek constant crowds; they are nothing alone.” – Charles Bukowski

Attention Seeker On How Best To Handle Attention

71. “All comedians are a bit attention-seeking and I’m no different. Anyone with the audacity to want to be listened to for an hour and a half must be.” ― Jimmy Carr

72. “People nowadays do intentional and purposeful mistakes, so they can apologize later. Knowing they would have got what they wanted, from the mistake they intentional and purposefully made.” ― De philosophe DJ Kyos

73. “The fact that ‘attention seeking’ is still considered a slur says much about the role of women in public life, on every scale.” ― Laurie Penny

74. “It’s always worthless sort of person who puts himself out in order to get somebody else worked up.” ― Riichi Yokomitsu

75. “It is my dream to create an art which is filled with balance, purity and calmness, freed from a subject matter that is disconcerting or too attention-seeking.” ― Henri Matisse

76. “Some people know what is right and what is wrong. They may justify their actions and reason beyond any doubt, but deep down inside. They know very well what they are doing and why they are doing it.” ― De philosopher DJ Kyos

77. “Trying to be offensive for the sole purpose of being offensive should always deem one the least offensive of offenders.” ― Criss Jami

78. “Blanket compassion will shift the distribution decisively towards the manipulative end of the spectrum.” ― Anthony Daniels

79. “Service over selfies, that is life for the unselfish, whereas to the self-obsessed nimrods even an act of kindness is an opportunity for attention grabbing.” ― Abhijit Naskar

80. “‘Mediocre, arrogant as his father, a determined rule-breaker, delighted to find himself famous, attention-seeking and impertinent -‘ said Severus. You see what you expect to see, Severus.’ said Dumbledore.” ― J. K. Rowling

Attention Seeker Quotes On Beaty of Not Seeking Attention

81. “You will never gain anyone’s approval by begging for it.” ― Mandy Hale

82. “What does it mean to get someone else’s approval? Usually, it means lowering and debasing yourself.” ― Marty Rubin

83. “If we must serve, let us be servant to the society that nobody cares about, and to hell with the society that everybody tries to impress and wants to be a part of.” ― Abhijit Naskar

84. “Don’t seek approval. This may be the toughest suggestion for you to follow and the most important.” ― T. J. MacGregor

85. “I don’t want to be looked at and grab attention, that’s exhibitionism. I would rather be seen more for my intelligence, for my elegance, for not being just another girl seeking attention.” ― Simmal Khan

86. “Life is too short to seek the approval of others for the choices you’ve already made.” ― Sai Pradeep

87. “Dignity will only happen when you realize that having someone in your life doesn’t validate your worth.” ― Shannon L. Alder

88. “The women who don’t seek attention are usually the women you need to be giving your attention to.” — Will Smith

89. “Nobody applauds nature, yet she still glows.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson

90. “Approval… often brings anxiety lest we not be able to repeat the desired behavior.” ― Bonnie Badenoch

What did you learn from these attention seeker quotes?

Life becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable when you stop caring so much about what others think of you.

It’s also easy to make compromises in your life when you’re trying to get the attention of other people.

But you don’t have to do that.

Remember when you learn that the attention you get when seeking it out is often not the attention that you want and desire, it becomes easier to shift your focus away from it.

And you’ll likely find that you’re much happier when you quit caring about attention from others and focus on yourself.

Use these quotes as motivation.

What’s your biggest takeaway from these attention seeker quotes and sayings?

Do you have any other favorite quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.