50 Denial Quotes For Coming To Terms With Reality

Check out these meaningful denial quotes.

We have an array of quotes about denial from some of the most influential people. 

What is denial?

Denial deliberately neglects information that would be too upsetting or anxiety-provoking to allow into one’s belief system. 

Denial is a defense mechanism we use to make sense of the world around us. 

Below are some common signs of denial:

• You refuse to talk about the problem.
• You find ways to justify your behavior.
• You blame other people or outside forces for causing the problem.

Denial is an easier route to take to avoid being confused or afraid. 

One of the most common forms of denial is called cherry picking; this is where people highlight certain parts of an argument that fit into their preconceived worldview. 

There is no human being who is exempt from denial. 

We all experience it at specific points in our lives. 

Denial is a natural part of life, a defense mechanism whose function is to protect us from experiencing anxiety. 

Denial serves many purposes for us. 

We go into denial to avoid dealing with stress or painful emotions. 

In a healthy person, the defense mechanism allows us not to acknowledge a problem while simultaneously serving to minimize the potential consequences the problem may generate. 

Denial is common in people experiencing mental health conditions. 

Many people who abuse drugs and alcohol or have narcissistic personalities may resort to denial to cope. 

Denial keeps us in the dark

Denying the problem allows a person to continue doing the destructive behavior without facing accountability. 

Please take a moment and have fun with our funny and exciting denial quotes ranging from novels, proverbs, or wise sayings. 

Funny Denial Quotes 

Here are some humorous quotes about denial. 

1. “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.” — Mark Twain

2. “Your denial is beneath you, and thanks to the use of hallucinogenic drugs, I see through you.” — Bill Hicks 

3. “Delusion and denial does not equal an apology.” — Carole Radziwill

4. ”I believe we’re all in denial about the people we love.” — David Geffen

5. “Debate is so much better than denial.” — Julie Walters

6. “Haters are fans in denial.” — Adam Rippon

7. “It’s not denial. I’m just selective about the reality I accept.” — Bill Watterson

8. “I’m actually a very private person. Sometimes I’m in denial that I’m really famous.” — Britney Spears

9. “I think denial’s fascinating. It’s a jokey word, but it really happens, and sometimes in enormous ways.” — Marian Keyes

10. “I love carbs, but denial is good training for the mind.” — Jason Momoa

Denial Of Death Quotes

These are some of the best quotes from Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death. 

11. “The road to creativity passes so close to the madhouse and often detours or ends there.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

12. “Man cannot endure his own littleness unless he can translate it into meaningfulness on the largest possible level.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

13. “Guilt results from unused life, from the, unlived in us.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

14. “Man is literally split in two: he has an awareness of his own splendid uniqueness in that he sticks out of nature with a towering majesty, and yet he goes back into the ground a few feet in order blindly and dumbly to rot and disappear forever.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

15. “People create the reality they need in order to discover themselves.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

16. “What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one is food for worms.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

17. “Mother nature is a brutal bitch, red in tooth and claw, who destroys what she creates.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

18. “The neurotic opts out of life because he is having trouble maintaining his illusions about it, which proves nothing less than that life is possible only with illusions.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

19. “Obviously, all religions fall far short of their own ideals.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

20. “It is fateful and ironic how the lie we need in order to live dooms us to a life that is never really ours.” — Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

Denial Quotes From Novels Like Night, Death Of A Salesman, And Sonny’s Blues

Enjoy these denial quotes from classic American literature. 

21. “Denial can be confusing because it resembles sleeping.” — Melodie Beattie, The Language Of Letting Go

22. “Denial is a save now, pay later scheme.” — Gavin de Becker, Gift Of Fear 

23. “Denial is the lid on our emotional pressure cooker: the longer we leave it on, the more pressure we build up.” — Dr. Susan Forward, Toxic Parents

23. “But insight doesn’t necessarily produce self—control. Sometimes you just see your destructiveness more clearly.” — Keith Ablow, Denial

24. “People react predictably, especially when they don’t have time to think.” — Keith Ablow, Denial

25. “The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don’t die of it.” — Elie Wiesel, Night 

26. “Men to the left! Women to the right! Eight words spoken quietly, indifferently, without emotion. Eight short, simple words. Yet that was the moment when I parted from my mother.” — Elie Wiesel, Night

27. “Do you see that chimney over there? See it? Do you see those flames? (Yes, we did see the flames.) Over there—that’s where you’re going to be taken. That’s your grave, over there.” — Elie Wiesel, Night 

28. “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am!” — Arthur Miller, Death Of A Salesman

29. “I couldn’t believe it: but what I mean by that is that I couldn’t find any room for it anywhere inside of me. I had kept it outside me for a long time. I hadn’t wanted to know.” — James Baldwin, Sonny’s Blues

30. “Somewhere in her brain, a wall formed, a wall that kept out further consideration about what was happening here.” — Ann Brashares, Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants

Denial Quotes And Proverbs 

Check out this selection of wise sayings about denial. 

31. “Perhaps you notice how the denial is so often the preface to the justification.” — Christopher Hitchens

32. “The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we’re afraid.” — Richard Bach

33. “You know it’s not denial / Not denial, not denial.” — White Lies

34. “It’s a perfect denial / Such a beautiful lie to believe in.” — Thirty Seconds To Mars

35. “Denial does not solve the problem.” — Bill Kortenbach

36. “Denial does not make the problem go away.” — Bill Kortenbach

37. “Denial does not give us peace of mind, which is what we are really seeking when we engage in it.” — Bill Kortenbach

38. “Denial is a liar. It compounds the problem because it keeps us from seeing a solution and taking action to resolve it.” — Bill Kortenbach

39. “Delay is the deadliest form of denial.” — C. Northcote Parkinson

40. “Refusal to believe until proof is given is a rational position; denial of all outside of our own limited experience is absurd.” — Annie Beasant

More Denial Quotes 

Here are some insightful denial quotes. 

41. “To deny one’s own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one’s own life. It is no less than a denial of the soul.” — Oscar Wilde

42. “Equally as powerful as the desire to deny atrocities is the conviction that denial does not work. Folk wisdom is filled with ghosts who refuse to rest in their graves until their stories are told.” — Judith Lewis Herman

43. “Denial is a very normal coping mechanism and must be recognized as performing a genuine role in initiating the grieving process.” — Ronald J. Knapp

44. “As a protective device, it is designed to buffer the system from the trauma of an event too tragic to deal with all at once. It is important that those in supportive or helping roles recognize the value of this device.” — Ronald J. Knapp.

45. “While in a state of denial, the individual should be tolerated, not berated for his or her apparent unresponsiveness.” — Ronald J. Knapp

46. “We certainly must never attempt to destroy someone’s hold on denial. It is important that this response run its course since it is serving a purpose.” — Ronald J. Knapp

47. “Deny any part of Reality, and you will lose your awareness of all of it.” — Elizabeth A. Cronkhite

48. “Denial is a common tactic that substitutes deliberate ignorance for thoughtful planning.” — Charles Tremper

49. Silent as the dead / Just like anyone, I guess / Tryin’ for the perfect life / End up bein’ in denial.” — The Strokes

50. “He that obstinately denieth the truth before men upon earth, wilfully refuseth his soul’s health in heaven.” — St. Thomas Aquinas

Denial is as powerful as we allow it to be

To deny is to be human.

Denial is not always a bad thing.

It takes time to come to grips with significant life changes. 

Denial allows us to work things out in our minds to face reality. 

It is understandable for a person to use denial in some instances. 

For example, sometimes, it is difficult for us to face health concerns. 

It would be understandable and even beneficial for a person to go into a state of denial instead of worrying about something that may be out of their control while they seek professional help. 

Denial also has many downsides.

American writer Bill Kortenbach said, “Denial does not give us peace of mind, which is what we are really seeking when we engage in it.”

Which of these denial quotes and sayings is your favorite? 

Be sure to let us know in the comments.