50 Miserable People Quotes For Finding Life’s Joy

By Clifton Sankofa | Published January 4, 2023

Are you looking for miserable people quotes that are worth your time?

We have many quotes about miserable people from diverse groups.

What is a miserable person?

Misery is a circumstance, thing, or place that causes suffering.

It can be a state of great unhappiness and emotional distress.

A miserable person remains in misery, despite their circumstances no longer being bleak.

Misery can lead to:

increased stress levels weaken our immune system.
chronic unhappiness that leads to poor choice-making.
struggle to maintain relationships.

The good news is that misery will not kill you.

The bad news is that misery can increase health complications.

Choosing to be a miserable person increases our chance of physical and emotional difficulties.

Everyone has felt unhappy before.

Being a miserable person is more than just feeling down.

We all experience unhappiness, but eventually, we move on; this separates a miserable person from a person who is unhappy.

Misery is not fleeting; it usually sticks around for a while.

Miserable people run the risk of damaging more than just their mood.

Stress breaks down the body’s ability to fight off disease.

A person will not die from being miserable, but health problems can result from constant stress and lack of self-care.

Miserable people have always existed on earth.

They were around in ancient times, and you can find them now.

Misery is experienced individually or sometimes as entire collectives.

Miserable people can become happy people

The selection of miserable people quotes below explores why some people cannot experience happiness.

Short miserable people quotes

Here are some short and sweet quotes about miserable people.

1. “Misery is wasted on the miserable.” — Louis C.K.

2. “A man’s as miserable as he thinks he is.” — Seneca

3. “Miserable person lives without ideals.” — Ivan Turgenev

4. “Melancholy: an appetite no misery satisfies.” — Emil Cioran

5. “Smart people, oftentimes, are miserable people.” — Sean Evans

6. “I know people who are wealthy, and they’re miserable.” — CM Punk

7. “I must confess that I lead a miserable life.” — Ludwig van Beethoven

8. “Misery can only be quelled but never cured.” — Nina, Johnny Kiddow

9. “The miserable have no other medicine, but only hope.” — William Shakespeare

10. “Most people would rather be certain they’re miserable than risk being happy.” — Robert Anthony

Insightful miserable people quotes

These quotes are about the miserable people in the world.

11. “Gay people got a right to be as miserable as everybody else.” — Chris Rock

12. “I’d rather be miserable loving you than happy with anyone else.” — Angela Morrison

13. “If I am in a beautiful place, but I don’t like the people, I am miserable.” — Alber Elbaz

14. “Minimizing exposure to miserable people is nothing short of a life strategy.” — Carolyn Hax

15. “People aren’t going to vote for miserable gits in the corner saying how awful everything is.” — Wes Streeting

16. “Life’s too short to be sittin’ round miserable. People gonna talk whether you doing bad or good.” — Rihanna

17. “It’s very important to like the people you work with. Otherwise, your job is going to be quite miserable.” — Elon Musk

18. “People can inhabit anything. And they can be miserable in anything and ecstatic in anything.” — Rem Koolhaas

19. “Many people feel so pressured by the expectations of others that it causes them to be frustrated, miserable, and confused about what they should do.” — Joyce Meyer

20. “My theory on life is that life is beautiful. Life doesn’t change. You have a day, a night, and a month, and a year. We people change – we can be miserable, or we can be happy. It’s what you make of your life.” — Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Miserable people quotes about the impact of misery

Here are some quotes about misery and how it impacts miserable people.

21. “Civilized misery is the worst misery.” — Agatha Christie

22. “Misery loved company, but damnation needed it.” — John Connolly

23. “I don’t reckon misery loves any damn thing at all.” — Bruce Machart

24. “Each indulgence in pleasure is an appointment made with misery.” — Jason Paul

25. “Pain and suffering are inevitable in our lives, but misery is an option.” — Chip Beck

26. “All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.” — Blaise Pascal

27. “Maybe men are separated from each other only by the degree of their misery.” — Francis Picabia

28. “Our happiness or misery depends upon our perception, not on the situation.” — Debasish Mridha

29. “The more you make this world about you, the more miserable you will be.” — Matt Chandler

30. “There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy.” — Dante Alighieri

Miserable quotes about the mystery of misery

This collection of miserable people quotes questions the mystery of misery.

31. “There is no mystery so great as misery.” — Oscar Wilde

32. “Happy people enjoy, miserable people, complain.” — Anonymous

33. “Miserable people love to make other people miserable. I don’t hate those; I just feel sorry for them.” — Brandi Glanville

34. “Expectations make people miserable, so whatever yours are, lower them. You’ll definitely be happier.” — Simone Elkeles

35. “Some people are so addicted to their misery that they will destroy anything that gets in the way of their fix.” ― Bryant McGill

36. “Miserable people focus on what they hate about their life. Happy people focus on what they love about their life.” — Zig Ziglar

37. “Oftentimes, when people are miserable, they will want to make other people miserable, too. But it never helps.” — Lemony Snicket

38. “The happiest people are those who do the most for others. The most miserable are those who do the least.” — Booker T. Washington

39. “People label themselves with all sorts of adjectives. I can only pronounce myself as ‘nauseatingly miserable beyond repair.’” ― Franz Kafka

40. “There is so many different definitions of ‘they.’ You might have a personal ‘they.’ They against you; they want you broken and miserable.” — DJ Khaled

Miserable people quotes to inspire and teach

Here we have a thought-provoking list of miserable people quotes.

41. “Which do you prefer: miserable people or happy people?” — Anonymous

42. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.” — Mark Twain

43. “Miserable people breed miserable conditions, not miserable people.” — Anonymous

44. “Show me a miserable person, and I will show you an uninspired person.” — Anonymous

45. “No one is so miserable as the poor person who maintains the appearance of wealth.” — Charles Spurgeon

46. “Some people are so addicted to their misery that they will destroy anything that gets in the way of their fix.” — Bryant McGill

47. “Miserable people focus on the things they hate about their life. Happy people focus on the things they love about their life.” — Sonya Parker

48. “Some of the most miserable people I know are some of the richest people in America; they are the most miserable individuals I’ve ever seen.” — Chuck Norris

49. “Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others.” — Gordon B. Hinckley

50. “People talk about the courage of condemned men walking to the place of execution: sometimes it needs as much courage to walk with any kind of bearing towards another person’s habitual misery.” — Graham Green

Does misery love company?

Well, that depends on the situation.

Depression can be a result of being miserable.

Many people who are depressed stay to themselves and avoid social time with others.

However, the idea that misery loves company reminds us that miserable people sometimes socialize for the sake of sharing negativity or complaining with others.

Sad situations may befall us, but it is our choice to become miserable and remain that way.

Sometimes we have to be mindful about spending time with miserable people.

Neighbors, colleagues, family members, and even friends can become miserable.

American author Carolyn Hax encourages us to remove miserable people from our lives.

She points out the health benefits and notes, “Minimizing exposure to miserable people is nothing short of a life strategy.”