119 Obsession Quotes For When Passion Crosses the Line

These obsession quotes illustrate what obsession is and what people think it means.

A study by the University of Michigan found that 44% of individuals in romantic relationships have experienced obsession with their partner, which can lead to anxiety and depression.

It is important to recognize the potential adverse effects of obsession on mental health and take proactive steps to manage these feelings.

Obsessions come in many forms; from things we are obsessed with to people that we believe we love.

However, obsession and love are not the same, despite all the obsession quotes about love.

Love is something that we feel uncontrollably for another person, putting their needs above our own.

Obsession is when a person feels a need to possess or protect someone else.

The difference is that they are so focused on this need of theirs that they do not recognize the wants of the other person involved.

The obsessed person often cannot accept a rejection of any kind.

So, what does obsession look like?

Well, the obsessed person’s feelings for the object of their affection are extremely good or extremely bad.

There is no balance.

They might also only focus on the positive or negative aspects of the other person, not seeing them as a real person with both good qualities and flaws.

Keep reading through these obsession quotes for more about how obsession leads to success.

Don’t forget to also check out these Contentment quotes for long-term well-being.

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.

Short Obsession quotes

According to research from the University of Illinois, obsessive tendencies are associated with an increased risk of developing the obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues.

Individuals who experience persistent obsessive thoughts or behaviors should seek professional help to address these symptoms.

1. “Without obsession, life is nothing.” — John Waters

2. “Determination becomes obsession and then it becomes all that matters.” — Jeremy Irvine

3. “To do anything to a high level, it has to be total obsession.” — Conor McGregor

4. “Be obsessed or be average.” — Grant Cardone

5. “If you are not obsessed with your life, change it.” — Elite Daily

6. “Real obsession needs an unconscious motivation behind it.” — Damon Galgut

7. “Follow your most intense obsession mercilessly.” — Frank Kafka

You will also enjoy our article on passion quotes.

8. “You’ve got to get obsessed and stay obsessed.” — John Irving

9. “Aptitude plus obsession equals greatness.” — Josh Bezoni

10. “To succeed, work hard, never give up and above all cherish a magnificent obsession.” — Walt Disney

Obsession quotes about what obsession “is”

A study by the University of Toronto revealed that individuals with obsessive personalities are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as gambling and substance abuse.

Recognizing and addressing these tendencies can help individuals avoid negative consequences and maintain healthy relationships.

11. “An obsession with untold stories is a source of energy.” — Greil Marcus

12. “Obsession is the rocket fuel of our creativity.” — Jordan Ritter

13. “Obsession is a young man’s game, and my only excuse is that I never grew old.” — Michael Caine

14. “An obsession is where something will not leave your mind.” — Eric Clapton

15. “Obsession is beautiful. It’s what makes art.” — Joss Whedon

16. “Obsession is the wellspring of genius and madness.” — Michel de Montaigne

17. “Obsession is an attractive thing. People who are really, really interested and good at one thing and smart are attractive if they’re men.” — Meryl Streep

18. “Obsession is the single most wasteful human activity because with an obsession you keep coming back and back and back to the same question and never get an answer.” — Norman Mailer

19. “Obsession is a synonym for magic. Magic is a synonym for genius. It’s a knack. It’s an aptitude.” — Chris Eubank Sr.

20. “Obsession is just another round on the merry-go-round of unfinished business.” — Dale Andrews

Obsession quotes about the pros and cons

21. “The more you’re obsessed by something the better chance you have of achieving it.” — Frank Zane

22. “Good requires motivation, great requires obsession.” — M. Cobanli

23. “Until your mission is an obsession, nothing will change.” — Robin Sharma

24. “Obsession makes everything possible.” — Novala Takemoto

25. “An obsession is intrusive because it does not require a permit to walk into the brain.” — Jose A. Yaryura-Tobias

26. “Obsession is a commitment; you have to believe in it because it soon takes you over.” — Lennard J. Davis

27. “Our thoughts shape us. We become our obsessions.” — Kilroy J. Oldster

28. “An obsession is a way for damaged people to damage themselves more.” — Mark Barrowcliffe

29. “If you don’t have the mental capacity to be that obsessed about what you’re trying to get. Then you ain’t never gonna have it.” — C.T. Fletcher

30. “Passion or obsession is the modality of differentiation which conditions the possibility of a cognitive or intentional relation.” — Joseph Libertson

If you enjoy this article, check out our collection of desperate quotes for assessing desperation.

Funny obsession quotes

31. “I wish I knew how to quit you.” ― Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain

32. “Cure for an obsession: get another one.” — Mason Cooley

33. “Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” — Anonymous

34. “My therapist says I have an obsession with revenge. We’ll see about that.” — Unknown

35. “Obsession is a pair of blinders, and Beaumont wore his tightly.” — Mary Roach

36. “The train of thought of an obsessed person always runs on a single track.” — Evan Esar

37. “Probably I chose immortality because mortality is a universal human obsession.” — Joan D Vinge

38. “Don’t start a company unless it’s an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession.” — Mark Cuban

Obsession quotes about love for him and her

39. “Imagine If we obsessed about the things we loved about ourselves.” — Unknown

40. “Love me or hate me, it’s still an obsession.” — Lady Sovereign

41. “Love is a little bit more than desire, and a little bit less than obsession…” — Milana May

42. “When love crosses limits, it becomes devotion and when devotion goes astray it becomes an obsession.” — Unknown

43. “When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love.” — J. K. Rowling

44. “Romantic obsession is like a cataclysm breaking up the empty landscape. Like a strange exotic plant, it grows in arid soil.” — Rosemary Sullivan

45. “Love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live without. I say fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back.” — Unknown

46. “Love is an obsession. It has that quality to it. But there are healthy obsessions, and mine is one of them.” — Pamela Stephenson

47. “Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” ― Elie Wiesel

48. “Love is as much of an object as an obsession, everybody wants it everybody seeks it, but few ever achieve it, those who do, will cherish it, be lost in it, and among all, will never…never forget it.” — Curtis Judalet

49. “The purpose in an obsession is to satisfy the self, not the object or person desired. The object of the obsession is relatively unimportant or is important only in relation to the one who is obsessed. Obsession is possessiveness—that is selfishness—taken to the extreme.” — Richard E. Mezo

50. “I love you so much that nothing can matter to me—not even you… Only my love—not your answer. Not even your indifference.” ― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

Passion Obsession Quotes

51. “I probably do have an obsessive personality, but striving for perfection has served me well.” — Tom Ford

52. “I desire very little, but the things I do consume me.” — Beau Taplin

53. “Your job is to get your audience to care about your obsessions.” — Martin Scorsese

54.”My favorite water cooler topic is fantasy football. I used to make fun of friends for doing it and now I’m obsessed.” — John Krasinski

55. “As entrepreneurs, we must constantly dream and have the conviction and obsession to transform our dreams into reality – to create a future that never existed before.” — Clara Shih

56. “Your ability to use the principle of autosuggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession” — Napoleon Hill

57. “This is hard work. This is an obsession. We are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that’s that. I am not talented, I am obsessed.” — Conor McGregor

58. “Obsessions are psychological rituals” — Cathal O’brian

59. “We have been a little insane about the truth. We have had an obsession.” — Wallace Stevens

60. “I’m often called obsessive. I don’t think I am … but I agree that when I decide to go in one direction I really go in that direction.” — Nicholson Baker 

Short & Funny Obsession Quotes And Sayings

61. “The form is always the measure of the obsession.” — Alberto Giacometti

62. “I don’t like Paradise, as they probably don’t have obsessions there.” — Alda Merini

63. “Somewhere between obsession and compulsion is impulse.” — Alexander Pushkin

64. “Photography my passion, the search for truth, my obsession.” — Alfred Stieglitz

65. “It’s a silly thing, but I like to understand people through their obsessions.” — Amber Dermont

66. “An artist is nothing without his or her obsessions…” — Andres Serrano

67. “I wanted to make a comment on the obsession with success and failure that we see a lot in America.” — Cameron Crowe

68. “The time has come to challenge our obsession with doing everything more quickly.” — Carl Honore

69. “Obsession with self is the motif of our time.” — Charles Krauthammer

70. “Any obsession is dangerous.” — Christina Ricci

Obsession Quotes To Elevate Your Mindset

71. “These obsessions are really only ways for us to mask what we need to be feeling inside and don’t know how to feel.” — Gary Mendiola

72. “Obsessions are essentially secondary to the depression, and usually clear up when the depression lifts.” — Padmal De Silva

73. “An obsession is an idea which you must get out of your mind if you are not to go out of your mind.” — Evan Esar

74. “A man with an obsession is a man who has very little sales resistance.” — C. S. Lewis

75. “There is a point at which curiosity becomes unbearable, when it becomes an obsession, like hunger.” — Mary Roberts Rinehart

76. “Unattractive people are more obsessed with looks.” — Rae Dawn Chong

77. “Of all human weakness, obsession is the most dangerous. And the silliest.” — Woody Allen

78. “The obsession with instant gratification blinds us from our long-term potential.” — Mike Dooley

79. “I’m really obsessed with the past.” — Fisher Stevens

80. “The ruins of classic movie theaters are a personal obsession of mine, and I’ve made a couple of documentaries about it.” — Sonia Braga

Obsession Quotes To Show Your Passions

81. “You don’t change the world out of obligation, but you will out of glorious obsession.” ― Brian Houston

82. “It creeps up on you and becomes an obsession. It comes out of watching a million movies.” ― Mike Leigh

83. “The mind has a complex life that can seem quite autonomous – dreams, obsessions, unwilled memory are all instances of this.” ― Marilynne Robinson

84. “Our obsession is how we can use technology to reach our big goals, first peace, which will allow us more equality and better education.” ― Juan Manuel Marquez

85. “An obsession with control generally seems to reflect a fear of uncertainty.” ― Henry Mintzberg

86. “The obsession was so real and so prolonged. Sleeping was kind of like taking breaks from continuing the obsession.” ― Jimenez Lai

87. “No-one inspired me growing up more than Thom Yorke. I was eleven when the obsession hit hard and I’m still such a huge fan.” ― Stacey King

88. “Anything that you can do a tiny bit of research about, I’ll turn it into an obsession.” ― Rob Corddry

89. “I don’t know if this is a good thing to say, but the musical obsession has almost shifted to a creative obsession now.” ― Erol Alkan

90. I think I have mental problems, I think I have like weird obsessions with things, really annoying.” ― Kourtney Kardashian

Obsession Quotes When You Constantly Think About Something

91. “I was never really obsessed with the whole guy thing to begin with.” — Beverley Mitchell

92. “It’s extraordinary these obsessions. You conquer one but then you move onto another.” — Marco Pierre White

93. “Objects always meet your obsession. Once you have an obsession, you step on it at every corner.” — Sophie Calle

94. “We want to follow a dream, yes it’s true, but it’s one thing to follow a dream and another to follow an obsession…A dream is more pure than obsession. A dream is about pride.” — Jose Mourinho

95. “Women have this obsession with shoes.” — Alexandra Paul

96. “Efficiency for me is an obsession..It not only helps me get stronger but makes things simpler.” — Georges St-Pierre

97. “I have this obsession with really cool, old books.” — Constance Zimmer

98. “I learn from thinking about the future, what hasn’t been done yet. That’s kind of my constant obsession.” — John Cale

99. “I think it’s obsessions that a lot of people share, but they don’t dare to talk about openly.” — Julie Delpy

100. “Thought changes structure… I saw people rewire their brains with their thoughts, to cure previously incurable obsessions and trauma.” — Norman Doidge

Obsession Quotes on the Dark Side of Passion

101. “Obsession is a state of mind where reason is replaced by emotion.” ― J.K. Rowling

102. “Obsession is a trap that steals away your joy and freedom.” ― Steve Maraboli

103. “Obsession is a never-ending cycle of disappointment.” ― John Green

104. “Obsession is the thief of peace and the enemy of happiness.” ― Shannon L. Alder

105. “Obsession is the devil, it will take you to the dark side.” ― Rachel Scott

106. “Obsession is like a sugar high, it gives you a burst of energy but eventually it leaves you feeling empty.” ― Rachel Wolchin

107. “Obsession is a single thought trapped in time, like a fly in amber.” ― Dan Simmons

108. “Obsession is when you can’t think of anything else but the object of your desire.” ― Sophia Loren

109. “Obsession is a state in which mind is denied the freedom of seeing things objectively.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar

110. “Obsession is the enemy of creativity.” ― Chuck Palahniuk

111. “Addiction is a relationship, a pathological relationship in which… obsession replaces people.” — Patrick Carnes

112. “When you fall in love with golf, you seldom fall easy. Itʹs obsession at first sight.” — Thomas Boswell

113. “I can’t go long without you either, Eva. You’re an addiction…my obsession.” — Sylvia Day

114. “A lot of people are obsessed with looking cool. They feel they have to look after their image.” — Ade Edmondson

115. “People have always been obsessed by celebrities. There are just more outlets and opportunities to make a living exploiting that obsession nowadays.” — Don Cheadle

116. “Fame has become this obsession for people, which kind of creeps me out.” — Zoe Kravitz

117. “To be the object of somebody’s obsession is a really awful feeling when you can’t return it.” — Tippi Hedren

118. “The happiest people I know are those who have an obsession to the obedience of God.” — David Jeremiah

119. “Have I seen The Commitments? I was obsessed with that movie. I just watched it again about two weeks ago.” — Lara Flynn Boyle

Passion versus obsession

There were many inspiring quotes from successful people that seem to suggest obsession itself isn’t a bad thing.

We know it isn’t healthy with love, but can it be a good thing in other areas of our lives?

I like to think that the more acceptable word for being obsessed about your endeavors is passion.

Finding your passion and your purpose is a heavily talked about topic in self-development and motivational circles, for good reason.

The behaviors of people obsessed with success are things we could all practice being better at.

This includes harnessing their focus and energy on what matters to them.

It also means they are in a constant state of thinking and innovating so they can be better.

Another benefit of being obsessed with accomplishing something is that it often makes you a little more courageous.

Sure, there will be setbacks as there are with any path, but people who feel passionate about something will find the strength to keep going or take risks.

Of course, true obsession can bring on things like anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

Is this crossing the line of passion, or is the mark of successful people?

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

Is obsession good or bad?

Let us know in the comment section below.