50 People Pleaser Quotes About What It Can Cost You and How to Stop

By Stephanie Kirby

Writer, Entrepreneur and Inspirational quote curator

Published July 16, 2023

If you have a problem with trying to please everyone around you without considering your feelings, these people pleaser quotes are perfect for you.

People pleasers feel a strong urge or need to please others, even if it comes at their own expense.

This type of behavior is unhealthy, especially when extreme.

Here are some reasons why:

You neglect yourself – In life, it is essential to know who you are and what you stand for, but if you are more worried about pleasing others, you will never know who you are.
Stress – Over time, this type of behavior creates tension as you will never be able to get everything done that you think “others” want from you.
Despise People – Eventually, you will feel the weight of trying to please everyone else and no longer want to be around people for fear of letting them down.

Take a look at these people pleaser quotes to learn more about this behavior.

The Best People Pleaser Quotes

Here are some of the best people-pleaser quotes.

1. “I’m a total people pleaser.” — Zoe Sugg

2. “I’m a pleaser. That’s my character.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

3. “I’m a people pleaser. I hold a lot of things in.” — Beyonce

4. “You don’t have to be a people-pleaser, just a people-lover.” — Beth Moore

5. “I used to be a people pleaser, always have a smile on my face.” — Tripti Dimri

Related: Short Inspirational Quotes

6. “It is our duty to be faithful, not with eye service as men-pleasers.” — Jupiter Hammon

7. “I can’t bear not to be liked, and I’ve always been a people pleaser.” — Neil Morrissey

8. “Do yourself a favor; don’t wear yourself out trying to please everybody.” — Joel Osteen

9. “You must stop being a pleaser and reclaim your identity as a free self.” — Henri Nouwen

10. “I’m definitely a people pleaser. I like people to be happy around me and be comfortable.” — Ken Jeong

Relatable People Pleaser Quotes

People-pleasers will likely relate to these people-pleaser quotes.

11. “I wanted everyone to like me. I didn’t really have a voice.” — Tracey Gold

12. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, I really am a people pleaser.” — Rachael Harris

13. “In my own life, I think I’ve always been a bit of a people pleaser.” — Heidi Gardner

14. “I’m generally a people-pleaser, so I get high anxiety from any sort of confrontation.” — Rose Byrne

15. “I can be such a people pleaser, and so worried about what people are thinking or feeling insecure.” — Ari Graynor

16. “For as long as you can remember, you have been a pleaser, depending on others to give you an identity.” — Henri Nouwen

17. “I know that there’s people that have expectations of me, and I’m a people pleaser, so I want them to be happy.” — Yvette Nicole Brown

18. “I want to do good, and I want people to be happy, and sometimes when you’re a people pleaser, you spread yourself too thin.” — Tika Sumpter

19. “I really grew up more of a people pleaser, and I just wanted to make people happy, and maybe didn’t always say exactly how I was feeling.” — Rachele Brooke Smith

20. “I think inherently, a little bit, I’m a bit of a pleaser, and I want people to like me and be nice, and to not ruffle feathers and just make everybody happy and stuff.” — Paolo Bacigalupi

Encouraging People Pleaser Quotes

This list of people-pleaser quotes could serve as an encouragement to people-pleasers.

21. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

22. “Don’t go into the business of pleasing people. You can’t please everybody.” — Bangambiki Habyarimana

23. “I can’t tell you the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” — Ed Sheeran

24. “You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

25. “You will never gain anyone’s approval by begging for it. When you stand confident in your own worth, respect follows.” — Mandy Hale

26. “Be wary of the praise of men; don’t let it pump you up unnecessarily, and don’t let it paralyze your progress.” — Bernard Kelvin Clive

27. “There’s a fine line between helping others and being a people pleaser, and mistaking one for the other can be hugely detrimental.” — Gabrielle Bernstein

28. “Being a people pleaser isn’t all bad. It shows that you are a caring person who values social connections and enjoys making others happy.” — Samantha Boardman

29. “One day, a long time from now, you’ll cease to care anymore whom you please or what anybody has to say about you. That’s when you’ll finally produce the work you’re capable of.” — J.D. Salinger

30. “You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.” — Abraham Lincoln

People Pleaser Quotes to Reflect On

Reflect on these people-pleaser quotes.

31. “It’s no good being too easily swayed by people’s opinions.” — Donatella Versace

32. “Self-Care is giving the world the best of you, not the rest of you.” — Katie Reed

33. “Care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner.” — Lao Tzu

34. “Stress, anxiety, and depression are caused when we are living to please others.” — Paulo Coelho

35. “Trying to please everybody is impossible – if you did that, you’d end up in the middle with nobody liking you.” — John Lennon

36. “What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think – or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?” — Brené Brown

37. “There are definitely people who disagree with certain creative decisions you make. Pleasing everyone is pretty hard.” — Dwayne Johnson

38. “Many people-pleasers simply fear confrontation. They hate the tension and discomfort and will go to extreme lengths to avoid it.” — Patrick King

39. “There’s something very addictive about people pleasing. It’s a thought pattern and a habit that feels really, really good until it becomes desperate.” — Anne Hathaway

40. “In all relationships, whether personal or business, people-pleasers take the attitude that they have to do everything they can to the nth extreme for them to merely survive.” — Patrick King

More People Pleaser Quotes

Enjoy these people-pleaser quotes.

41. “I’m more of a people pleaser.” — Dana Carvey

42. “I just want to be agreeable; I want to be a pleaser.” — Roy Nelson

43. “I’m very much a people pleaser, and the first book had such a devoted and loving following.” — Celeste Ng

44. “I’m a bit too much of a people pleaser, and that can be frustrating for people in your life.” — Jason Ritter

45. “For 25 years, I did take my responsibilities as a pleaser of others sufficiently seriously.” — Joyce Maynard

46. “I think that I, Jack McBrayer, am somewhat of a people pleaser, and I do enjoy being good at my job.” — Jack McBrayer

47. “I performed for love everywhere. I believed that you needed to earn love by overworking yourself for recognition.” — Elelwani Anita Ravhuhali

48. “I’m a people pleaser, and I want to help everyone who DM’s me, so I make sure to promote organizations that fans can reach out to if they’re struggling.” — Tommy Dorfman

49. “If you can be a good example to other people, why not try to be that person? I have a bit of a people pleaser in me, but not so much so that it’s out of control.” — Laura Osnes

50. “I’m such a pleaser – I want everyone around me to be happy – so it took a while for me to get to a point where I could say ‘no, I need to be happy with everything that I put out.’ I want it to be right.” — MO