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We’re all guilty of coming across ungrateful from time to time. Although done unintentionally, getting caught up in our own bubble of emotion can sometimes make it difficult to appreciate the bigger picture.
But with some people, this is a daily occurrence, often fueled with bitterness, jealousy, and frustration. And the constant ‘Why me?’ whines are both tiring and tedious, making that person difficult to be around.
Whether it’s a work colleague, a friend, or a family member, the persistently ungrateful outbursts can impact heavily on our own lives. And so, it’s important to recognize when to step away from the negativity for your own wellbeing.
These ungrateful quotes will help to understand the emotional demands you face and, more importantly, decide when enough is enough.
How Should We Deal With Ungrateful People?
Most of us will try to reach out and help others, especially when that’s a close friend or relative. We’ll dedicate time and energy to support that person’s needs, work through the upset and resolve what issues we can.
But there are times, or rather people, who, no matter how much you help will never be thankful. Because that’s just how they are.
They never wake up glad of the new day instead of complaining about the rain. They never appreciate the person who let them jump the queue instead of grumbling about the lack of available checkouts.
And they never see just how much you give up to be there for them.
How often do you change your plans, or write off your own needs to help? And for what gratitude? Whilst you don’t do it for thanks, the “Woe is me” outbursts certainly leave behind a sour taste of unappreciation.
And that’s the time to say “No more”. If they’re always taking and never giving, are always demanding and never supporting, you have every right to walk away, no matter who that person is.
So here are 91 ungrateful quotes for dealing with people who aren’t thankful. It’s important to remember that you are not responsible for their happiness. And that it’s OK to leave the pity party, even if they aren’t ready to.
91 Ungrateful Quotes for Dealing with People Who Aren't Thankful
- “People don’t notice the things we do for them until we stop doing them.” – Mike Skinner
- “Flints may be melted— we see it daily— but an ungrateful heart cannot be; not by the strongest and noblest flame.” – South
- “To be happy is easy enough if we give ourselves, forgive others, and live with thanksgiving, No self centered person, no ungrateful soul can ever be happy, much less make anyone else happy. Life is giving, not getting.” – Joseph Fort Newton
- “Hell is full of the ungrateful.” – Spanish Proverb
- “I bring too much to the table to be treated like a napkin”. – Unknown
- “The person you are making sacrifices for will turn around and tell you they didn't ask you to, and they will be right.” – Unknown
- “He is ungrateful who denies that he has received a kindness which has been bestowed upon him; he is ungrateful who conceals it; he is ungrateful who makes no return for it; most ungrateful of all is he who forgets it.” – Seneca the Younger
- “You need to stop doing things for someone when you find out it's expected rather than appreciated.” – Unknown
- “My attitude is a result of your actions! So if you don't like my attitude blame yourself!” – Unknown
- “You'll never see a happy ungrateful person.” – Zig Ziglar
- “We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.” – Mother Teresa
- “Why are you doing the most for people who are doing the least for you?” – Unknown
- “Never put your time into the hands of the ungrateful.” – Scottie Waves
- “He that's ungrateful has no guilt but one; All other crimes may pass for virtues in him.” – Edward Young
- “At some point you will realize that you have done too much for someone, that the only next possible step to do is to stop. Leave them alone. Walk away. It's not like you're giving up, and it's not like you shouldn't try. It's just that you have to draw the line of determination from desperation. What is truly yours will eventually be yours, and what is not, no matter how hard you try, will never be.” – Unknown
- “The saddest of all hearts is one without gratitude.” – Tom Krause
- “Stop being ungrateful. No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you're missing. try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.” – Unknown
Stop being ungrateful. No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you're missing. try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.” – Unknown
- “Keep calm and ignore ungrateful people.” – Read Beach
- “There are many things in life to be thankful for, so don't let one ungrateful individual ruin your entire day.” – Unknown
- “People don’t remember the million times you’ve helped them, only the one time you don’t.” – Unknown
- “People try to make you look bad and act like you did nothing for them when in reality, you did everything for them.” – Unknown
- “Learn to give your absence to those who don’t appreciate your presence.” – Unknown
- “No matter how often you've been kind to the ungrateful, as soon as you say “no” to them, all they remember is your refusal.” – Abdulbary Yahya
- “People are so ungrateful. No one thanks me for having the patience not to kill them.” – Unknown
- “One ungrateful man injures all who need assistance.” – Publilius Syrus
- “There are so many blessings, so many things to be thankful for. Don’t let one ungrateful individual ruin your day!” – Unknown
- “A complaining tongue reveals an ungrateful heart.” – William Arthur Ward
- “What you do for an ungrateful man is thrown away.” – Seneca The Younger
- “Perform our duty by giving, even if only a few are grateful for it.” – Unknown
- “Never take anything for granted.” – Benjamin Disraeli
- “The wicked are always ungrateful.” – Miguel de Cervantes
- “An ungrateful man resembles a hog under a tree eating acorns but never looking up to see where they come from.” – Timothy Dexter
- “People will always notice the change in your attitude towards them. But they will never notice it's their behavior which made you change.” – Not Salmon
- “Does not the gratitude of the dog put to shame any man who is ungrateful to his benefactors?” – Saint Basil
- “An ungrateful man is a tub full of holes.” ― Latin Proverb
- “You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm.” – Unknown
- “To do good to the ungrateful is to throw rose-water into the sea.” – Latin Proverb
- “A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment.” – David A. Bednar
- “Never help an ungrateful person get on the feet. It’s like telling a wolf that you’re a sheep.” – Unknown
- “A complaining tongue reveals an ungrateful heart.” – William Arthur Ward
A complaining tongue reveals an ungrateful heart.” – William Arthur Ward
- “There comes a time when you need to stop crossing oceans for people who wouldn't even cross puddles for you.” – Unknown
- “If you’ve got a billion dollars and you’re ungrateful, you’re a poor man. If you have very little but you’re grateful for what you have, you’re truly rich.” – Tony Robbins
- “Ungrateful people can push you to your limits/ But when you react, you are the mean one!” – Unknown
- “Do not be angry with an ungrateful person; probably they are confused or inexperienced.” – Chico Xavier
- “Every greed is the root of ungratefulness.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
- “Ungrateful people breed negativity. No one gets any pleasure from giving to an ungrateful person. When you show appreciation, the object of your attention blossoms and flourishes.” – Paul McCabe
- “It's better to be alone than be with someone who never sees your worth.” – Nishan Panwar
- “Protect your peace. Remove yourself from the space of ungrateful people. Sometimes people don’t learn to respect you until you’re no longer around for them to disrespect you.” – Tony A. Gaskins, Jr.
- “For better ….or worse, but not for granted.” – Unknown
- “I hate ungrateful people. You can try your best to make someone happy and it still ain’t enough.” – Unknown
- “You can lie flat for people to walk on you, but they will still complain that the back is not flat enough.” – Unknown
- “You can be anything you want in this world, just don’t be ungrateful.” – Unknown
- “A man may be ungrateful, but the human race is not so.” – John Milton
- “The worst person to be around is someone who complains about everything and appreciates nothing.” – Unknown
- “Unhappiness is a contagious disease caused by a chronic deficiency of gratitude.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
- “When someone starts expecting you to be there for them, instead of appreciating you for being there with them, it’s time for a change.” – Kush And Wizdom
- “I have too many flaws to be perfect. But I have too many blessings to be ungrateful.” – Zig Ziglar
- “Protect your peace. Remove yourself from the space of ungrateful people. Sometimes people don’t learn to respect you until you’re no longer around for them to disrespect you.” – Tony A. Gaskins, Jr.
- “Have you ever gone out of your way to help someone and then find out how ungrateful they really are.” – Unknown
- “Ungrateful people forget what they are not grateful for.” – Unknown
- “People can only take advantage of you when you let them.” – Unknown
- “There is no vice greater than that of ingratitude.” – Unknown
- “If you help the same person too many times. They’ll start believing that you are obliged to help them and become ungrateful.” – Unknown
- “In every class of society gratitude is the rarest of all human virtues.” – Wilkie Collins
- “You will end up really disappointed if you think people will do for you as you do for them. Not everyone has the same heart as you.” – Unknown
You will end up really disappointed if you think people will do for you as you do for them. Not everyone has the same heart as you.” – Unknown
- “I'm sorry I forgot that you are a spoilt brat and expect everyone to constantly kiss your behind.” – Unknown
- “People are so ungrateful and inconsiderate. It just irritates me cause I don’t mind doing favors but I hate being taken for granted.” – Unknown
- “Ungratefulness is worse than a cancer; it eats away at your soul; blinding your heart and eyes to the beauty and miracles that are all around us each day in our lives.” – Geraldine Vermaak
- “Happiness will never come to those who don't appreciate what they already have.” – Unknown
- “Not everyone will appreciate what you do for them. You have to figure out who’s worth your kindness and who’s just taking advantage.” – Unknown
- “When you have expectations of people, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.” – Ryan Reynolds
- “Don’t hang out with people who are: Ungrateful, Unhelpful, Unruly, Unkindly, Unloving, Unambitious, Unmotivated, or make you feel… Uncomfortable.” – Germany Kent
- “No one sees how much you do for then, they only see what you don’t do.” – Unknown
- “Unhappiness is a contagious disease caused by a chronic deficiency of gratitude.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
- “Every greed is the root of ungratefulness.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
- “Ungrateful people breed negativity. No one gets any pleasure from giving to an ungrateful person. When you show appreciation, the object of your attention blossoms and flourishes.” – Paul McCabe
- “It's better to be alone than be with someone who never sees your worth.” – Nishan Panwar
- “People will always notice the change in your attitude towards them. But they will never notice it's their behavior which made you change.” – Not Salmon
- “For better ….or worse, but not for granted.” – Unknown
- “You will end up really disappointed if you think people will do for you as you do for them. Not everyone has the same heart as you.” – Unknown
- “I'm sorry I forgot that you are a spoilt brat and expect everyone to constantly kiss your behind.” – Unknown
- “If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more.” – Unknown
- “People are so ungrateful and inconsiderate. It just irritates me cause I don’t mind doing favors but I hate being taken for granted.” – Unknown
- “Ungratefulness is worse than a cancer; it eats away at your soul; blinding your heart and eyes to the beauty and miracles that are all around us each day in our lives.” – Geraldine Vermaak
- “Happiness will never come to those who don't appreciate what they already have.” – Unknown
- “If you cannot be grateful for what you have received, then be thankful for what you have been spared.” – Unknown
If you cannot be grateful for what you have received, then be thankful for what you have been spared.” – Unknown
- “Not everyone will appreciate what you do for them. You have to figure out who’s worth your kindness and who’s just taking advantage.” – Unknown
- “When you have expectations of people, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.” – Ryan Reynolds
- “Don’t hang out with people who are: Ungrateful, Unhelpful, Unruly, Unkindly, Unloving, Unambitious, Unmotivated, or make you feel… Uncomfortable.” – Germany Kent
- “No one sees how much you do for then, they only see what you don’t do.” – Unknown
- “There is no greater difference between men than between grateful and ungrateful people.” – R.H. Blyth
Final Thoughts on Ungrateful People
It’s important to distinguish the difference between a momentary lapse in gratitude and a generally ungrateful outlook in the people we spend time with.
Because whilst the odd grumble now and then is part of life, allowing others to drain your energy with their constant thankless flare-ups goes beyond what’s acceptable.
Know your own self-worth, and if in doubt, try these Quotes to Increase Self-Value. And let’s all be thankful for the good things, the good times, and the good people in our lives.
And if you want more quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 73 Haters Quotes for Dealing with Negative People
- 101 Toxic People Quotes to Stay Away from Negativity
- 63 Comfort Zone Quotes to Push Your Personal Boundaries
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.
Rebel Jones has been writing from a young age. She first used poetry to organise words – the rhythm and flow brought peace to her chaos. But as she developed (both as a person and as a writer), she embraced her offbeat thought process and found her own style and tone. Writing is definitely her happy place and one that she’s happy to share with the world.
