---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What my research told me is that a…"
description: "\"What my research told me is that a psychopath cannot change. You're born like that.\" — Jeff Lindsay"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/jeff-lindsay-1259_born_what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psych_671660.png"
---

#  What my research told me is that a psychopath cannot…

![“What my research told me is that a psychopath cannot change. You're born like that.” quote by Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/jeff-lindsay-1259_born_what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psych_671660.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/jeff-lindsay-1259_born_what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psych_671660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/jeff-lindsay-1259_born_what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psych_671660.png)

> “What my research told me is that a psychopath cannot change. You're born like that.”

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Psychopathy is presented as an immutable trait, implying individuals are born with unchangeable tendencies.

**In simple terms:** Psychopaths cannot change.

Key Takeaway

Accept limits of personality change.

Themes

psychology determinism human nature

Mood

somber reflective

Type

analytical critical

When to use this quote

- clinical assessment
- legal responsibility
- mental health treatment

Key Concepts

nature vs nurture personality disorder

Questions to Reflect On

- Can environment influence psychopathic behavior?
- Is change ever possible for such traits?

A Different Perspective

Assumes no possibility of rehabilitation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Cannot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannot/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-born-746066/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Psychopath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopath/) [Psychopath Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopath-change-5330543/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-told-5330545/) [Told Psychopath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-psychopath-5330544/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/)

## Related quotes

> [“Sometimes positive change is born out of negativity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mary/sometimes-positive-change-is-born-out-of-negativity/)

[Megan Mary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mary/)

> [We emphasize that we believe in change because we were born of it, we have lived by it, we prospered and grew great by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-t-rowan/we-emphasize-that-we-believe-in-change-because-we-were-born-of-it-we/)

[Carl T. Rowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-t-rowan/)

> [“I think that the best kind of change, is the change that comes from the inside and begins it's way out until it emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-think-that-the-best-kind-of-change-is-the-change-that-comes-from/)

[C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/)

> [Most of us are about as eager to change as we were to be born, and go through our changes in a similar state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-of-us-are-about-as-eager-to-change-as-we-were-to-be-born-and-go/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I Dont Care What People Think About Me..I AM WHAT I AM.. I Never Change Myself For Others...I Am Not Born For People To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu/i-dont-care-what-people-think-about-me-i-am-what-i-am-i-never-change/)

[Ritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu/)

> [You see, I know change I see change I embody change All we do is change Yeah, I know change We are born to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-jones/you-see-i-know-change-i-see-change-i-embody-change-all-we-do-is/)

[Vinnie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-jones/)

> [Sociopaths don't have feelings; they can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/sociopaths-don-t-have-feelings-they-can-t/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“Let’s take a quick look at what a psychopath is. Although the American Psychiatric Association (APA) no longer uses this term, much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kirkconnell/let-s-take-a-quick-look-at-what-a-psychopath-is-although-the-american/)

[Robert Kirkconnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kirkconnell/)

> [“I'm not a psychopath, I'm a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/i-m-not-a-psychopath-i-m-a-high-functioning-sociopath-do-your-research/)

[Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/)

> [It is not difficult to destroy Islam. Islam is the pumped up ego of a megalomaniac psychopath. Muhammad was a narcissist madman. Just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/it-is-not-difficult-to-destroy-islam-islam-is-the-pumped-up-ego-of-a/)

[Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/)

> [“We’re used to the film versions of psychopaths. The clearly crazies. But most psychopaths are clever. They have to be. They know how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/we-re-used-to-the-film-versions-of-psychopaths-the-clearly-crazies/)

[Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/)

> [McCain might have suffered hardships in his life, but what had happened to him had nothing to do with his background or his color;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/mccain-might-have-suffered-hardships-in-his-life-but-what-had/)

[Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/)

> [“Nothing shows lack of conscience better than bold-faced lying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-shows-lack-of-conscience-better-than-bold-faced-lying/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I would hesitate to tell people to stop being kind or sympathetic to sociopath. But just like loyalty, some things that can be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/i-would-hesitate-to-tell-people-to-stop-being-kind-or-sympathetic-to/)

[Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/)

> [Trying to prove you’re not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you’re not mentally ill,’ said Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/trying-to-prove-you-re-not-a-psychopath-is-even-harder-than-trying-to/)

[Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/)

## More by Jeff Lindsay

> [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“Rather than see me or have me touch it again, it died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/rather-than-see-me-or-have-me-touch-it-again-it-died/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“We don't get to pick our kin. The best we can hope for is to survive them...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/we-don-t-get-to-pick-our-kin-the-best-we-can-hope-for-is-to-survive/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [I was never more alive than when the Dark Passenger was driving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-was-never-more-alive-than-when-the-dark-passenger-was-driving/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [I had killed our careful relationship by driving my tongue through its heart and pushing it off a cliff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-had-killed-our-careful-relationship-by-driving-my-tongue-through/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [I had become a perfect fake human, saying the stupid and pointless things that humans say to each other all day long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-had-become-a-perfect-fake-human-saying-the-stupid-and-pointless/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“Deborah led me away from it and over to the far end of the room. “Dexter,” she said, “promise me you didn’t kill this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/deborah-led-me-away-from-it-and-over-to-the-far-end-of-the-room/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [Detective, I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“I came, I saw, I blew chunks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-came-i-saw-i-blew-chunks/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [And what did you do last night, Dexter? Oh, I played with my dolls while a friend chopped up my sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/and-what-did-you-do-last-night-dexter-oh-i-played-with-my-dolls-while/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [In that tremendous flash of freedom, on my way to do The Thing for the first time, sanctioned by Almighty Harry, I receded, faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/in-that-tremendous-flash-of-freedom-on-my-way-to-do-the-thing-for-the/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“It would be much too difficult for anyone to get in and out of this area, especially if they were carrying questionable loads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-would-be-much-too-difficult-for-anyone-to-get-in-and-out-of-this/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“I spent the rest of the workday on routine paperwork, snarling at misplaced files and seething at the stupidity of everyone else's report writing--when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-spent-the-rest-of-the-workday-on-routine-paperwork-snarling-at/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [After a long moment I closed the freezer door. I wanted to lie down and press my cheek against the cool linoleum. Instead I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/after-a-long-moment-i-closed-the-freezer-door-i-wanted-to-lie-down/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [I mean, really: what kind of person could possibly dislike me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-mean-really-what-kind-of-person-could-possibly-dislike-me/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

[Explore all 258 Jeff Lindsay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

## More Born quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

[Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What my research told me is that a psychopath cannot change. You're born like that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeff Lindsay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psychopath-cannot-change-you-re/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Born"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psychopath-cannot-change-you-re/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/jeff-lindsay-1259_born_what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psych_671660.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/jeff-lindsay-1259_born_what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psych_671660.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/jeff-lindsay-1259_born_what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psych_671660.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What my research told me is that a psychopath cannot change. You're born like that.” — Jeff Lindsay",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jeff Lindsay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What my research told me is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psychopath-cannot-change-you-re/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/what-my-research-told-me-is-that-a-psychopath-cannot-change-you-re/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
