--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self pity is easily the most destructive…" description: "\"Self pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim from r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/john-gardner-3092_addiction_self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive_2553502.png" --- # Self pity is easily the most destructive of the… ![“Self pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim from reality.” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/john-gardner-3092_addiction_self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive_2553502.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/john-gardner-3092_addiction_self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive_2553502.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/john-gardner-3092_addiction_self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive_2553502.png) > “Self pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim from reality.” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) This quote is also attributed to [John W Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner-2/) in other sources. Attributions for famous quotes are often disputed. ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑pity acts like a drug, offering temporary relief while disconnecting one from reality. **In simple terms:** Self‑pity is a harmful habit. Key Takeaway Recognize and replace self‑pity. Themes psychology addiction self‑awareness Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily journaling - therapy - mindfulness practice Key Concepts cognitive bias emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your self‑pity? - How can you ground yourself in reality? A Different Perspective Self‑pity may mask deeper issues needing professional help. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Narcotics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narcotics/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-pity/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) ## Related quotes > [Self-pity is easily the most destructive of the nonpharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim from reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner-2/self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive-of-the-nonpharmaceutical/) [John W Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner-2/) > [On one hand we encourage and allow major pharmaceutical companies to openly hook vast sectors of our population on narcotics, and then we cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/on-one-hand-we-encourage-and-allow-major-pharmaceutical-companies-to/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [“I hated her because I wished to think she didn’t love me: I wanted to get her out of my system. What grievance, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-hated-her-because-i-wished-to-think-she-didn-t-love-me-i-wanted-to/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Don't sacrifice your future for a momentary pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-sacrifice-your-future-for-a-momentary-pleasure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The correct way to punctuate a sentence that states: "Of course it is none of my business, but -- " is to place a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-correct-way-to-punctuate-a-sentence-that-states-of-course-it-is/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [The best relationships are between two people who care more about each other's good than their own momentary pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-relationships-are-between-two-people-who-care-more-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The trick to happiness wasn’t in freezing every momentary pleasure and clinging to each one, but in ensuring one’s life would produce many future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-trick-to-happiness-wasn-t-in-freezing-every-momentary-pleasure/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [It is something great and greatening to cherish an ideal; to act in the light of truth that is far-away and far above; to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-something-great-and-greatening-to-cherish-an-ideal-to-act-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Actually, the substitution of the reality-principle for the pleasure-principle denotes no dethronement of the pleasure-principle, but only a safeguarding of it. A momentary pleasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/actually-the-substitution-of-the-reality-principle-for-the-pleasure/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-j-anslinger/there-are-100-000-total-marijuana-smokers-in-the-us-and-most-are/) [Harry J. Anslinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-j-anslinger/) > [I feel that any form of so called psychotherapy is strongly contraindicated for addicts. The question Why did you start using narcotics in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-feel-that-any-form-of-so-called-psychotherapy-is-strongly/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > ["Drugs" are not necessarily narcotics. The narcotic is one type of drug and coffee is a drug... booze is a drug... many drugs… They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/drugs-are-not-necessarily-narcotics-the-narcotic-is-one-type-of-drug/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [With intellectuals, moral thought is often less a tonic that quickens ethical action than a narcotic that deadens it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/with-intellectuals-moral-thought-is-often-less-a-tonic-that-quickens/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [But for the unquiet heart and brain A use in measured language lies; The sad mechanic exercise Like dull narcotics numbing pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/but-for-the-unquiet-heart-and-brain-a-use-in-measured-language-lies/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Believer's should never deal with doubts and fears because they are the devil's narcotics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-hagin/believer-s-should-never-deal-with-doubts-and-fears-because-they-are/) [Kenneth E. Hagin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-hagin/) ## More by John Gardner > [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthinking-love-as-calm-and-deep-as/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“They only think they think. No total vision, total system, merely schemes with a vague family resemblance, no more identity than bridges and, say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/they-only-think-they-think-no-total-vision-total-system-merely/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Except in stock locutions, such as "You were paid yesterday," "The Germans were defeated," or "The project was abandoned," the passive voice is virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/except-in-stock-locutions-such-as-you-were-paid-yesterday-the-germans/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Good writers may “tell” about almost anything in fiction except the characters’ feelings. One may tell the reader that the character went to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/good-writers-may-tell-about-almost-anything-in-fiction-except-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“the chief offense in bad fiction: we sense that characters are being manipulated, forced to do things they would not really do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-chief-offense-in-bad-fiction-we-sense-that-characters-are-being/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“There seems little or no hope for the adult writer who produces sentences like these: "Her cheeks were thick and smooth and held a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/there-seems-little-or-no-hope-for-the-adult-writer-who-produces/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In any long fiction, Henry James remarked, use of the first-person point of view is barbaric. James may go too far, but his point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-any-long-fiction-henry-james-remarked-use-of-the-first-person/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Nothing can be more limiting to the imagination than only writing about what you know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/nothing-can-be-more-limiting-to-the-imagination-than-only-writing/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [A nation that values bad philosophy above good plumbing will have neither good philosophy nor good plumbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-nation-that-values-bad-philosophy-above-good-plumbing-will-have/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-citizen-can-bring-our-political-and-governmental-institutions/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Talking, talking. Spinning a web of words, pale walls of dreams, between myself and all I see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-a-web-of-words-pale-walls-of-dreams-between/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In writing short stories—as in writing novels—take one thing at a time. (For some writers, this advice I'm giving may apply best to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-writing-short-stories-as-in-writing-novels-take-one-thing-at-a/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [All order, I've come to understand, is theoretical, unreal, a harmless, sensible, smiling mask men slide between the two great, dark realities, the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-order-i-ve-come-to-understand-is-theoretical-unreal-a-harmless/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) [Explore all 138 John Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## More Addiction quotes > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. Like being able to run for this or run for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-had-an-addiction-to-artificial-points-of-success-like-being-able-to/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“Oil. The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Self pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim from reality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Gardner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive-of-the-non-pharmaceutical/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive-of-the-non-pharmaceutical/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/john-gardner-3092_addiction_self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive_2553502.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/john-gardner-3092_addiction_self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive_2553502.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/john-gardner-3092_addiction_self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive_2553502.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Self pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives…” — John Gardner", "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": "John Gardner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Self pity is easily the most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive-of-the-non-pharmaceutical/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/self-pity-is-easily-the-most-destructive-of-the-non-pharmaceutical/#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 } } ] } ```