--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Loyalty to that which does not work, or…" description: "\"“Loyalty to that which does not work, or worse, to a person who is toxic, exploitive or destructive to you, is a form of insanity.”\" — Patrick J. Carnes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/patrick-j-carnes-33171_loyalty_loyalty-to-that-which-does-not-work-or-w_1190856.jpg" --- # Loyalty to that which does not work, or worse, to a person… ![“Loyalty to that which does not work, or worse, to a person who is toxic, exploitive or destructive to you, is a form of insanity.” quote by Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/patrick-j-carnes-33171_loyalty_loyalty-to-that-which-does-not-work-or-w_1190856.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/patrick-j-carnes-33171_loyalty_loyalty-to-that-which-does-not-work-or-w_1190856.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/patrick-j-carnes-33171_loyalty_loyalty-to-that-which-does-not-work-or-w_1190856.jpg) > ““Loyalty to that which does not work, or worse, to a person who is toxic, exploitive or destructive to you, is a form of insanity.”” [Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Loyalty to dysfunctional or harmful relationships is irrational, akin to madness, and should be questioned. **In simple terms:** Staying loyal to toxic people is insane. Key Takeaway Reevaluate loyalty to harmful ties. Themes loyalty toxicity mental health Mood cautionary empathetic Type advice psychological When to use this quote - romantic partnerships - family ties - work environments Key Concepts psychology relationship dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a relationship is destructive? - How can you safely detach from toxic loyalty? A Different Perspective May overlook complexities of emotional bonds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty/) ## Related quotes > [I've turned down so many people that would treat me like a queen and I run back to the person that's the most toxic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-turned-down-so-many-people-that-would-treat-me-like-a-queen-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hell, nowadays blood doesn't always make you family–loyalty does,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmyne/hell-nowadays-blood-doesn-t-always-make-you-family-loyalty-does/) [Jazmyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmyne/) > [“Loyalty does not demand proof of loyalty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valkyrie/loyalty-does-not-demand-proof-of-loyalty/) Valkyrie > [Action without intelligence is a form of insanity, but intelligence without action is the greatest form of stupidity in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/action-without-intelligence-is-a-form-of-insanity-but-intelligence/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) > [Perhaps true faith is a form of insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristine-kathryn-rusch/perhaps-true-faith-is-a-form-of-insanity/) [Kristine Kathryn Rusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristine-kathryn-rusch/) > [Poetry is the purest form of insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusta-jane-evans/poetry-is-the-purest-form-of-insanity/) [Augusta Jane Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusta-jane-evans/) > [If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, then liberalism is a form of insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/if-the-definition-of-insanity-is-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-over/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [Marriage was a form of insanity; love hovering permanently on the edge of aggravation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/marriage-was-a-form-of-insanity-love-hovering-permanently-on-the-edge-2/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [There's no way I can stop writing, it's a form of insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-s-no-way-i-can-stop-writing-it-s-a-form-of-insanity/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“Marriage was a form of insanity; love hovering permanently on the edge of aggravation. 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Nothing can justify it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/war-is-a-ferocious-form-of-insanity-nothing-can-justify-it/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [“Religious fanaticism is the most dangerous form of insanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-graves/religious-fanaticism-is-the-most-dangerous-form-of-insanity/) [Robert Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-graves/) > [Committing to a level you'll never attain may sound ridiculous, and it is. It's a form of insanity -- something also known as life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-parent/committing-to-a-level-you-ll-never-attain-may-sound-ridiculous-and-it/) [Marc Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-parent/) > [“But that's what falling in love was, right? A socially acceptable form of insanity?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-ann-walker/but-that-s-what-falling-in-love-was-right-a-socially-acceptable-form/) [Julie Ann Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-ann-walker/) ## More by Patrick J. Carnes > [“Betrayal, addiction and trauma weave a design of continually recycled wounds that create an overarching pattern of compulsive relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/betrayal-addiction-and-trauma-weave-a-design-of-continually-recycled/) [Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“In part this is an intimacy disorder, for as soon as she starts to recommit to the relationship, he starts distancing himself. The intensity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/in-part-this-is-an-intimacy-disorder-for-as-soon-as-she-starts-to/) [Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“What moves betrayal into the realm of trauma is fear and terror. If the wound is deep enough, and the terror big enough, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/what-moves-betrayal-into-the-realm-of-trauma-is-fear-and-terror-if/) [Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“However, sexual anorexics do have a definite profile that separates them from the larger population of those having difficulty being sexual: They are often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/however-sexual-anorexics-do-have-a-definite-profile-that-separates/) [Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“Seduction is high warmth with low intention”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/seduction-is-high-warmth-with-low-intention/) [Patrick J. 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Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“They are often extremely competent people who are committed to doing things very well and have a fear of making mistakes and being human.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/they-are-often-extremely-competent-people-who-are-committed-to-doing/) [Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“It is also the soothing, medicating and nurturing that are part of betrayal bonding. Both partners are obsessed with whether she is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/it-is-also-the-soothing-medicating-and-nurturing-that-are-part-of/) [Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“We are so used to our own history, we do not see it as remarkable or out of the ordinary, whereas others might see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/we-are-so-used-to-our-own-history-we-do-not-see-it-as-remarkable-or/) [patrick j. carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“In the 1980s, research on post traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans was regarded as important, noble, and useful. When the same researchers looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-carnes/in-the-1980s-research-on-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-in-vietnam/) [Patrick J. Carnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) > [“By the nineteenth century, society had given up burning witches. Yet the sexual exploitation of children continued. 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Carnes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-carnes/) ## More Insanity quotes > [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Insanity is beautiful, I'm absolutely glad to be crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/insanity-is-beautiful-i-m-absolutely-glad-to-be-crazy/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Yeah, and there’s this constant refrain from privileged people; it’s like they’re all racing to prove how miserable they used to be. Every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-archura/yeah-and-there-s-this-constant-refrain-from-privileged-people-it-s/) K. Archura > [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [What is commonly honored with the name of Friendship is no very profound or powerful instinct. 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I still remember the midwife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcaleer/i-was-born-in-tyrone-1956-for-something-i-didn-t-do-i-was-innocent/) Kevin McAleer > [“There is nothing that is more certain sign of insanity than to do the same thing over and over and expect the results to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-is-nothing-that-is-more-certain-sign-of-insanity-than-to-do-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“To stand at the very moment when all seems lost is the point of insanity for the coward, but it is the home of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-stand-at-the-very-moment-when-all-seems-lost-is-the-point-of/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“Falling in love is kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/falling-in-love-is-kind-of-like-a-form-of-socially-acceptable-insanity/) [Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/) > [“insanity is the inability to communicate your ideas. It’s as if you were in a foreign country, able to see and understand everything that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/insanity-is-the-inability-to-communicate-your-ideas-it-s-as-if-you/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap, through the Badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/from-the-town-of-lincoln-nebraska-with-a-sawed-off-410-on-my-lap/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The definition of insanity is doing the same thing with the same result over and over again, expecting something different. 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Happiness happens only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/one-thing-is-certain-you-can-never-become-anything-other-than/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Everyone is on the verge of insanity ... insanity meaning on the verge of the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-is-on-the-verge-of-insanity-insanity-meaning-on-the-verge-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 1,410 Insanity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Loyalty to that which does not work, or worse, to a person who is toxic, exploitive or destructive to you, is a form of insanity.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patrick J. 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