45 Antisocial Quotes for the Solitary Rebels and Mavericks

There is nothing wrong with wanting to spend time alone, and yet society tends to look at it as a type of pathology. Find out more by reading these 45 quotes.

There are two general definitions of the word "antisocial." One is the professional definition which translates as sociopathy, devoid of remorse and with manipulative tendencies. These individuals can be quite dangerous.

On the other hand, in everyday life, we tend to talk about "antisocial" individuals as people who tend not to spend time with other people and would instead remain in their own company.

This can include introversion. However, introversion is not necessarily the same as finding social interactions unenjoyable. Read the 45 quotes below to find out more.

Efrat Cybulkiewicz’ quote: “I am not antisocial; I just feel better when people are not around." | Image: AmoDays

Antisocial Quotes on Annoying People

"I'm on the benevolent side of antisocial. I don't mind people, but I'd prefer not to have a lot of them around." — J.R. Ward

"She doesn't want to see anyone. She's happy like that, I think. Always relieved at the end of a visit." ― Helen Oyeyemi

"Until now, he had thought that it was the world, in general, he had wanted to squirm away from. But it was not the world; it was the people in it." ― Patrick Süskind

"I am not antisocial; I just feel better when people are not around." ― Efrat Cybulkiewicz

Antisocial Quotes on Society and Individualism

"Instead of a bumbling and inefficient tool of society, the radical [libertarian] sees the State itself, in its very nature, as coercive, exploitative, parasitic, and hence profoundly antisocial. The State is, and always has been, the great single enemy of the human race, its liberty, happiness, and progress." — Murray Rothbard

Nikola Tesla’s quote: "Anti-social behavior is a trait of intelligence in a world full of conformists." | Image: AmoDays

"And for this, you must have quiet and solitude. But society does not allow you to have them." — Jiddu Krishnamurti

"Buying and selling is essentially antisocial." — Edward Bellamy

"In a society as broken as ours, 'antisocial' behavior is the only behavior worth defending." — Lauren McLaughlin

"'It's all in the genes': an explanation for the way things are that does not threaten the way things are. Why should someone feel unhappy or engage in antisocial behavior when that person is living in the freest and most prosperous nation on earth?" — Louis Menand

"Antisocial behavior is a trait of intelligence in a world full of conformists." — Nikola Tesla

Kirk D. Sinclair’s quote: “Humans are naturally social; civilization causes us to be antisocial." | Image: AmoDays

"Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three times a day and give each other a new taste of that musty old cheese that we are. We have had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not come to open war. We meet at the post office, and at the sociable, and at the fireside every night; we live thick and are in each other's way and stumble over one another, and I think that we thus lose some respect for one another." ― Henry David Thoreau

"Humans are naturally social; civilization causes us to be antisocial." — Kirk D. Sinclair

"I got tattoos for purely antisocial reasons, and now people do it for social acceptance. I miss the individualism." — Mike Ness

Antisocial Quotes on Introversion

"I've never really felt good at the parties, but I have enough friends now that I feel social, I used to feel very antisocial, but I think the theater helps." — Adam Rapp

"Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes, and he will reach for his cell phone. In contrast, after an hour or two of being socially on, we introverts need to turn off and recharge. My own formula is roughly two hours alone for every hour of socializing. This isn't antisocial. It isn't a sign of depression. It does not call for medication." — Jonathan Rauch

Jonathan Rauch’s quote: "For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating." | Image: AmoDays

"Many people believe that introversion is about being antisocial, and that's really a misperception. So they would prefer to have a glass of wine with a close friend as opposed to going to a loud party full of strangers." — Susan Cain

"Introverts keep their best stuff inside—that is until it is ready. And this drives extroverts crazy!" — Laurie Helgoe

"It's important, however, to understand that being introverted is different from being shy or antisocial. Shyness is insecurity or fear of social embarrassment, and the word 'antisocial' describes someone who has hostile or harmful feelings toward society. Introversion is a preference that has to do with where you direct your energy (inward), how you recharge (usually by being alone), and what level of outside stimulation you're comfortable with (less is more). It's not a weakness to overcome or something to be cured. It's just how some of us are designed." ― Aaron Caycedo-Kimura

"For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating." — Jonathan Rauch

"It wasn't that she necessarily wanted to 'socialize' at the bonfire, but she wanted to broadcast to the general population that her antisocial behavior was a personal choice, not a sentence to social leprosy." ― J.D. Stroube

Laurie Helgoe’s quote: "Introverts keep their best stuff inside—that is, until it is ready. And this drives extroverts crazy!" | Image: AmoDays

"I'm a little bit antisocial, and I recently discovered that I'm introverted. But the love between people makes me alive." — Emily Saliers

Thought-Provoking Antisocial Quotes

"Nobody adopts antisocial behavior unless they fear that they will fail if they remain on the social side of life." — Alfred Adler

"Nobody enjoys the company of others as intensely as someone who usually avoids the company of others." ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

"Materialism sets us free from sin by proving that there is no such thing as sin. There's just antisocial behavior, which we can control with measures like laws and educational programs." ― Phillip E. Johnson

"The vital energies regulate themselves naturally without compulsive duty or compulsive morality, both of which are sure signs of existing antisocial impulses." — Wilhelm Reich

Alfred Adler’s quote: "Nobody adopts antisocial behavior unless they fear that they will fail if they remain on the social side of life." | Image: AmoDays

"While obsessive behavior may be an antisocial plague to societies and communities at large, it's total moxie when lone practitioners catch it." — Robert Genn

"Solitude makes it possible for us to literally enjoy ourselves." ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Antisocial Writing Quotes

"The great thing about writing is that…you can do all these antisocial things, and you get paid for them, and nobody ever arrests you because they're all make-believe. It's therapy." — Stephen King

"I don't want to blame anybody, but I just want to tell you that the process of writing is antisocial, so on the days that you have something really important to write, go from lying down directly to your notepad or your computer. Do not talk." — Sandra Cisneros

"Imaginative writing has always been a solitary and indeed a somewhat antisocial activity. Apprenticeship existed, no doubt, but it was an apprenticeship to books and not to living masters of the craft." — Madison Smartt Bell

Martha Grimes’ quote: "Writing is an antisocial act." | Image: AmoDays

"Writing, at its heart, is a solitary pursuit." — Mindy Kaling

"The poet, the artist, the sleuth―whoever sharpens our perception tends to be antisocial; rarely 'well-adjusted,' he cannot go along with currents and trends. A strange bond often exists between antisocial types in their power to see environments as they really are. This need to interface, to confront environments with a certain antisocial power is manifest in the famous story 'The Emperor's New Clothes.'" ― Marshall McLuhan

"All writing is an antisocial act since the writer is a man who can speak freely only when alone; to be himself, he must lock himself up; to communicate, he must cut himself off from all communication; and in this, there is something always a little mad." — Kenneth Tynan

"Writing is an antisocial act." — Martha Grimes

More Antisocial Quotes

"I've invented Twofacebook, the antisocial network. You start being friends with the entire world and defriend people one by one." — Andy Borowitz

Shawn Fanning’s quote: "If you think about computer programming, it's as antisocial as it gets." | Image: AmoDays

"These data suggest very strongly that participating in the playing of violent video games by children and youth increases aggressive thought and behavior; increase antisocial behavior and delinquency; engenders poor school performance; desensitize the game player to violence." — Leland Yee

"People with antisocial personality disorders aren't automatically bad—they simply approach the world with a more ruthless set of lenses. The lack of empathy or very weak empathy and the ability to read other people's weak spots can be a flammable combination when you get in the way of something they want. But they aren't a different species. They're a part of our spectrum." — Eden Robinson

"I have to remind myself constantly to not be antisocial because I stay to myself a lot. In a lot more introspective than my characters." — Katee Sackhoff

"I'm kind of an antisocial person. I realized when I was playing in bands that I wasn't that comfortable being on-stage, and I preferred to be behind the scenes." — Cliff Martinez

Michael Bassey Johnson’s quote: "To the loner, loneliness is a treasure that cannot be traded, even for the nicest of companies." | Image: AmoDays

"Do not be afraid of spending quality time by yourself. Find meaning or don't find meaning but 'steal' some time and give it freely and exclusively to your own self." — Albert Camus

"Badger hates society, and invitations, and dinner, and all that sort of thing." ― Kenneth Grahame

"To me, socializing was like sinking to the bottom of a deep, deep ocean... Until eventually you couldn't take it anymore and had to come up for air." ― Shimamura

"If you think about computer programming, it's as antisocial as it gets." — Shawn Fanning

"To the loner, loneliness is a treasure that cannot be traded, even for the nicest of companies." ― Michael Bassey Johnson

Mokokoma Mokhonoana’s quote: "Nobody enjoys the company of others as intensely as someone who usually avoids the company of others." | Image: AmoDays

Everyone has different ways of approaching the world and their relationships, and it's most often accepted that those who prefer to be alone should challenge their approach and spend more time with others. This may not necessarily be negative encouragement, but why does it not apply to those constantly in need of company too?

There is much to be gained while spending time alone. You get to discover hobbies that are distinctive from outside influences, catch up on reading or series, and, overall, get to know yourself better.

Whether you're socializing or not, it is essential to spend your time wisely. Read these 65 quotes on wasting time to ensure you're making the most of your life.