The 70 Best Phrases of Indifference (and Aphorisms)

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The indifference. Perhaps the (non) reaction most feared by human beings It is often said that it is better to be talked about, even if it is bad. But, of course, when other people feel indifferent to our luck or misfortune it makes us feel alone and helpless.

Throughout history, many thinkers and philosophers have theorized about indifference and how it affects us.

    Famous phrases of indifference

    In today’s article we are going to know the most outstanding phrases of indifference spoken by different writers, politicians, thinkers, entrepreneurs and other well-known figures.

    1. Heroes are born from human indifference to the suffering of others. (Nicholas Welles)

    Enduring indescribable suffering, the heroes do not give up in their efforts to improve existence.

    2. What is worrying is not the perversity of the wicked but the indifference of the good. (Martin Luther King)

    A great famous quote from the African American rights leader and activist.

      3. Indifference is silent support for injustice. (Jorge González Moore)

      Very much in line with King’s phrase.

      4. If you are intelligent, you probably feel that everything is indifferent to you. (Marta Gargoles)

      Could being intelligent have any relationship with giving little importance to the attacks of life?

      5. Not caring at all about what people think of yourself is not only arrogance, but also shamelessness. (Cicero)

      Great phrase from the great Roman orator.

      6. The Mexican’s indifference towards death is nourished by his indifference towards life. (Octavio Paz)

      A scathing criticism from Octavio Paz towards the designs of his nation.

      7. Silence is never manifested with such superiority as when it is used as a response to slander and defamation. (Joseph Addison)

      Being indifferent to injustice is sometimes the best option.

      8. A guy gets on the subway in Los Angeles and dies, do you think anyone notices? (Tom Cruise)

      Phrase taken from the movie Vincent. Certainly, the indifference towards others in cities can be shocking.

      9. If you want to live happily, don’t mind being thought stupid. (Seneca)

      It doesn’t matter what they think of you, as long as they leave you alone.

        10. To be indifferent towards what is beautiful is to have your eyes closed forever. (Tupac Shakur)

        The American rapper defends his notion of beauty.

        11. To the extent that the suffering of children is permitted, there is no true love in this world. (Isadora Duncan)

        Reflection on the indifference towards the great injustices of our time.

        12. We members of this generation will have to regret not only the hateful words and acts of bad people, but also the clamorous silences of good people. (Ken Follett)

        The inaction of good people is the final sentence of humanity.

        13. As a general rule, people are either very sure about everything, or they are indifferent. (Jostein Gaarder)

        Reflection of the Norwegian writer.

        14. After failing it is possible to move on and fail better; On the other hand, indifference sinks us deeper and deeper into the quagmire of being stupid. (Slavoj Zizek)

        Inaction is not acceptable, according to Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek.

        15. I don’t hate you, because hate is a feeling, and I don’t feel anything for you. (Harry Potter)

        Phrase taken from the JK Rowling saga.

        16. Tolerance and patience are much deeper and more effective than mere indifference. (Dalai Lama)

        Famous quote about the indifference of the Buddhist leader Dalai Lama.

        17. Nothing is so fatal to religion as indifference. (Edmund Burke)

        Anthropological vision: when people have no opinion about religion, it simply stops having an axial role in society.

        18. The force of indifference! It is what allowed the stones to remain unchanged for millions of years. (Cesare Pavese)

        Great metaphor to understand the power of passivity, in some cases.

        19. Indifference hardens the heart and is capable of eliminating any trace of affection. (Jorge González Moore)

        Love is cut short when indifference appears on the scene.

        20. Manufactured things have lost the noble indifference to the spheres of wealth and poverty. Every thing today leaves its mark on its owner, who no longer has any choice but to present himself as a poor devil or, on the contrary, as a speculator. (Walter Benjamin)

        Great economic reflection of the German exile.

        21. Indifference is the dead weight of history. (Antonio Gramsci)

        The Italian philosopher has this vision about the development of history.

        22. Perhaps a misguided moral passion is better than indifference. (Iris Murdoch)

        Is an irrational love preferable to the most thoughtful indifference? Probably.

        23. Being indifferent to someone is condemning them to the worst of contempt. Omission is more hurtful than any action. (Pascual García Senderos)

        One of those phrases of indifference that makes the blood run cold.

        24. War or indifference, it is not known which of the two is easier to deal with. (Laura Restrepo)

        Equally harmful and perfidious.

        25. Indifference: attitude that a woman adopts towards a man she is not interested in, which is interpreted by the man as “she is playing hard to get.” (Sophocletus)

        Incredible reflection by the Peruvian comedian.

        26. Indifference has no beginning or end: it is an immutable state, a weight, an inertia that no one could shake. (Georges Perec)

        Cold as an iceberg, that’s right.

        27. Hate is not the most dangerous thing. It is indifference. (Lauren Oliver)

        Perhaps the worst thing we can receive from someone. Total passivity.

        28. Teaching respect is teaching not to do anything that means contempt or indifference towards others. (Victoria Camps)

        A pedagogical vision of the concept at hand.

        29. Wherever people feel safe (…), they will feel indifference. (Susan Sontag)

        Comfort is associated with a certain passivity.

        30. Why do girls fall madly in love with men who make them suffer and treat with indifference those who would be willing to get them the moon? (Marc Levy)

        Great reflection on the mysteries of female falling in love.

        31. The real danger, son, is called indifference. My father had never taught me so much in a few words. (Elie Wiesel)

        Good famous quote from the Jewish writer.

        32. And although he was not very happy in this world, he found in the fulfillment of his duties, in his friends and in his children sufficient reasons to love life and not to abandon it with indifference when his time came. (Jane Austen)

        About a friend who passed away.

        33. I prefer people who love me or hate me than those who have no opinion of me. Indifference is scary. (Lady Gaga)

        Phrase from the popular American singer.

        34. I prefer the errors of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom. (Anatole France)

        Life has to be lived, with enthusiasm and without too much reflection.

        35. No ingratitude closes a great heart, no indifference tires it. (Leon Tolstoy)

        A phrase about indifference that could not be missing in this selection.

        36. I was bored when Emma began to sob into my chest; and her heart, like people who can only endure a certain amount of music, grew numb with indifference to the vibrations of a love whose subtleties she could no longer distinguish. (Gustave Flaubert)

        Flaubert’s realistic descriptions present us with truly fascinating human relationships.

        37. Without expecting anything from anyone you live better.

        A good maxim with which we will be happy.

        38. Indifference is the best card played by unscrupulous people.

        Some attitudes of indifference hide very evil souls.

        39. Half of life is desire, indifference is half of death.

        A good way to define this dichotomy between life and death.

        40. I am not an antisocial person. I’m just not a social person. (Woody Allen)

        Some people feel indifferent to the human race.

        41. Remaining indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. Therefore, what we must do is strive and persevere and never give up. (Dalai Lama)

        A plea against the indifference that we can incorporate into our daily lives.

        42. The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. (Elie Wiesel)

        An idea that may seem surprising but contains a great truth, since hate is an intense feeling.

        43. Courtesy is nothing more than organized indifference.

        Politeness often hides an absolute lack of feeling towards someone.

        44. Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is a fancy name for ignorance.

        A truly interesting way to reflect on these 3 elements.

        45. If moderation is a failure, indifference is a crime.

        A phrase that encourages us to live feeling any experience in life to the fullest.

        46. ​​That afternoon he asked himself, with his infinite capacity for illusion, if such implacable indifference might not be a subterfuge to hide the torments of love.

        In a large number of literary works, we find characters who use indifference as a shield to avoid suffering.

        47. You can’t get reactions from someone who doesn’t care about anything.

        Once someone embraces indifference, they can say goodbye to sharing any feelings with anyone.

        48. Indifference is the worst disease that can affect a human being.

        With an indifferent lifestyle we will never be able to do anything useful.

        49. The worst attitude is indifference, saying “I can’t do anything, I’ll figure it out.”

        This way we will never be able to achieve any of our objectives.

        50. From love to hate there is one step, and to indifference a walk.

        A good categorization of different basic feelings of human nature.

        51. Indifference ultimately becomes a devastating weapon.

        With indifference we can end up doing a lot of harm to people we love.

        52. Only love that continues to flow against anger, guilt and indifference can be called love. Everything else is simply a transaction.

        A recipe with which we will undoubtedly achieve success in love.

        53. Distance, pride and indifference are the three things that separate you from anyone.

        A phrase that we must take into account if we want to succeed in love or in friendships.

        54. Over time, what hurt you one day begins to matter to you.

        There is no other law more constant in the world of human relationships.

        55. Silence is the best response to indifference.

        Good advice that we can apply in our daily lives so as not to suffer in our relationships.

        56. I prefer people who love me or hate me than those who have no opinion of me. Indifference scares me. (Lady Gaga)

        Some superstars need to generate great and intense emotions in their audience.

        57. Ignoring is the intelligent response to someone who has disappointed you.

        Sometimes it is best to show ignorance towards fools and move on.

        58. Whoever does not show what they feel, loses what they want.

        When we realize what we lose by having been indifferent to love, it is already too late.

        59. Indifference is our worst enemy.

        Sometimes we must dare to express what we feel, especially with those people who are special in our lives.

        60. Hate is a very strong emotion. It is stronger than indifference. Those who burn with hate can love with the same intensity.

        The people we have loved the most can become the most hated over time.

        61. The world is very beautiful, and very horrible, and it doesn’t care about your life or mine or anything else. (Rudyard Kipling)

        We can say that life, in its infinite course, is indifferent towards us.

        62. Nothing succeeds more than indifference to success.

        The best things in life come without us paying attention to them.

        63. There are obstacles that can only be overcome through indifference.

        Indifference is a weapon that can help us overcome adversities of all kinds.

        64. Indifference is a pose, underneath is a beating heart.

        Almost always, indifference hides truly intense feelings underneath.

        65. This is the stuff we are made of: half indifference, half malice.

        Some people tend to harbor large doses of these two feelings in their hearts.

        66. Excuse my indifference, I would rather be distant than end up devastated.

        Indifference will allow us to avoid suffering or having negative experiences with some people.

        67. You need to have fire and spirit to write. You can’t write being indifferent.

        Good advice for anyone who wants to become a writer.

        68. There is nothing more provocative than indifference.

        Sometimes, indifference can cause negative or unpleasant feelings in some people.

        69. Life is about getting the right proportions of warm concern and cold indifference.

        Only in this way will we be happy in our daily lives.

        70. Indifference is easier to carry than the truth.

        On many occasions, an attitude of indifference will help us cope with uncomfortable or terrible truths.

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        • This article has been reviewed by our editorial team at PsychologyFor to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to evidence-based research. The content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice. In case of a mental health crisis or emergency, call your local emergency services or contact a licensed professional immediately.