If you notice yourself avoiding social situations or feel worried about simple things like going to the grocery store, you might be socially anxious.
Social anxiety will cause you to feel panic when you’re around others and can cause an intense fear of being judged. You may be worried about embarrassing yourself or making mistakes.
It’s also common to worry that other people will notice that you look anxious. You may shake, tremble, or blush, which can make you feel self-conscious.
Luckily, there are plenty of famous, successful people that are living and thriving with social anxiety, and you can too.
This article contains 75 quotes that will help you better understand social anxiety and to feel optimistic about the future.
Sections:
- Famous quotes about social anxiety
- Quotes about understanding social anxiety
- Deep social anxiety quotes
- Overcoming social anxiety quotes
- Funny quotes about social anxiety
Famous quotes about social anxiety
If you suffer from social anxiety, you might be worried about your disorder keeping you from being able to live a happy and successful life. But there are many famous people, including psychologists, who have led fulfilling lives despite their social anxiety. Enjoy the following famous, uplifting quotes about social anxiety.
1. “What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.” —Martha Graham
 
2. “You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
 
3. “You cannot always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.” —Wayne Dyer
4. “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” —Chuang Tzu
 
5. “I’m not anti-social. I’m just not social.” —Woody Allen
 
6. “I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anybody else to feel like that.” —Robin Williams
7. “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” —Dr. Seuss
 
8. “Breathe, darling. This is just a chapter. It’s not your whole story.” —S.C. Lourie
 
9. “I’m shy, but I’m not clinically shy. I don’t have social anxiety disorder or anything like that. I more have a gentle shyness. Like, I have a little trouble mingling at parties.” —Samantha Bee
10. “Please, don’t worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting.” —Robin Williams
 
11. “Shyness is invariably a suppression of something. It’s almost a fear of what you’re capable of.” —Rhys Ifans
 
12. “The fear of being laughed at makes cowards of us all.” —Mignon McLaughlin
13. “I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stunned by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, ‘Hi.’ They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.” —Augusten Burroughs
 
14. “Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” —Albert Camus
 
15. “All I insist on, and nothing else, is that you should show the whole world that you are not afraid. Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak – and speak in such a way that people will remember it.” —Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
16. “Now that I have conquered social anxiety disorder, I find pleasure in fans approaching me.” —Ricky Williams
You might also like these quotes about shyness.
Quotes about understanding social anxiety
Many people misunderstand the impact social anxiety can have on someone’s life. Social anxiety is more than just feeling anxious or overwhelmed and can lead to depression and other mental health issues if it’s not dealt with. Hopefully, you can find the following thought-provoking sayings helpful in understanding social anxiety.
1. “The worst thing about social anxiety is that people simply don’t understand.” —Unknown
 
2. “I’m a lonely person at heart, I need people but my social anxiety prevents me from being happy.” —Unknown
 
3. “That nervousness that makes your palms sweat and your heart race before you get up and make a speech in front of an audience? That’s what I feel in a normal conversation at the dinner table. Or just thinking about having a conversation at the dinner table.” —Jen Wilde, Queens of Geek
4. “Social anxiety isn’t a choice. I wish people knew how badly I wish I could be like everybody else, and how hard it is to be affected by something that can bring me to my knees every single day.” —Anonymous
 
5. “Sometimes just being there for someone and not saying anything can be the greatest gift you can give.” —Kelly Jean, 6 Simple Ways to Help Someone With Social Anxiety
 
6. “When someone tells you not to be anxious and then looks at you, waiting for you to be cured.” —AnxiousLass
7. “It can be confusing and heartbreaking to see the person you care about suffering in this way.” —Kelly Jean, 6 Simple Ways to Help Someone With Social Anxiety
 
8. “Instead of telling your loved one to do something social and getting frustrated when they can’t, try and bring more positive vibes to the table.” —Kelly Jean, 6 Simple Ways to Help Someone With Social Anxiety
 
9. “People with social anxiety are not devoid of the basic desire for human connection; they just have trouble obtaining it in certain situations.” —Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
10. “Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world.” —Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
 
11. “Social anxiety looks different on different people.” —Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
 
12. “I grew up thinking that there was something wrong with me and that others were judging me negatively for existing. This mindset manifested itself into fear and social anxiety.” —Katy Morin, Medium
13. “I desperately wanted to talk to someone about it, but I was too afraid to say something.” —Kelly Jean, Lying Because of Social Anxiety
 
14. “Most people with social anxiety disorder try to hide it from others, especially from family and loved ones.” —Thomas Richards, What is it Like to Live With Social Anxiety
 
15. “The impact of social anxiety disorder on quality of life is enormous.” —James Jefferson, Social Anxiety Disorder
16. “It convinces you that every situation will have a terrible outcome. It convinces you that everyone sees you in the worst light.” —Kelly Jean, Lying Because of Social Anxiety
Here is a list with more mental health quotes you might find insightful.
Deep social anxiety quotes
If you’re living with social anxiety, the future might look bleak. Staying optimistic might feel difficult sometimes, but there are definitely better times ahead. The following are 16 deep quotes about social anxiety.
1. “Stop beating yourself up for not being perfect. You were never designed to be anyway.” —Unknown
 
2. “Deep inside, she knew who she was, and that person was smart, and kind, and often even funny, but somehow her personality always got lost somewhere between her heart and her mouth, and she found herself saying the wrong thing or, more often, nothing at all.” —Julia Quinn
 
3. “Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light.” —Madeleine L’Engle
4. “The real tragedy of social anxiety is that it robs individuals of their greatest resource: other people.” —Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
 
5. “Social anxiety tries to protect us from rejection.” —Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
 
6. “She didn’t understand how other people did it, how they just strolled right up to strangers and started conversations… She wasn’t shy, not exactly. She was afraid.” —Katie Cotugno
7. “Our fear of rejection is really a fear of being less than.” —Fallon Goodman, Social Anxiety in the Modern World, Tedx
 
8. “Every day is a struggle, even when I’m at my best. My anxiety is always with me, and panic taps me on my shoulder a few times a day. On my good days, I can brush it off. On my bad days, I just want to stay in bed.” —Unknown
 
9. “Social anxiety has this twisted way of poisoning your mind, making you believe terrible things that aren’t true.” —Kelly Jean, Anxious Lass
10. “It’s okay if they don’t understand.” —Kelly Jean, How to Explain Social Anxiety
 
11. “I think my biggest flaw in dating me is that I need a lot of reassurance because my anxiety and past experiences have convinced me that you don’t actually want me and that you’ll just end up leaving like everyone else.” —Unknown
 
12. “All day, every day, life is like this. Fear. Apprehension. Avoidance. Pain. Anxiety about what you said. Fear that you said something wrong. Worry about others’ disapproval. Afraid of rejection, of not fitting in.” —Thomas Richards, What is it Like to Live With Social Anxiety
13. “It’s just easier to avoid social situations.” —Thomas Richards, What is it Like to Live With Social Anxiety
 
14. “People with social anxiety disorder generally avoid social and performance situations whenever possible or endure them with considerable distress.” —James Jefferson, Social Anxiety Disorder
 
15. “Social anxiety made me feel pathetic and weak, and I often told myself that I was rubbish at everything.” —Kelly Jean, How Social Anxiety Made Me Grateful for These 5 Things
16. “Lying because of social anxiety leaves us in a vicious cycle of trying to protect ourselves but continuing the negative thought patterns” —Kelly Jean, Lying Because of Social Anxiety
Overcoming social anxiety quotes
If you have social anxiety, you may feel scared being around other people. The stress of not feeling comfortable around other people can make dating and creating friendships difficult. But with the right support, you can overcome your social anxiety and create fulfilling relationships. Enjoy the following 17 inspirational quotes about overcoming social anxiety.
1. “No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.” —Virginia Woolf
 
2. “Knowing what caused your social anxiety is an important first step in healing from social anxiety and having empowering relationships with those around you.” —Katy Morin, Medium
 
3. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
4. “I learned that the root cause of social anxiety is fear and I can change this fear into love, acceptance, and empowerment.” —Katy Morin, Medium
 
5. “You can’t go back and make a new start, but you can start right now and make a brand new ending.” —James R. Sherman
 
6. “Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” —Eckhart Tolle
7. “You’re not going to master the rest of your life in one day. Just relax. Master the day. Then just keep doing that every day.” —Unknown
 
8. “Many of us have been through the crippling fears and constant anxiety that social anxiety produces—and have come out healthier and happier on the other side.” —James Jefferson, Social Anxiety Disorder
 
9. “It’s weird how we have to get a little older to realize that people are just people. It should be obvious, but it’s not.” —Christine Riccio
10. “Give your family and your friends a chance to be there for you and help you. That’s what they are there for and I just know you would do the same for them!” —Kelly Jean, How to Explain Social Anxiety
 
11. “Everything you have ever wanted, is sitting on the other side of fear.” —George Addair
 
12. “I wanted to know that there were people like me, who had been broken and had their lives stolen from them because of social anxiety but had come out of the other side and learnt to manage it.” —Kelly Jean, Starting a Social Anxiety Blog to Raise Awareness
13. “You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” —Steve Maraboli
 
14. “The moment I started treating my social anxiety disorder, I started feeling better.” —Ricky Williams
 
15. “Social anxiety disorder is a common condition.” —James Jefferson, Social Anxiety Disorder
16. “The truth is, I was strong. I left the house at times I thought I couldn’t face it. I went into situations that made my heart palpitate, hands sweat, body tremble and stomach nauseated. I wasn’t weak at all.” —Kelly Jean, How Social Anxiety Made Me Grateful for These 5 Things
 
17. “Facing your anxiety is so much harder when you’re too controlling of each situation and your environment.” —Kelly Jean, Social Anxiety Safety Behaviors
You might also be interested in these quotes about anxiety.
Funny quotes about social anxiety
Many actors and comedians have social anxiety. Performing can be a great way to deal with the loneliness of social anxiety and to be social in a way that feels more relaxing or accessible than regular conversation. Enjoy the following funny, short quotes about social anxiety.
1. “If I was accidentally weird to you once, just know I will be thinking about it every night for the next 50 years.” —Hana Michels
 
2. “Gorgeous gorgeous girls have social anxiety!” —@l2mnatn, March 3 2022, 3:07AM, Twitter
 
3. “Social anxiety is: thinking of ways to fake your own death every time you’re too anxious to go somewhere.” —AnxiousLass
4. “Walk up to the club like ‘what up, I have social anxiety and I want to go home.’” —Unknown
 
5. “Social anxiety is: letting someone call you by the wrong name because you’re too scared to correct them.” —AnxiousLass
 
6. “I thought I had social anxiety, turns out I just don’t like people.” —Unknown
7. “Social anxiety is: letting your phone go to voicemail but not being able to call the person back because using the phone is scary.” —AnxiousLass
 
8. “I came, I saw, I had anxiety, so I left.” —Unknown
 
9. “I just give myself permission to suck…I find this hugely liberating.” —John Green
10. “I’m not fake, I just have social anxiety and a social battery with a lifetime of 10 minutes.” —@therealkimj, March 4 2022, 12:38PM, Twitter
