Arrogance

Arrogance is a range of mental dispositions to disregard the proper rights of others, typified by haughtiness, self-assumption, and habits of arrogating or assuming an authority or right to control, constrain or direct others, and acting in an overbearing manner with a proud contempt of others and their rights. It is a species of pride or hubris which consists in exorbitant claims of rank, dignity, estimation, or power, or which exalts the worth or importance of oneself or one's group to an undue degree.

Quotes

A

All the time, he hoped they would understand that his arrogance masked only shyness—or did he hope that it was his shyness which masked arrogance? He did not know.
Who could presume to know? The one quality holds much of the other. Both refuse to come forward and share.
- Brian Aldiss, in “A Kind of Artistry” (originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1962)

D

How long will the wicked be jubilant?
They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
- David, Psalm 94:3-4 NIV

F

Men see with arrogant eyes which organize everything seen with reference to themselves and their own interests.
- Marilyn Frye, The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory (1983), p. 67

There are two Americas. One is the America of Lincoln and Adlai Stevenson; the other is the America of Teddy Roosevelt and the modern superpatriots. One is generous and humane, the other narrowly egotistical; one is self-critical, the other self-righteous; one is sensible, the other romantic; one is good-humored, the other solemn; one is inquiring, the other pontificating; one is moderate, the other filled with passionate intensity; one is judicious and the other arrogant in the use of great power.
- J. William Fulbright, in The Arrogance of Power (1966)

G

Conceit, arrogance and egotism are the essentials of patriotism. Let me illustrate. Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those who have had the fortune of being born on some particular spot consider themselves nobler, better, grander, more intelligent than those living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill and die in the attempt to impose his superiority upon all the others..
- Emma Goldman, in What is Patriotism? (1908), Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty

H

Where men are the most sure and arrogant, they are commonly the most mistaken, and have there given reins to passion, without that proper deliberation and suspense, which can alone secure them from the grossest absurdities.
- David Hume, in An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), § 9.13 : Conclusion, Pt. 1

Of the lessons also gained from the history of mankind is the fact that greed and arrogance, when combined, lead the oppressor to do injustice not only to others, but to himself as well; once this combination of greed and arrogance has misled him into a sense of undefeatable capability and power, as he takes the road of falsehood and aggression, committing the most heinous acts and proceeding from that sick imagination, to fall down the precipice and then into hell.
- Saddam Hussein, in a speech to mark the 14th anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war, as quoted in "Saddam Hussein's speech" in The Guardian (8 August 2002)

M

An extraordinary amount of arrogance is present in any claim of having been the first in "inventing" something. It's an arrogance that some enjoy, and others do not. Now I reach beyond arrogance when I proclaim that fractals had been pictured forever but their true role remained unrecognized and waited for me to be uncovered.
- Benoît Mandelbrot, in A Theory of Roughness (2004)

With the arrogance of youth, I determined to do no less than to transform the world with Beauty. If I have succeeded in some small way, if only in one small corner of the world, amongst the men and women I love, then I shall count myself blessed, and blessed, and blessed, and the work goes on.
- William Morris, as quoted in William Morris & Red House (2005) by Jan Marsh, p. 65

Q

And behold, We said to the angels: “Bow down to Adam” and they bowed down. Not so Iblis (Satan): he refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject Faith.
- Quran 2:34

It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels bow down to Adam, and they bowed down; not so Iblis; He refused to be of those who bow down. (God) said: “What prevented thee from bowing down when I commanded thee?” He said: “I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay.” (God) said: “Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant here: get out, for thou art of the meanest (of creatures).”
- Quran 7:11–13

And do not walk upon the earth exultantly. Indeed, you will never tear the earth (apart), and you will never reach the mountains in height.
- Quran 17:37

Do not scornfully turn your face away from people. Do not walk around puffed-up with pride; God does not love arrogant and boastful people.
- Quran 31:18

R

I think that Bush has alienated every friend that we've made over the last 200 years with his arrogance and indifference.
- Charles Rangel, on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher (24 September 2004)

Totalitarian arrogance may pretend to change history and reality.
It devastates societies, traditions and individual freedom, but it will ultimately fail.
- Marco Respinti and Aaron Rhodes, "China’s ‘virtual invasion’ of India and the cultural genocide of Tibet", Radio Free Asia (May 18, 2024)

You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon'.
- Chris Rock attributed in Drum : A magazine of Africa for Africa, Nr 556-564 (2003), p. 6

In our complex industrial civilization of today the peace of righteousness and justice, the only kind of peace worth having, is at least as necessary in the industrial world as it is among nations. There is at least as much need to curb the cruel greed and arrogance of part of the world of capital, to curb the cruel greed and violence of part of the world of labor, as to check a cruel and unhealthy militarism in international relationships.
- Theodore Roosevelt, Nobel lecture (1910)

S

Your arrogance in your manhood prevents you from understanding.
- Sanu Sharma, Bahana

Punishment is assigned for the swaggerer; he is afflicted with diseases.
- Sumerian proverb, Collection III at The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, 3rd millennium BCE.

T

Surfeit begets insolence, when prosperity comes to a bad man.
- Theognis of Megara, Elegies, Line 153.

W

I was sure that I was right, but arrogance is best left undisplayed.
- Liz Williams, Winterborn (2009), in Nick Gevers and Jay Lake (eds.), Other Earths (p. 125)