Defensive Quotes

Prudence is precaution, prudence is protection.

~ Amit Kalantri

When you become aggressive in arguments, you force the other person to become defensive which means they’ll either get ready to fight you or ready to flee from you.

~ Sam Owen

Playing nice comes naturally when our neuroception detects safety and promotes physiological states that support social behavior. However, pro-social behavior will not occur when our neuroception misreads the environmental cues and triggers physiological states that support defensive strategies. After all, playing nice is not appropriate or adaptive behavior in dangerous or life-threatening situations. In these situations, humans - like other mammals - react with more primitive neurobiological defense systems. To create relationships, humans must subdue these defensive reactions to engage, attach, and form lasting social bonds. Humans have adaptive neurobehavioral systems for both pro-social and defensive behaviors.

~ Stephen W. Porges

A child's (or an adult's) nervous system may detect danger or a threat to life when the child enters a new environment or meets a strange person. Cognitively, there is no reason for them to be frightened. But often, even if they understand this, their bodies betray them. Sometimes this betrayal is private; only they are aware that their hearts are beating fast and contracting with such force that they start to sway. For others, the responses are more overt. They may tremble. Their faces may flush, or perspiration may pour from their hands and forehead. Still others may become pale and dizzy and feel precipitously faint.

~ Stephen W. Porges

Christians sometimes make themselves into elephants afraid of mice. You have the Creator of the universe on your side; not to mention, you've been given eternal life. 'Whom or what shall you fear?' To be afraid of anything other than God himself is like an insult to God.

~ Criss Jami

Suddenly finding myself imprisoned in the ruins of the fortresses I created, I realize that that which I built to protect me has now become a labyrinth that is set to destroy me. And laying spent in the rubble, I finally realize that there is only one fortress and I cannot create it because there is only one God.

~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

DENIALDefense mechanism in which the existence of unpleasant realities is disavowed; refers to keeping out of conscious awareness any aspects of external reality that, if acknowledged, would produce anxiety.

~ Benjamin James Sadock

I'm not offended until you think I'm offended.

~ Criss Jami

I see how you look at me,” spits the hateful man. He thinks we look upon him with the evil eye when we are not looking at him that way at all. We are just looking at him. It’s because he can’t accept the hate inside of himself that he projects it onto us.

~ Kate Mcgahan

Whatever thing a man gets quickly enraged about is his idol, and whatever thing he makes his idol becomes his religion.

~ Criss Jami

Have we become so defensive that we cannot even tolerate a kind act?

~ Kyra Gregory

The key to healthy communication is having a willingness to lay aside our defensive tendencies and accept responsibility for our part of the relationship

~ Asa Don Brown

Getting defensive doesn't hide the fact that you know you could have done better. Stop putting your energy into your excuses.

~ Tony Curl

July 15, 1991Nita: My mother was a paragon of our neighborhood, People always come up to us with hugs, saying You have the most wonderful mother. l'd think. “Don't you see what's going on in this house?” To this day, if somehow even in jest raises their hand to me, I will do this (raises hands to protect face and cowers) I cringe. Then they look at me like, what's your probem? You don't get that from a great childhood.

~ Sarah E. Olson

I'm a little territorial and defensive. I don't like having my space invaded.

~ Shia Labeouf