Number seven: “I used to take you seriously, but that was my mistake.” This is brutal because narcissists crave significance. They want to be the one you never forget—negatively or positively. When you say you once took them seriously but no longer do, it destroys that image immediately. You are not angry or pleading; you are just shrugging them off. It’s one of the most painful things you can say to someone who thrives on being important. You’re telling them, “You’re not important to me anymore; you are not even believable.”
Statement 8: Words as Proof of Guilt
Number eight: “The more you talk, the less I believe you.” Narcissists think they can talk their way out of anything—that if they explain enough, repeat enough, manipulate enough, and spin the story just right, you will eventually cave. But this line shatters that fantasy into pieces. It says, “I see through you, and the more you try to justify yourself, the more you prove you are lying.” This gets under their skin because it turns their weapon—words—against them. They thought they were building credibility; you just turned it into proof of their guilt.
Statement 9: Fear vs. Respect
Number nine: “You mistake being feared for being respected.” They are not the same. They want control; they want silence when they walk in. They want people to obey, to submit, to tiptoe, and they call that respect. But it’s not respect; it’s survival. When you say this, you tell the narcissist, “Nobody looks up to you; people just want to get away from you because you’re a nuisance—a burden.” Respect is earned; fear is a reaction, and now you have made them realize which one they inspire.
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