Entitlement Mentality
Entitlement: One of Humanity’s Two Proto-Evils
50 Entitlement Mentality Quotes
“Entitlement Mentality.” You’ve probably heard the phrase before but perhaps should give it new consideration.
By Entitlement Mentality, I am not referring to the political form of entitlements – which is a misnomer in that case. Such ‘entitlements’ are real or assumed contracts between entities like governments and citizens, such as Social Security in the U.S.
The examples below are far different, focusing on personal expectations that drive your behavior and actions. “I can treat people unkindly without fear of retribution.” That’s an Entitlement Mentality.
Per my books, I believe Entitlement Mentality, like Fear, is a proto-evil – implying it is at the root of other evils like greed, grievance, self-pity, and bigotry. An excessive Entitlement Mentality may corrupt the psyche.
This list* of 50 Entitlement Mentality Quotes includes some of my own examples as well as observations about other humans. Consider developing your own list, but you might also avoid viewing the list below until you create yours. If you make it to twenty Entitlement Mentality items, you’re probably on track.
(*Speaking of lists, check out the Demagogue Checklist as referred to in Sord in Prosperity. Why aren’t we taught how to recognize the techniques used by demagogues, tyrants, and autocrats to gain power over us? It just doesn’t seem that difficult.)
Entitlement Mentality Quotes
- I expect that others will take care of me – if not now, then sometime in the future
- I expect the government will provide for me if I am unable or unwilling to do so myself
- I expect that others will help humanity resolve its troubles, that we won’t self-annihilate, and I don’t need to take action to ensure a positive future for our species
- I expect that, with little effort of my own, a supreme being will take care of me or help me resolve my problems
- I expect that politicians, bosses, or other people in power will be ethical and work on my behalf
- I expect for things to often or always go my way
- I expect that things made by humans will not break and should always work properly
- I expect to always have food on the table and a roof over my head
- I feel entitled to money or possessions because I work hard for them – or because others have them
- I expect people to just get along with each other
- I expect to have a good relationship with my significant other(s)
- I expect not to have accidents happen to me or others I care about
- I expect to be pain-free or sickness-free
- I feel entitled to good health, independent of my actions and efforts
- I feel entitled to often or always respond to my personal whims and desires
- I feel entitled to a treat or reward after doing something difficult
- I feel entitled to always respond to my hunger, or to eat three meals in a day
- I expect other people to not be self-centered
- I expect other people to not be self-absorbed (as different from self-centered)
- I expect people to not take advantage of me
- I expect people to be truthful or fair to me
- I expect people to understand me or my feelings or thoughts even when I don’t communicate them well
- I expect people to do what I want them to do
- I expect people to treat me well, irrespective of whether I am treating them well
- I am entitled to be mean, rude, or impolite – because I can get away with it
- I am entitled to let others make the effort, do the work, or clean up my messes
- I expect people to be generous to me
- My belief in sacred texts and teachings provides proof of my predominance and preeminence that precedes my existence
- Something mystical and powerful informs me, proving my superiority over others
- I can use my teachings to convince others that my path is the most righteous path
- My teachings allow me to take from or dominate others
- I am smarter than others and more well-informed in a variety of areas; this allows me to tell them how to live or exist
- My cup is full; I know so much that nobody can inform me or suggest I am incorrect
- I can afford not to listen to a plea or request for help or consideration
- I can prejudge others because of my experience or sense of superiority, without ever really getting to know or understand them or their motivations
- I am entitled to lash out in anger and use emotional tools to coerce others to do as I wish
- I can align myself with rationalities of past injustices to push forth new injustices
- I can use victimization and grievance, focusing on how I was wronged by others, to manage others around me or engender pity about why I am not responsible for outcomes
- I can control others because they fear me or what I can do
- I can ignore others’ needs because I believe they should fend for themselves
- I am aggrieved at many things; I have been unfairly treated or maligned, and others owe me recompense
- I can ignore others’ needs because I am more needy than them
- I can take advantage of others because I am more cunning than them
- I can ignore or tread upon others because I am more correct or righteous than them
- I can use affection or attention or the lack thereof to achieve my selfish objectives
- I assume that if my actions don’t bother me, they must not bother others
- I can lead others to do my bidding because they are mindless sheep
- I can encroach in other people’s spaces, whether physically, with sound or sloth or some other behavior
- I can do as I please since I don’t care what others think of me, as I neither respect nor care for them
- My entitlement mentality has gotten me things in the past – so I’ll continue to push forward with it
