Infp Quotes

It is a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money.

You know, the whole thing about perfectionism. The perfectionism is very dangerous. Because of course if your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you never do anything. Because doing anything results in...it's actually kind of tragic because you sacrifice how gorgeous and perfect it is in your head for what it really is. And there were a couple of years where I really struggled with that.

We are poor indeed if we are only sane.

But give an INFP reason to believe that an injustice is being perpetrated, or that someone is being abused, or that beauty is being unnecessarily destroyed and they can emerge from their introverted shells in a flash to express fiery moral outrage.

Conventional measures of mental ability, such as intelligence tests and scholarship, show some of the very highest records belong to INFP and INFJ types, who relegate thinking to last place or next to last. The preference for thinking appears to have far less intellectual effect than the preference for intuition, even in some technical fields, such as scientific research, where its influence was expected to be most important.

And so, even though she was loving by nature, as time passed, she craved solitude more and more, due to the tortures of her sensitive heart.

They have an inherent ability to find hidden order where at first glance things appear chaotic and unconnected.

She felt, as she did most mornings, the deep pleasure of daily life distilled to the essentials: books, walks, spaces in which to think and work.

Since the INFPs are dreamers and idealists, they need an outlet for their ideas. These individuals are usually very artistic and they are able to express themselves through art and music.

So many great artists, writers, and other creative visionaries end up depressed and suicidal. When you feel like no one understands you, but at the same time you understand so many people to the core of their soul...the outlook can appear pretty grim.

The INFP possesses strong principles, especially when it comes to morals and what he thinks is right and wrong. When his inner values are in harmony with the values of the company, then he can become a very useful member of the team.

The creative adult is the child who survived.” –Ursula Leguin

The INFP’s quest for perfection before action is a thoroughly impossible one, which can easily eat up years of their lives if they’re not careful.

INFPs see the consequences of their actions as a matter of the utmost importance. INFPs have a great respect for knowledge and for people as well, and they will never make rash or premature decisions when there are a range of vital factors to consider. As long as the stakes are high the standards of INFPs will remain even higher, and no one who knows them will ever accuse them of being imprudent in their calculations or reactionary in their outlook.

However, those who are committed to INFPs know that their mates love to eradicate their frequent bouts of loneliness by spending lots of time connecting emotionally and physically, whether it’s snuggling on the couch and watching a movie or just reading side-by-side in bed.

The life of the party is actually an introverted recluse. She knows the difference between being alone and being lonely. The latter is a feeling she has yet to experience. If she invites you into her world, she plans on keeping you.

We work better with authoritative, empathic leaders, and empathic teachers like ourselves, that fit our morals, values, ethics, and principles.

Don’t be afraid to follow your heart or to do the work you are truly called to do. Don’t buy into the common social constructs of ‘achievement’ or ‘success.’ You define those things differently. And that’s a good thing.

I advise you to stop sharing your dreams with people who try to hold you back, even if they’re your parents. Because, if you’re the kind of person who senses there’s something out there for you beyond whatever it is you’re expected to do—if you want to be EXTRA-ordinary—you will not get there by hanging around a bunch of people who tell you you’re not extraordinary. Instead, you will probably become as ordinary as they expect you to be.

Being alone comes from separating our Self from others. It’s not about taking alone time in order to recharge. It’s the difference between “I’m alone” vs “I need some time alone”. Introverts can take alone time in a crowded bookstore full of strangers. Being alone comes from a state of emotional separation. It’s that wall we place between us and the external. We can do this while having the physical presence of another person or having people in our lives. People who have many friends can still feel alone. People who feel the most alone consistently hold attitudes and take actions that separate themselves, exclude themselves and hold themselves incomparable to others.

Possessing the ability to think deeply about complex issues, but disliking the rigid structure of the traditional education system.

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

These two would tell you that the careers that work best for the INFP personality type are those that allow the person to create and develop ideas.

The INFP is often significantly happier than they let on—they just prefer to process and experience that happiness internally, rather than rubbing it in other people’s faces.

And that’s what I remind myself when I’m feeling any emotion that seems like it will never end—emotions never stay. Even the good ones. You just let them dance through your mind and when they’re meant to move out, they always do. Because the emotions aren’t truths. They don’t represent reality or even my personal identity. They’re just visitors. And they will forever be coming and going.” By

Positive: Their dislike for noisy, boisterous and crowded groups of people ensure that those seeking out the INFPs will get undivided and focused attention that is ready to listen – even for hours, if need be. Friends seeking an evening of quiet companionship at a wine bar or café will have an entirely willing date in the INFP, who would be even more thrilled to have that glass of wine or beer in someone’s living room.

My friendships have stopped being so exclusive and the guidelines have simplified. Does knowing me help someone I know become a better person? Am I becoming a better person knowing someone? Here’s how I know a relationship is working. When I’m with that person, I am happy. I look forward to seeing that person. I’m not afraid that that person will hurt me intentionally. I’m not hesitant to speak up if I do feel hurt. Knowing that person, challenges me to grow. Being around that person gives me comfort when I feel sad. That person is someone I want to celebrate with when things are great. I’ve let go of expecting people to behave a certain way or to treat me a certain way. However, I feel I’m more idealistic about my relationships than I’ve ever been. I want the most difficult thing you can ask a person and that is for them to be themselves, the good and the bad. I want authenticity where many find it hard to be authentic with themselves. It’s from our authentic selves where true connections are made. It’s from those true connections where I finally feel understood.

have the right to be healthy and happy and to pursue their dreams without encumbrance then so do INFPs, and if they neglect their own needs to serve the interests of others they are really just passively accepting the terms of their own oppression.

A dominant-tertiary loop occurs when an INFP ceases to consult their extroverted intuition function and moves directly from their introverted feeling to their introverted sensing. These loops are pervasive patterns of thinking that generally develop as the result of a negative experience or overwhelming life change that the INFP feels incapable of handling. Rather than rising to the new challenge that is facing them or taking action on their current situation, the INFP retreats into themselves to reflect and analyze the chain of events that led them to where they are.

Because if there’s one thing the world doesn’t need, it’s one more INFP trying to act like a type that they’re not. The world has enough extroverts. It has enough sensors. It has enough thinkers and judgers, and each of them is out there fulfilling their uniquely important role within our social ecosystem.

I often find that I can only go so long doing something that I'm not passionate about before I run dry and find myself in a ditch. For this reason, it is important that I have that space, that breather where my creativity and imagination can run wild and be expressed freely to preserve my mental well-being.

Some gifted people have all five and some less. Every gifted person tends to lead with one. As I read this list for the first time I was struck by the similarities between Dabrowski’s overexcitabilities and the traits of Sensitive Intuitives. Read the list for yourself and see what you identify with: Psychomotor This manifests as a strong pull toward movement. People with this overexcitability tend to talk rapidly and/or move nervously when they become interested or passionate about something. They have a lot of physical energy and may run their hands through their hair, snap their fingers, pace back and forth, or display other signs of physical agitation when concentrating or thinking something out. They come across as physically intense and can move in an impatient, jerky manner when excited. Other people might find them overwhelming and they’re routinely diagnosed as ADHD. Sensual This overexcitability comes in the form of an extreme sensitivity to sounds, smells, bright lights, textures and temperature. Perfume and scented soaps and lotions are bothersome to people with this overexcitability, and they might also have aversive reactions to strong food smells and cleaning products. For me personally, if I’m watching a movie in which a strobe light effect is used, I’m done. I have to shut my eyes or I’ll come down with a headache after only a few seconds. Loud, jarring or intrusive sounds also short circuit my wiring. Intellectual This is an incessant thirst for knowledge. People with this overexcitability can’t ever learn enough. They zoom in on a few topics of interest and drink up every bit of information on those topics they can find. Their only real goal is learning for learning’s sake. They’re not trying to learn something to make money or get any other external reward. They just happened to have discovered the history of the Ming Dynasty or Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and now it’s all they can think about. People with this overexcitability have intellectual interests that are passionate and wide-ranging and they study many areas simultaneously. Imaginative INFJ and INFP writers, this is you. This is ALL you. Making up stories, creating imaginary friends, believing in Santa Claus way past the ordinary age, becoming attached to fairies, elves, monsters and unicorns, these are the trademarks of the gifted child with imaginative overexcitability. These individuals appear dreamy, scattered, lost in their own worlds, and constantly have their heads in the clouds. They also routinely blend fiction with reality. They are practically the definition of the Sensitive Intuitive writer at work. Emotional Gifted individuals with emotional overexcitability are highly empathetic (and empathic, I might add), compassionate, and can become deeply attached to people, animals, and even inanimate objects, in a short period of time. They also have intense emotional reactions to things and might not be able to stomach horror movies or violence on the evening news. They have most likely been told throughout their life that they’re “too sensitive” or that they’re “overreacting” when in truth, they are expressing exactly how they feel to the most accurate degree.

I’d rather be alone, than to find myself in an unhealthy or stale relationship.

Así que me fui y lo dejé allí, a la luz de la luna, vigilando la nada.

La capacidad de ilusión, el sueño de otra vida posible.

La idea de someterme a otra forma de vida disciplinada me desesperaba.

¿Para qué hacer grandes cosas si podía divertirme más contándole lo que iba a hacer?

Un soñador, no un estúpido.

Affection there had always been between them, whatever their disagreements—and there had been more of these than Zacharias had permitted Sir Stephen to know.

The longer an INFP stays stuck in a dominant-tertiary loop, the more paralyzed they feel to take any sort of action—because Si has been continuously feeding them reminders of the mistakes they have made in the past. The INFP is likely to feel as though there’s no point in trying new things or attempting to change their circumstances, because they will undoubtedly just mess things up again.

quote by Kelly Cutrone: “I advise you to stop sharing your dreams with people who try to hold you back, even if they’re your parents. Because, if you’re the kind of person who senses there’s something out there for you beyond whatever it is you’re expected to do—if you want to be EXTRA-ordinary—you will not get there by hanging around a bunch of people who tell you you’re not extraordinary. Instead, you will probably become as ordinary as they expect you to be.

He worries a lot and often suffers from feelings of self-doubt. He has a natural attraction to the melancholy side of life. He is drawn to the rain, the minor key, and to suffering. Hardship, infirmity, and misery gain his attention and fuel his passion for healing.

My views in my early 20’s and kept me separate from those around me. Those views were all about making myself feel significant by bringing other people down. I thought having special problems made me special. Problems don’t make people special. Solving them does. My views created an Us-vs-Them perspective of the world. Solving my problem required finding more Us people and to avoid Them. I wanted a special club of Us people. The problem was that all the Us people I found thought that their problems were more unique than the other Us people. We never bonded. We were still separating ourselves by one-upping each other about the uniqueness of our problems. The upside to Us-Vs-Them is that we feel special being Us. Unfortunately feeling special doesn’t outweigh the significant downside. There will always be more Them than Us There has to be. Otherwise, the exclusively club of Us wouldn’t be exclusive. So to maintain the exclusivity, we make more rules in our head to keep others out. We become more dependent on less people and are devastated when those people don’t reciprocate by valuing our friendship with the same mindfulness. Finding more people to connect with seems beyond our control because we automatically put everyone in the Them column and wait for people to work their way into the Us column. The problem is no one wants to have to prove themselves in order to become friends. We end up waiting and waiting.

Personality typing is immensely popular among laypeople. It is not pop psychology, however, nor is it New Age philosophy. It is a time-honored, statistically valid theory that explains difference and that helps people identify their place in the world. These scholars have bequeathed to the world, a starting point for achieving self-knowledge and self-acceptance, life balance, purpose, and fulfillment.

When we start letting people into our gated community, we lavish attention on them since they’re one of the few. We go out of our way to make our newly minted friend feel special. But if we notice that they’re not returning our attention with the same amount of care, we feel taken for granted. Next comes the small conversations like, I know you didn’t mean to do this on purpose, but you hurt my feelings doing these things and not doing these as stipulated in Addendum 1, 3, 4a and 666. Those small conversations become more frequent. We feel better being so generous in our forgiveness of our friends’ little foibles, but our friends are wondering how many more Addendums there are. Friends start treading lightly so the don’t break another Rule that’s part of our value system. They can only be themselves as long it doesn’t break our rules. Is it any wonder our friends choose to move on to less restrictive relationships?

To see how we separate, we first have to examine how we get together. Friendships begin with interest. We talk to someone. They say something interesting and we have a conversation about it. However, common interests don’t create lasting bonds. Otherwise, we would become friends with everyone with whom we had a good conversation. Similar interests as a basis for friendship doesn’t explain why we become friends with people who have completely different interests than we do. In time, we discover common values and ideals. However, friendship through common values and ideals doesn’t explain why atheists and those devout in their faith become friends. Vegans wouldn’t have non-vegan friends. In the real world, we see examples of friendships between people with diametrically opposed views. At the same time, we see cliques form in churches and small organizations dedicated to a particular cause, and it’s not uncommon to have cliques inside a particular belief system dislike each other. So how do people bond if common interests and common values don’t seem to be the catalyst for lasting friendships? I find that people build lasting connections through common problems and people grow apart when their problems no longer coincide. This is why couples especially those with children tend to lose their single friends. Their primary problems have become vastly different. The married person’s problems revolve around family and children. The single person’s problem revolves around relationships with others and themselves. When the single person talks about their latest dating disaster, the married person is thinking I’ve already solved this problem. When the married person talks about finding good daycare, the single person is thinking how boring the problems of married life can be. Eventually marrieds and singles lose their connection because they don’t have common problems. I look back at friends I had in junior high and high school. We didn’t become friends because of long nights playing D&D. That came later. We were all loners and outcasts in our own way. We had one shared problem that bound us together: how to make friends and relate to others while feeling so “different”. That was the problem that made us friends. Over the years as we found our own answers and went to different problems, we grew apart. Stick two people with completely different values and belief systems on a deserted island where they have to cooperate to survive. Then stick two people with the same values and interests together at a party. Which pair do you think will form the stronger bond? When I was 20, I was living on my own. I didn’t have many friends who were in college because I couldn’t relate to them. I was worrying about how to pay rent and trying to stretch my last few dollars for food at the end of the month. They were worried about term papers. In my life now, the people I spend the most time with have kids, have careers, are thinking about retirement and are figuring out their changing roles and values as they get older. These are problems that I relate to. We solve them in different ways because our values though compatible aren’t similar. I feel connected hearing about how they’ve chosen to solve those issues in a way that works for them.

Famous INFPs include Isabel Myers (creator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), St. John the disciple, Carl Rogers, Princess Diana, George Orwell, Audrey Hepburn, Fred Rogers, A.A. Milne, Helen Keller, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Julia Roberts, and William Shakespeare.

Being a successful waitress requires an extroverted charm and charisma, which INFPs might have, but likely only show to their closest friends and family.

The waitresses who make the best tips are usually the most friendly and outgoing, the ones who manage to establish a rapport with their tables, even if they are juggling 10 tables at one time and dealing with some pretty dreadful jerks. Being a successful waitress requires an extroverted charm and charisma, which INFPs might have, but likely only show to their closest friends and family. Furthermore, working around so many other people, both employees and patrons, in a fast-paced environment would leave INFPs absolutely drained.

In addition, the INFP puts great importance on his feelings and values. Therefore, the line of work that he should get into has to be in line with his principles. It is also best if the job, as well as the environment, allows for flexibility in order for the INFP to thrive.

Consequently, it can be a problem if the employee who has the INFP personality perceives that the people he works for have different or contrasting principles.

What the world needs is more INFPs who aren’t afraid to be their passionate, creative, quirky and idealistic selves.

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” – Albert Camus, a rumored INFP

If you create something powerful and important, you must at the very least be driven by an equally powerful inner force.” – Ryan Holiday

Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.”  ― Albert Camus

He can come up with the most exotic things I’ve ever seen or heard of every time he blinks his eyes.

The perks of being an INFP empath is that we are the opposite of narcissists and sociopaths. INFPs, in general, are very spiritual and have profound compassion and an appreciation for nature, beauty, and all of those things that make life worth living.

You might feel deterred by those who seem to have found their way and have accomplished more. I remember feeling inadequate when I saw my peers succeeding in their competitive and specialized programs, such as business and engineering, while I was lost and floundering with an undecided major. However, I believe we're each creating our own unique pathway. I’ve discovered that I don't live fully when I follow someone else's pathway. On the other hand, when I focus on what I want in life, I get more out of it.

But don't ever settle in life and stop pursuing your passions, as pursuing your passions fuels your energy and spirit.

For example, ISTJ people (introverted sensing types preferring thinking to feeling as auxiliary) normally run their outer life with their second-best process, thinking, so it is conducted with impersonal system and order. They do not leave it to their third-best process, feeling, as they would have to do if both their sensing and their thinking were introverted. Similarly, INFP people (introverted feeling types preferring intuition to sensing as auxiliary) normally run their outer life with their second-best process, their intuition, so their outer life is characterized by spurts and projects and enthusiasm.

When I get lonely these days, I think: So BE lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings.”― Elizabeth Gilbert

Being comfortable with being both a dreamer and a romantic is a challenge and an absolute requirement for the INFP. Self-acceptance, particularly of his idealistic approach to life and his love of romance, is an imperative that makes him feel good in his own skin.

An INFP is dedicated to self-knowledge. In fact, in his two editions of Please Understand Me, Keirsey maintained that the INFP wants more than any other type to achieve self-actualization. Learning the intricacies of his type can help him in that pursuit. The INFP values authenticity and he seeks his true life purpose. What he struggles with is self-doubt. The study of the INFP nature provides him with a means of understanding and accepting that the contradictory nature of his type is real and, oftentimes, the source of his self-doubt. The behavioral and emotional manifestations that he shares with other INFP’s, when revealed and explained become his honored truths, rather than his inadequacies.  By gaining a greater understanding of his personality, the INFP Healer is better able to accept himself, perhaps on a deeper level than the other types because self-awareness, meaning and purpose are compelling interests for him. He wants to know why he feels, thinks, or behaves the way he does. For the INFP, the study of personality can be an enjoyable pastime, an engaging intellectual discovery, and a therapeutic treatment for achieving emotional balance and happiness.

When he learns that the reasons for his problems are inherent characteristics of his type, he begins to overcome some of his self-doubt. When he discovers his talents and his uniqueness, he discovers the great Romantic Healer that he truly is. For many INFP’s these discoveries come late in life, for their journey itself can be challenging. But when the INFP comes to embrace his true nature, he is liberated. For the INFP, feeling like a strange dreamer in the clouds becomes a blessed reality rather than a curse.

Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving The closest personality-type to that of the Type T would be the INFP— Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving. The TMSer can fall into any “type” but the more common symptom sufferers are the INFPs—the idealists. Generally:  Hard-driven perfectionists with extremely high standards.  Do not relax well.  Tend to avoid conflict.  Often unaware of their own needs.  Reticent in expressing their emotions.  Genuinely care for other people and are good listeners.  Excellent problem solvers.  Make loyal friends to others as confidants with true compassion.  Their main goal in life is to make the world a better place. These people are idealistic, self-sacrificing, and somewhat cool or reserved. They are very family and home oriented, but don’t relax well. You find them in psychology, architecture, and religion, but never in business. — C. George Boeree, PhD