304 Fake Friends Quotes To Help You Identify The Real Ones

Not everyone has your back, and these lines can help you identify the phonies in the crowd.

Reviewed by John Ryan De Oca, Relationship Expert John Ryan De Oca John Ryan De OcaRelationship Expert insta_icon
Written by Shivani Chandel, MA (English Literature), Certified Relationship Coach Shivani Chandel MA (English Literature), Certified Relationship Coach linkedin_icon Experience: 4 years
Edited by Madhumati Chowdhury, MA (English Literature) Madhumati Chowdhury MA (English Literature) linkedin_icon Experience: 7 years
Last Updated on

You should always care about a friend who stands by you in the ups and downs of your life. But, you should be equally careful about those who just pretend to be your friend. “With friendship, it can be tricky in that we all have different interpretations and values of what friendship consists of,” says Relationship Expert, Dr. John Ryan De Oca.

We have listed some fake friends quotes to help you segregate the phony ones from the real friends. While friendships help us grow as human beings, they may sometimes break for different reasons. If you face such a situation, take a cue from these fake friendship quotes to back you up and ride over the tide of emotions. Read on to know some interesting quotes on fake friends.

Fake Friends Quotes And Sayings

An unhappy woman staring at her fake friend
Image: Created with Dall.E

Read these quotes to get a clearer perspective on identifying those who are merely around for their benefit. These can help you understand the contrast between real friends vs. fake friends.

  1. “Fake people take from you. Wise people simply give.” – Maxime Lagacé
  2. “People may not always tell you how they feel about you, but they will always show you. Pay attention.” – Keri Hilson
  3. “Friends are supposed to make you feel better about yourself. Just remember that.” – Anonymous
  4. “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” – William Shakespeare
  5. “Someone who smiles too much with you can sometimes frown too much with you at your back.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
  6. “I have got more respect for someone who comes out and says they don’t like me than for the ones who act like they do but talk bad about me when I’m not around.” – Mitchell Perry
  7. “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.” – Buddha
  8. “Don’t fear the enemy that attacks you, but the fake friend that hugs you.” – Obameso Sunkanmi
  9. “They don’t miss you when you are gone; they miss you when you move on.” – Anonymous
  10. “Don’t tell me what they say about me. Tell me why they feel comfortable telling you.” – Denzel Washington
  11. “You will be surrounded by many so-called well-wishers during your good times, but there will be only a few ones around you in your bad times.” – Anurag Prakash Ray
  12. “Chocolate friends may not last any longer than fake ones, but they sure as hell taste better.” – Kevin Brooks
  13. “Stay away from fake people because you don’t know when they will throw you.” – Anonymous.
  14. “It is true that one friend who used to mean the world to you and now you cannot trust a single word that comes out of their mouth.” – Anonymous
  15. “True friends are like diamonds, precious and rare. Fake friends are like autumn leaves, found everywhere.” – Ari Joseph
  16. “Fake people talk about other people being Fake. Real people worry about their business and nobody else’s.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour
  17. “Fake friends are like coal. When hot, they burn your hands. When cold, they turn your hands black.” – Anonymous
  18. “Fake friends are like shadows: always near you at your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour. True friends are like stars, you don’t always see them but they are always there.”- Habeeb Akande
  19. “Stay away from negative people. They have a problem, for every solution.”- Albert Einstein
  20. “A fake friend is an enemy in disguise.”- Ellen J. Barrier
  21. “There are folks you just don’t need. You’re better off without them. Your life is just a little better because they ain’t in it.”-William Gay
  22. “If they talk about other people with you, they will talk about you with other people.”- Carlos Wallace
  23. “If you don’t find the right set of eyes to see through your bull, you will always be surrounded by friends that will tell you white lies because they like your company and don’t want to ruin the evening.”- Shannon L. Alder
  24. “Fake friends: those who only drill holes under your boat to get it leaking; those who discredit your ambitions and those who pretend they love you, but behind their backs they know they are in to destroy your legacies.”- Israelmore Ayivor
  25. “You don’t have to live happily ever after with every single person in your life in order to live happily ever after. Some unfortunate endings are necessary.”- Joyce Rachelle
  26. “Fake friends are with you today and against you tomorrow.” – Shizra
  27. “In the age of social media, friends are like snowflakes. They descend in their thousands. They disappear in seconds.” – Mouloud Benzadi
  28. “The biggest coward is a man who awakens a woman’s love with no intention of loving her.” – Bob Marley
  29. “People spread gossips, calumny, and false accusations to destroy their subject victim’s integrity. Question the motive of people who erroneously, offensively, defensively, intrusively, abusively and intentionally brand you as a threat, a risk or a danger to life or security.” – Angelica Hopes
  30. “Always be careful of your friend who loves your enemy; you either trust such a fellow for your life or for your death!”- Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
  31. “If you write about the dark side of people, you are more likely to be closer to the truth, because people don’t pretend to be dark nearly as much as they pretend to be good.” – Robert Black
  32. “A person’s character is shown through their actions in life, not where they sit on Sunday.” – Navonne Johns
  33. “In the beginning, some people try to appear that everything about them is ‘in black and white,’ until later their true colors come out.” – Anthony Liccione

What’s worse than a fake friend? A two-faced friend! Such friends go to any level to make you believe that they have your best interests in mind. However, it isn’t true at all, and you end up being isolated from your true friends. Two-faced friends can also be particularly damaging because they hide their true motives, making it hard to trust them, and others around you, fully. Recognizing their behavior is key to preventing emotional pain. Now let’s check out these indirect quotes for fake friends below.

Two-Faced Fake Friends Quotes

Two-Faced Fake Friends Quotes
Image: Shutterstock

Logan Owens, a blogger, recalls his personal experience of dealing with two-sided friends and how he overcame the fake bond. He shares his entire schooling journey where his “friends” turned out to be his biggest enemies in disguise. He endured those fake friends spreading evil rumors about him, typecasting him, and being mean to him. He feels extremely dejected and adds, “IT BAFFLES ME that people think they can do whatever they want to people and get away with it by telling their victim that they’re just kidding and that they’re the person’s friend. IT IS SICKENING (i).”

  1. “You should be aware of fake friends because it is the hardest to be aware of.” – Eraldo Banovac
  2. “Make sure the lions you roll with aren’t snakes in disguise.” – Genereux Philip
  3. “A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” – Arnold H. Glasow
  4. “The most dangerous among us come dressed as angels, and we learn too late they are the devil in disguise.” – Carlos Wallace
  5. “It is only the great-hearted who can be true friends. The mean and cowardly can never know what true friendship means.” – Charles Kingsley
  6. “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” – Oprah Winfrey
  7. “We never lose friends; fake ones are exposed.” – Carlos Wallace
  8. “The best defense is to keep off the radar of negative people.” – Steven Redhead
  9. “It is necessary, and even vital, to set standards for your life and the people you allow in it.” – Mandy Hale
  10. “One fake friend can do more harm than 10 enemies… Be smart choosing your friends.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour
  11. “What greater wound is there than a false friend?” – Sophocles
  12. “True friends accept you for what you are, wart and all.” – Jeffrey Michael
  13. “Weeding out the harmful influences should become the norm, not the exception.” – Carlos Wallace
  14. “Time passes, and you begin to see people for who they really are and not who they pretend to be.” – Scarlet Koop
  15. “There are people that will give you time when it shines, then fade away when it shades.” – Anthony Liccione
  16. “Friends ask you questions; enemies question you.” – Criss Jami
  17. “You never lose friends. Real ones will always stay no matter what, and the fakes you don’t need anyway.” – Drishti Bablani
  18. “Fake friends are like shadows: always near you at your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour.” – Khalil Gibran
  19. “A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” – Arnold H. Glasow
  20. “Make sure the lions you roll with aren’t snakes in disguise.”- Genereux Philip
  21. “A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.”- Benjamin Franklin
  22. “The most dangerous among us come dressed as angels and we learn too late they are the devil in disguise.” – Carlos Wallace
  23. “People think being alone makes you lonely, but I don’t think that’s true. Being surrounded by the WRONG people is the loneliest thing in the world.”- Kim Culbertson
  24. “Caring and conscientious people cannot stand to see anyone suffering and the manipulator often finds it easy to play on sympathy to get cooperation.”- George K. Simon Jr.
  25. “Stop entertaining two-faced people. You know the ones who have split personalities and untrustworthy habits.”- Amaka Imani Nkosazana
  26. “Neither a fake friend nor a liar can be trusted, with a secret.”- Ellen J. Barrier
  27. “Flee from fake friends. There is nothing called half-truth. Whatever looks like a lie is a lie!”- Israelmore Ayivor
  28. “Don’t ever let someone tell you the value you don’t have, in order to be in someone’s life. That is often the value they feel you have, not that person.”- Shannon L. Alder
  29. “Don’t be fooled by their masks. Fake people eventually show their true colors. Just wait until their mask needs cleaning.” – Sonya Parker
  30. “The worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even further beyond any other emotional pain one can feel. It is the betrayal of a friend.” – Heather Brewer
  31. “When dealing with two faced people, it is difficult to know which face is uglier, the real one or the manufactured one.”- Matshona Dhliwayo
  32. “Those who clap you on the back with one hand may clench envy’s mask behind theirs with the other.”- Stewart Stafford
  33. “Some people are like moths. They come to be around you when your life is bright and nice. They come to amuse themselves through your light. But, they also flee as soon as the lights go off.”- Mitta Xinindlu

It is an accomplishment to unveil the true face of a fake friend finally. Pat yourself on the back for not falling into their trap, and enjoy some funny quotes below as a reward for thinking on your feet. Humor can be an effective way to cope with fake friendships. These witty quotes not only emphasize the ridiculousness of fake friends but also offer a light-hearted approach to move on.

Sassy Fake Friends Quotes

Sassy Fake Friends Quotes
Image: Shutterstock
  1. “They are not happy for you because they wish it were them.” – Carlos Wallace
  2. “Sometimes, it is not the people who change; it is the mask that falls off.” – Mhaj Porras
  3. “Fake friends are like shadows: always near you at your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour.” – Habeeb Akande
  4. “If you are not going to be a comfort, have the decency to be an empty space.” – Jennifer Crusie
  5. “Thank God I found the GOOD in goodbye.” – Beyoncé Knowles
  6. “Fake people are like pennies, two-faced and worthless.” – Anonymous
  7. “It makes no sense to try to extend a fake friendship that was only meant to be a season into a lifetime.” – Mandy Hale
  8. “Letting go means to realize that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” – Steve Maraboli
  9. “Fake friends tell you pretty lies; true friends tell you ugly truths.” – Anonymous
  10. “You will evolve past certain people. Let yourself.” – Mandy Hale
  11. “I realize there is something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they are experts at letting things go.” – Jeffrey McDaniel
  12. “When people can walk away from you, let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.” – T.D. Jakes
  13. “The most dangerous creature on this earth is a fake friend.” – Anonymous
  14. “I hate two-faced people. It is so hard to decide which face to slap first.” – Anonymous
  15. “Sometimes the person you’d take a bullet for ends up being behind the gun.” – Tupac Amaru Shakur
  16. “The only keeper of your happiness is you. Stop giving people the power to control your smile, your worth, and your attitude.” – Mandy Hale
  17. “Pay close attention to those who don’t clap when you win.” – Anonymous
  18. “How to make life peaceful and happy? The answer is simple and easy: Just delete all negative and destructive people from your life always and forever.”- Lord Robin
  19. “Candor is a compliment; it implies equality. It’s how true friends talk.”- Peggy Noonan
  20. “I despise the rituals of fake friendship. I wish we could just claw each other’s eyes out and call it a day; instead, we put on huge radiant smiles and spout compliments until our teeth hurt from the saccharine sweetness of it all.”- Jody Gehrman
  21. “You cannot expect to live a positive life if you hang with negative people.”- Joel Osteen
  22. “The point is not that I don’t recognize bad people when I see them — I grant you I may quite well be taken in by them — the point is that I know a good person when I see one.”- Enid Blyton
  23. “I have found the best way to deal with a toxic person is to not respond in any other way than monotone voice and a businesslike manner.”- Jen Grice
  24. “If you’re absent during my struggle, don’t expect to be present during my success.” – Will Smith
  25. “It’s funny how the people who know the least about you, always have the most to say.” – Auliq Ice
  26. “What’s the whole point of being pretty on the outside when you’re so ugly on the inside?” – Jess C. Scott
  27. “Act like you trust people, but don’t.” – Mayank Chawla
  28. “Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. They pretend to be your friend first.” – Steve Irwin
  29. “We must learn to sanitize our environment from time to time to remove bad associates”- Victor Walsh Oluwafemi
  30. “Cut off fake people for real reasons, not real people for fake reasons.” – Ritu Ghatourey
  31. “Learn to use the criticism as fuel and you will never run out of energy.” – Orrin Woodward
  32. “Fake friends often save you from being naive.” – Dr. P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar
  33. “You are not really one of some of your friends’ friends.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Remind yourself that even though it feels like you have lost a friend, you have instead gained perspective and saved yourself from potential emotional damage. Face this challenging time like the ferocious queen you are!

Savage Fake Friends Quotes

Savage Fake Friends Quotes
Image: Shutterstock
  1. “Fake people are like costume jewelry: They look great for a while, then all of a sudden, their true selves ‘shine’ through.” – Nitya Prakash
  2. “I’m so tired of fake friends, drama, liars, being ignored, getting hurt.” – Anonymous
  3. “Fake people are like soap bubbles; they pop out when the sun shines brightly.” – Chiranjude Bird
  4. “Growing up means realizing a lot of your friends aren’t really your friends.” – Anonymous
  5. “Always sleep with one eye open. Never take anything for granted. Your best friends might just be your enemies.” – Sara Shepard
  6. “I love straightforward people. The lack of drama makes life so much easier.” – Anonymous
  7. “I just trust my intuition, taking into account the psychology of things. Therefore, I am not persuaded by facts, but by behaviors.” – Maria Karvouni
  8. “Don’t trust everything you see. Even salt looks like sugar.” – Narges Obaid
  9. “If you want to be my friend, I prefer honesty to fake praise. I was never one to run with the wolves.” – Christina Strigas
  10. “When you see the genuine, you don’t deal with the fakes anymore.” – Nima Davani
  11. “A friend to all is a friend to none.” – Aristotle
  12. “It is funny how the people who know the least about you always have the most to say.” – Auliq Ice
  13. “You don’t lose friends because real friends can never be lost. You lose people masquerading as friends, and you are better for it.” – Mandy Hale
  14. “I love fake people, provided they are mannequins.” – Pushpa Rana
  15. “Fake friends: once they stop talking to you, they start talking about you.” – Anonymous
  16. “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.” – Anonymous
  17. “Toxic people will pollute everything around them. Don’t hesitate. Fumigate.”- Mandy Hale
  18. “The difference between my darkness and your darkness is that I can look at my own badness in the face and accept its existence while you are busy covering your mirror with a white linen sheet. You are a white witch, a wizard; your spells are manipulations and your cauldron from hell yet you wrap yourself in white and wear a silver wig.”- C. JoyBell
  19. “Toxic people attach themselves like cinder blocks tied to your ankles, and then invite you for a swim in their poisoned waters.”- John Mark Green
  20. “Before you count your friends, make sure you can count on them. Some friends are only around when they want something from you but are never there when you need something from them.”- Rashida Rowe
  21. “The problem with wearing a facade is that sooner or later life shows up with a big pair of scissors.”- Craig D. Lounsbrough
  22. “Only when you are in trouble do you realize who your true friends are… And, my dear, you will be surprised!”- Charbel Tadros
  23. “Stay away from lazy parasites, who perch on you just to satisfy their needs, they do not come to alleviate your burdens, hence, their mission is to distract, detract and extract, and make you live in abject poverty.”- Michael Bassey Johnson
  24. “An honest enemy is better than a best friend who lies.”- Vandi Tanko
  25. “Being blinded in love and friendship is a common mistake.”- Eraldo Banovac
  26. “A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction.”- Criss Jami
  27. “Some people will insult your intelligence by suddenly being nice or nicer to you once you make it.”- Mokokoma Mokhonoana
  28. “‘Best friends’ has 11 letters, but so does ‘backstabber.’” – Wiz Khalifa
  29. “The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that’s also a hypocrite!” – Tennessee Williams
  30. “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” – Gloria Steinem
  31. “A friend to all, is not a friend to anyone.” – Mike Skinner
  32. “Sometimes I need what only you can provide: your absence.” – Ashleigh Brilliant

People can pretend to be your friend to either gain something from you or pull you down with them. Beware of such negative influences, and don’t let their ego-centric plans come to fruition. Nip such toxic relationships in the bud.

Selfish Fake Friends Quotes

Selfish Fake Friends Quotes
Image: Shutterstock
  1. “Real friends don’t throw shade. They encourage. They know your insecurities and inspire you to evolve through kindness, love, and patience.” – Christina Daniels
  2. “Love does not dwell on how much one receives in return. If there is ever any balance in love, it is in a contest of who can love who more.” – Criss Jami
  3. “If you want to be a generous giver, you have to watch out for selfish takers.” – Adam Grant
  4. “If he doesn’t follow through with actions, he is either selfish or a liar. Neither makes him sound like ‘the one,’ does it?” – Matthew Hussey
  5. “It is also selfish because it makes you feel good when you help others. I have been helped by acts of kindness from strangers. That is why we are here, after all, to help others.” – Carol Burnett
  6. “Selfish people also tend to have victim mindsets… Their actions plant seeds of loneliness; then they cry upon the blooming.” – Steve Maraboli
  7. “What you love is your own love. It is not love; it is selfishness. It is not me you think of, but what you feel about me.” – John Fowles
  8. “Selfishness comes from poverty in the heart, from the belief that love is not abundant.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
  9. “This is what happens. You tell your friends your most personal secrets, and they use them against you.” – Sophie Kinsella
  10. “If you claim to be a real friend, then be real in your soul. If you claim to be fake, then be an enemy instead.” – Santosh Kalwar
  11. “A genuine enemy is more useful than a fake friend.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
  12. “Always be true to your friends, just as you are to yourself.” – Meg Cabot
  13. “People hate those who make them feel their own inferiority.” – Lord Chesterfield
  14. “The fastest way to lose friends and alienate people is to get better and improve yourself.” – Toby Young
  15. “Having a jealous friend is like having a bad habit.” – Urban Saying
  16. “Fake friends get mad when we don’t pretend to like them.” – Carlos Wallace
  17. “Until you realize how easy it is for your mind to be manipulated, you remain the puppet of someone else’s game.”- Evita Ochel
  18. “As you grow older, you realize it becomes less important to have more friends and more important to have real ones.”- Ziad K. Abdelnour
  19. “There are those whose primary ability is to spin wheels of manipulation. It is their second skin and without these spinning wheels, they simply do not know how to function. They are like toys on wheels of manipulation and control. If you remove one of the wheels, they’ll never be able to feel secure, be whole.”- C. JoyBell
  20. “Buy a gift for a dog, and you’ll be amazed at the way it will dance and swerve its tail, but if you don’t have anything to offer to it, it won’t even recognize your arrival; such are the attributes of fake friends.”- Michael Bassey Johnson
  21. “Some people are willing to betray years of friendship just to get a little bit of the spotlight.” – Lauren Conrad
  22. “The betrayal of trust carries a heavy taboo.” – Aldrich Ames
  23. “You will never have to question the intentions or integrity of people who have your best interest at heart.”- Germany Kent
  24. “There will always be real friends and fake friends. It is difficult to distinguish the two because both will appear the same in the beginning but so different at the end.” – Rita Zahara
  25. “So much of what we learn about love is taught by people who never really loved us.” – R.H. Sins
  26. “Have trouble spotting a selfish person? It’s about their schedule, their needs, their hurt feelings, their ideas, their goals, their…” – Shanen Thomas
  27. “A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” – Arnold H. Glasow
  28. “Eliminate those fake friends who seem real when you have something and disappear when you have nothing.” – Rashida Rowe
  29. “Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either.” – Erich Fromm
  30. “Some of my “best friends” never say a word to me.”- Emily Smallmon
  31. “Don’t be sad or afraid when you start losing friends, be glad you’re getting rid of the fake ones. Stay true to yourself.” – Terry Mark
  32. “People wear masks of lies so that they look attractive, so be careful.” – Muhammad Saqib

Eleanor Roosevelt, the former first lady of the U.S., said, “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” This everlasting impression is proof of your friend’s unfaltering loyalty and belief in you. However, a fake friend’s loyalty is as fickle as the wind. It changes with your circumstances.

Quotes For Fake Friends’ Loyalty

Quotes For Fake Friends’ Loyalty
Image: Shutterstock
  1. “The only thing more frustrating than slanderers is those foolish enough to listen to them.” – Chris Jami
  2. “Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater.” – George Washington Carver
  3. “Pretend to be poor in reality, and you will notice a decrease in your friends’ list and requests.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
  4. “No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow.” – Alice Walker
  5. “Fake friends are like shadows. They follow you in the sun but leave you in the dark.” – Anonymous
  6. “Letting go of toxic people in your life is a big step in loving yourself.” – Hussein Nishah
  7. “Learn to use the criticism as fuel, and you will never run out of energy.” – Orrin Woodward
  8. “We never lose friends. We simply learn who the real ones are.” – Unknown
  9. “It takes a special kind of person to be a hater, but only a true loser will give the impression of being your friend while resenting every progress/success in your life.” – Cory Stallworth
  10. “There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature.” – Jane Austen
  11. “Fire false friends. They are in to fast-forward your fall and failure.” – Israelmore Ayivor
  12. “A lot of problems in the world would disappear if we talk to each other instead of about each other.” – Anonymous
  13. “You got nothing to lose. You don’t lose when you lose fake friends.” – Joan Jett
  14. “A friendship that can cease has never been real.” – St. Jerome
  15. “Fake friends believe in rumors. Real friends believe in you.” – Yolanda Hadid
  16. “At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life.” – Sandi Lynn
  17. “A friend who stands with you in pressure is more valuable than a hundred ones who stand with you in pleasure.”- Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
  18. “You always knew after bad things happened, who your friends really were.”- Jodi Picoult
  19. “Part of the journey in life is slipping and falling along the way; in these times true friends are the ones who pick you up and dust you off.”- Ken Poirot
  20. “The real friends are out there on your own, on your lost and on your special days. If they aren’t there, take it like they aren’t your friends, find other friends.”- Deyth Banger
  21. “Expect while reaching for the stars, people to whirl by with their dark clouds and storm upon you.”- Anthony Liccione
  22. “Money and power attract friends. But it’s not you they’re friends with – just your money and power. Only affection brings genuine friends.”- Auliq Ice
  23. “It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.” – Confucius
  24. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
  25. “It makes such a difference to go through life with a kind friend on the inside rather than a critic who is telling us how we’re messing up.” – Kim Fredrickson
  26. “Fake love is to money what fire is to hay, there only remain ash when it is over”- Bangambiki Habyarimana
  27. “A friend who stands with you in pressure is more valuable than a hundred ones who stand with you in pleasure.” – Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
  28. “One of the main roles of our financial problems is to weed out our fake friends.”- Mokokoma Mokhonoana
  29. “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchell
  30. “An acquaintance merely enjoys your company, a fair-weather companion flatters when all is well, a true friend has your best interests at heart and the pluck to tell you what you need to hear.”- E.A. Bucchianeri
  31. “Stop falling for those who won’t raise you up in the future.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
  32. “If I doubt your intentions I will never trust your actions.” – Carlos Wallace
  33. “The strong-minded rise to the challenge of their goals and dreams. The weak-minded become haters.” – Steve Maraboli

Differentiating a real friend from a fake one can be tricky sometimes. The quotes in the next section pinpoint how true and false friendships feel to help you make better decisions. Keep scrolling!

Real Friends Vs. Fake Friends Quotes

Real Friends Vs. Fake Friends Quotes
Image: Shutterstock
  1. “It’s hard to tell who has your back, from who has it long enough just to stab you in it.” – Nicole Richie
  2. “Having fake friends is like hugging cactus. The tighter you hug, the more pain you get.” – Riza Prasetyaningsih
  3. “The best way to stop being frustrated is to not expect anything from someone.” – Anonymous
  4. “Be very careful of who you share your problem with; remember that not every friend that smiles at you is your best friend.” – Kemmy Nola
  5. “False friendship, like the ivy, decays and ruins the walls it embraces; but true friendship gives new life and animation to the object it supports.” – Richard Burton
  6. “Some people’s fake is more honest than other people’s real.” – Stephen Chbosky
  7. “Life is all about losing friends, the people you know. So, just that you get better at finding the ones worth suffering for.” – Mohit Kaushik
  8. “The only wolves we got to fear are the ones wear manskin.” – George R.R. Martin
  9. “Fake people will insult you in front of the whole world, but those who are true to you will insult you more but in private.” – Shizra
  10. “It is a sad day when you find out who your friends aren’t.” – Unknown
  11. “I no longer have the energy for meaningless friendships, forced interactions, or unnecessary conversations.” – Joquesse Eugenia
  12. “The sieves of time filter out the fakes from the real. Don’t look back for them; they were filtered out for your refinement.” – Drishti Bablani
  13. “Fake friends are worse than real enemies.” – Anonymous
  14. “The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you.” – Bette Midler
  15. “Don’t break your back for a man that wouldn’t even scratch yours.” – Anonymous
  16. “I love my enemies; at least they admit that they don’t like me.” – Anonymous
  17. “The knives of betrayal and drama cut deep and hurt… but they also trim away the nonsense and reveal your true friends.”- Steve Maraboli
  18. “The secret lies of manipulative folks, however hidden and cunningly twisted shall eventually come out. Never trust manipulative politically motivated, sly liars while they pretend to be “true friends” with noble and just cause.”- Angelica Hopes
  19. “One should have the ability to distinguish between real and fake. Specially Real and Fake Love.” – George Femtom
  20. “True friends esteem you of greater worth than you feel deserving. False friends demand you prove that worth.”- Richelle E. Goodrich
  21. “A messy house is a must – it separates your true friends from other friends. Real friends are there to visit you not your house!”- Jennifer Wilson
  22. “Your job won’t take care of you when you’ll be sailing through loneliness or going through a tragedy in life. Your friends will. Make good friends and stay in touch.”- Chanda Kaushik
  23. “When I see a fellow-creature about to perish through the cowardice of her pretended friends, I wish to be allowed to speak, that I may say what I know of her character.”- Mary Shelley
  24. “Life’s a battlefield, and we remain loyal to those who fight for us; those who’d die for us.”- Crystal Woods
  25. “Share your weaknesses. Share your hard moments. Share your real side. It’ll either scare away every fake person in your life or it will inspire them to finally let go of that mirage called “perfection,” which will open the doors to the most important relationships you’ll ever be a part of.”- Dan Pearce
  26. “The first impression is not the last reflection of a true friend, so if you are head over heels for someone who just bought you a cake, you’d better think twice before devouring your misery.”-Michael Bassey Johnson
  27. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou
  28. “In one respect indeed, our employment may be reckoned dishonest, because, like great Statesmen, we encourage those who betray their friends.” – John Gay
  29. “If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.” – E.M. Forster
  30. “Friendship is also about liking a person for their failings, their weakness. It’s also about mutual help, not about exploitation.” – Paul Theroux
  31. “A friend is with you in the sunshine and the darkness; a fake friend is one who is only there for the sunshine.” – Catherine Pulsifer
  32. “As you go through life, you will find that your acquaintances will be many, but only your true friends will share your pain as well as your pleasure.” – Heidi Catherine

With the world more inclined towards materialism, it is hard to find someone who is your friend without any ulterior motive. Head to the next section for quotes that reflect this bleak reality of fake friends being commonplace and true friendship being elusive.

Sarcastic Quotes About Fake Friends

Sarcastic Quotes About Fake Friends
Image: Shutterstock
  1. “Fake people don’t surprise me anymore; loyal people do.” – Unknown
  2. “My real friends never hearing from me, fake friends write the wrong answers on the mirror for me.” – Aubrey Drake Graham
  3. “Fake people have an image to maintain. Real people just don’t care.” – Hikigaya Hachiman
  4. “Don’t become so nice in this world where all are wearing a mask on their face to fool you.” – Anonymous
  5. “I love my phone because all my friends live inside it.” – Anonymous
  6. “Good friends are like stars. You cannot always see them, but you will know that they are there.” – Christy Evans
  7. “When our phones fall, we panic. When our friends fall, we laugh.” – Anonymous
  8. “Tell people how it is, be real, and be honest. If you see something wrong, make sure you speak up. Being this way will naturally eliminate the snakes and fakes.” – John Maiorana
  9. “When you are up there, hundreds of people will claim you as a friend. When you are down, you are lucky if one will buy you a cup of coffee.” – Frank W. Abagnale
  10. “Counting other people’s sins does not make you saint.” – Anonymous
  11. “The crap you hear about me might be true, or it could be as fake as the person who told you.” – Anonymous
  12. “Everybody has the right to be stupid. But you are abusing the privilege.” – Anonymous
  13. “Fake people show their colors when they have no use for you anymore.” – Anonymous
  14. “Fake people will always hate you because you are better than them, so move forward and stay away.” – Anonymous
  15. “Real friends don’t get offended when you insult them. They smile and call you something even more offensive.” – Anonymous
  16. “You don’t know what are they hiding in their heart, so don’t trust until you find.” – Anonymous
  17. “Being too nice is a crime today. Fake friends are everywhere around you. They will use you, and when you are of no use, throw you away like a wrapper.” – Shizra
  18. “Life is full of fake people, but before you decide to judge them, make sure you are not one of them.” – Anonymous
  19. “The word ‘friend’ is a label anyone can try on. You decide who is best suited to wear it.” – Carlos Wallace
  20. “One good thing about being in a bad situation: it makes picking out fake friends really easy.” – Anonymous
  21. “Being betrayed is one of the most valuable lessons life can teach.”- Shania Twain
  22. “If you choose bad companions, no one will believe that you are anything but bad yourself.”- Aesop
  23. “What a desperate, pathetic fool I was. Time after time, my “friends” had shown me their true colors. Yet, I still wanted to believe they were sorry for causing me pain.”- Jodee Blanco
  24. “Friends with spiteful hearts and thousand eyes of evil, mock not my slumbering glory.”- Darmie Orem
  25. “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”- Arthur Conan Doyle
  26. “Money can’t buy friends, but it can get you a better class of enemy.” – Spike Milligan
  27. “Being fake is so common now that being real is seen as offensive.” – Chris Ruden
  28. “Never give your attention to someone who deserves your silence.”- Emma Xu
  29. “If it comes, let it come. If it goes, it’s ok, let it go. Let things come and go. Stay calm, don’t let anything disturb your peace, and carry on.” – Germany Kent
  30. “People’s bullshit and fakeness are the main reasons why I like to be alone.” – Megan Fox
  31. “Be careful who you call your friends. I’d rather have four quarters than one hundred pennies.” – Al Capone
  32. “I would so much rather have a few of good friends than a lot of fake friends.” – Lauren Conrad
  33. “People say they hate having fake people around, but when you keep it real, they hate you even more. People don’t like the truth.” – DeMarcus Cousins
  34. “We would never become friends with most if not all of the people with whom we have been friends for many years, if we had met them only a few weeks ago.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
  35. “Hard times and fake friends are like oil and water: they don’t mix.”- Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
  36. “You create more space in your life when you turn your excess baggage to garbage.” – Chinonye J. Chudolue
  37. “The fake people do not dare to come out from their mask and face the truth of the real ones.”- Ehsan Sehgal
  38. “When people smile at a rich man, they are smiling at his wallet.”- Matshona Dhliwayo
  39. “Shattered legs may heal in time, but some betrayals fester and poison the soul.”- George R.R. Martin
  40. “Betrayal is common for men with no conscience.”- Toba Beta

You can get rid of fake friends once their reality becomes known. But what do you do when those people are also a part of your extended family? Stay on your toes, and don’t place your trust in them again. After all, isolation is better than an imposter’s company.

Fake Family Friends Quotes

Fake Family Friends Quotes
Image: Shutterstock
  1. “Most people want to see you do better, but not doing better than them.” – London Mond
  2. “Fake friends smile when you are down. True friends celebrate when you are up.” – Matshona Dhliwayo
  3. “You don’t evolve with fake friends or people that are not on your level. It’s much better to stay alone; then you can evolve.” – Cristi Cris
  4. “Better an honest enemy than a false friend.” – German Proverb
  5. “Friendship is delicate as a glass. Once broken, it can be fixed, but there will always be cracks.” – Waqar Ahmed
  6. “Hatred imprisons the haters; love opens doors.” – Debasish Mridha
  7. “Controllers, abusers, and manipulative people don’t question themselves. They don’t ask themselves if the problem is them; they always say the problem is someone else.” – Darlene Quimet
  8. “Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away.” – Ismail Haniyeh
  9. “Make no mistake about it, people who say they love you but cannot be happy for your success do not love you.” – Germany Kent
  10. “Bitter truth of life. To have some genuine friends, you need to have some fake ones too.” – Shikha Kaul
  11. “A fake friend is someone that ridicules your feelings, steps on your emotions, and gossips about you behind your back.” – Karon Waddell
  12. “People only throw shade on what is shining.” – Genereux Philip
  13. “Hard times and fake friends are like oil and water: they don’t mix.” – Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
  14. “Knowledge planted in truth grows in truth. Strength born of peace loses nothing to hate.” – Aberjhani
  15. “I would choose to live a century in a dark room instead of hanging out with fake friends.” – Sher E Yazdan
  16. “Stay real, stay loyal, or stay away from me.” – Anonymous
  17. “Like a rose, a fake friend exposes the petals in the tongue and hides the spikes in the heart.” – Nour Belhaj
  18. “I would rather be lonely than be friends with non-friends. Losing friends is hard, but losing fake friends, as it turns out, is pretty damn easy.” – Mindy Kaling
  19. “The toxic behaviors were there before you decided to enter into relationships with them. The signs were there. You may have chosen to look the other way, but the signs were there.”- P.A. Speers
  20. “Narcissists are consumed with maintaining a shallow false self to others. They’re emotionally crippled souls that are addicted to attention.”- Shannon L. Alder
  21. “Yes, the people around us can be insensitive, narcissistic, toxic, and sometimes even abusive, but it is up to us to take that energy on or let it flow through us. No one is responsible for taking away our happiness but us.”- Aletheia Luna
  22. “Don’t let toxic people infect you with the fear of giving and receiving one of the most powerful forces in this world… LOVE!”- Yvonne Pierre
  23. “Betrayal is never easy to handle and there is no right way to accept it.” – Christine Feehan
  24. “How empty are the insincere words of people who, so easily, speak forth “love,” “family” and “friendship” without meaning what they say even if their intentions are good albeit mere flattery.”- Donna Lynn Hope
  25. “You didn’t acknowledge my existence when I was struggling. You didn’t even support my efforts. I’m now shocked at your sudden interest in my success.”- Mitta Xinindlu
  26. “Convince people that you need them, and watch what they do.” – Wayne Gerard Trotman
  27. “Sometimes, you have to give up on people. Not because you don’t care but because they don’t.” – Jennifer Green
  28. “Never contract friendship with a man that is not better than thyself.” – Confucius
  29. “One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.” – Euripides
  30. “A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor’s.” – Richard Whately
  31. “We have to be cautious of who we allow in our circle because a frenemy can be more destructive than an enemy.”- Angel Moreira
  32. “We sometimes wish for the prosperity of someone who is secretly praying for our downfall.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
  33. “Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings, and emotions.” – Will Smith
  34. “Controllers, abusers, and manipulative people don’t question themselves. They don’t ask themselves if the problem is them…they always say the problem is someone else.” – Darlene Quimet
  35. “Fake relationships and fake people coming up to me and all of a sudden wanting to be my friend.” – Jason Ritter
  36. “Anyone can just speak words, but only one that is tried-and-true can mean them.”- Terry O’Neal

Once you understand the reality of your fake friend and their phony and backstabbing behavior, learn your lesson from experience, find hidden benefits in the negatives, and then move on. Whether you are dealing with poisonous friendships or an obligatory social interaction, cutting someone out of your life is a difficult decision. We hope these quotes help you determine the value of moving on from fake friends.

The best way to identify fake friends is to learn some characteristic traits of this damaging relationship. Check out the next section to properly understand fake friendships.

Understanding Fake Friendships

There are a few ways by which you can differentiate between genuine friendship from fake ones, learn about them below.

  • Inconsistent Behavior: Fake friends often show interest only when it benefits them, leading to unpredictable support and affection.
  • Lack Of Empathy: Genuine friendships involve mutual care, while fake ones tend to ignore or dismiss your feelings.
  • Superficial Conversations: The depth of conversations often remain shallow, focusing on surface-level topics rather than meaningful exchanges about emotions or personal matters.
  • Manipulation And Control: These friends may subtly manipulate situations to their advantage, using guilt, flattery, or pressure to maintain control over the relationship.
  • Feelings Of Draining: Instead of feeling energized after interactions, you might feel emotionally drained, exhausted, or unvalued. Such a friendship can take a toll on your self-esteem as well.

Infographic: 10 Fitting Quotes About Fake Friends

Nothing teaches you a harder lesson about life than a fake or backstabbing friend. They can hide in plain sight but not for too long if you know how to smoke them out. If you have experienced the pain of trusting a fake friend, you will definitely relate to the quotes listed in the infographic below. If you have been lucky, these quotes will protect you from falling under the grip of two-faced friends. Scroll down to take a look!

10 fitting quotes about fake friends (infographic)

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

It is not easy to find out who is your genuine friend and who is just hanging out with you for ulterior motives. Fake friends can take away the peace of your mind and gradually make you feel inadequate without any fault of yours. And you shouldn’t let anyone do this to you. You deserve love, light, and happiness. And that is where our fake friends’ quotes will help you. We hope these fake best friend quotes have given you quite a good idea about how to recognize fake friends and cut them off from your life. So, protect yourself from these toxic people.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the signs of fake friends?

Fake friends do not punctuate their words with their actions. They hang around you only when they need you, hold you back from growing, manipulate you into doing their bidding, or shame you whenever you prioritize yourself. Your bond is one-sided; you do everything to hold on to them, but they only care about themselves. It is better to cut these friends off instead of trying to tolerate them and letting them drain you out.

Can a friend ghost you?

Yes. A friend can ghost you sometimes. However, this is most common in one-sided friendships. The person who ghosts the other was not really a friend.

How do you avoid fake friends?

Once you notice the sign of fake friends, do not hesitate to put your foot down and let them know that you wish to maintain a good distance from them. Do not share your thoughts and space with them. Do not let them manipulate you into keeping them around. You must reach out to your closest authority figure if they do not respect your wishes. There is no shame in taking help when someone is trying to bully you. “Also be careful you are not dropping the ball too fast. Sometimes a friendship needs to be nurtured a little longer. Often times we can confuse an acquaintance with a friend based on how much we like them. It’s best to be open-minded and curious,” advises Dr. De Oca.

Why does a friend become an enemy?

Friends become enemies only when there has been a lot of trust, emotions, and sincerity invested in the bond, but there is a sense of betrayal from one or both sides. The more one has given to a friendship, the more pain one feels when the other hurts them. If they cannot communicate about it and forgive each other, they could turn into enemies.

How should I handle a fake friend?

To handle a fake friend, assess the relationship honestly, set clear boundaries, and eventually distance yourself if necessary. Prioritize your emotional well-being by surrounding yourself with supportive, genuine people who truly value you.

Key Takeaways

  • Real friends support you, accept you as you are, and help you grow in your life.
  • Fake friends will talk bad about other people and will be jealous of your success.
  • It is better to distance yourself from such friends as they bring negativity and drama to your life. Instead, spend time with friends who add positivity and value to your life.


Fake friends can take away your mental peace and affect your self-worth. Click on this video for some of the best fake friends quotes and cut off such people from your life.

Personal Experience: Source

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John Ryan De Oca
John Ryan De OcaRelationship Expert
John Ryan De Oca is a relationship expert with six years of experience in coaching people and helping them achieve their desired outcomes with a mind-body-soul approach. He aims to transform how his clients feel about themselves and make them feel confident in their relationships.

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Shivani Chandel
Shivani ChandelBeauty & Lifestyle Writer
Shivani Chandel is a postgraduate in English literature from Panjab University, Chandigarh and a certified relationship coach. She has four years of experience in copy editing and writing about entertainment, health, lifestyle, and beauty.

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Madhumati ChowdhuryAssociate Editor
Madhumati is an associate editor with seven years of professional experience. She has previously worked as an editor, proofreader, and a writer with various organizations, helping her navigate through the various facets of content creation and refinement with ease.

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