People Who Are Mental & Emotional Hypocrites Usually Say 8 Phrases In Casual Conversation
Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels Despite everything hypocrites promise or condemn about others, their actions rarely align with the moral compass they try to convince people they have.
They come across as fake. And while their subtle deceit can be hidden with excuses and justifications, you can usually spot a mental and emotional hypocrite by the phrases they say in casual conversations.
Phrases people who are mental and emotional hypocrites say often
1. 'I can't believe they would do that'
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Many hypocrites make a scene calling out other people's behavior, even though they've actually done the same thing before. They gossip behind people's backs and tell lies, demonizing them but continuing to give themselves a pass and expecting grace.
They'll find any excuse to avoid accountability and justify their own behavior, but when it's someone else, empathy eludes them.
2. 'But I didn't mean it'
The most hypocritical people are usually operating with their own ease and comfort in mind. They have all the justifications for why their intentions were right and their behavior doesn't deserve the same treatment they're giving others.
But they won't offer the same compassion in any way for others. They see the nuance when it works for them. Otherwise, someone's intentions mean nothing.
Intentions don't take away the sting of someone's bad behavior or fix a mistake, but having empathy for what someone meant to do and what they actually did creates a safe space to grow.
3. 'That's unforgivable to me'
We all do stupid things and make mistakes. That's exactly why it's often hypocritical to hold a mistake over someone's head and be unwilling to forgive, especially if you expect to have grace given to you.
Yes, hold your boundaries and protect yourself. Don't allow yourself to be walked all over or tolerate disrespect over and over again.
But truly secure people can still be kind and empathetic to people who have hurt them. Hypocritical people, on the other hand, try to pretend like they're a perfect person and claim victimhood all the time, even when it comes at the expense of trust in their relationships.
4. 'Have I ever lied to you?'
We often perceive people as more hypocritical when they apologize and express guilt about something, only to do the same thing over and over again. They may call out their own wrongdoing in the moment, but still find a way to justify doing it again.
That's why it's so confusing and annoying when we hear "Have I ever lied to you?" or "Have I ever wronged you?" from someone who was just apologizing about this behavior a few days or months prior. Not only does it completely invalidate the apology, but it feels disingenuous for them to call someone else out when they have the same behavior.
5. 'I would never do that to you'
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A hypocrite's words never match their actions, no matter how earnest their promises seem in the moment. They rarely honor their commitments, especially when it doesn't protect their own comfort.
Even if it's not blatantly manipulative, they curate an innocent narrative and make other people believe it when their actions don't align. "I would never do that to you" is not only a blatant lie, but a way for them to condemn others without owning up to their own misbehavior.
6. 'Just be yourself'
Authentic people aren't universally liked because they don't change their personality depending on who's in the room. We all have expectations for how someone acts, and when their authentic self doesn't align, it can feel uncomfortable.
The most hypocritical people are the first ones to preach about being authentic and telling everyone to "just be themselves," but behind closed doors, they have nothing but judgmental things to say. They can make a good impression and talk all they want about being their truest selves, but they're compensating for insecurity by bringing other people down.
7. 'It's just a joke'
If someone needs to rely on excuses like "I was just being funny" or "it's just a joke" to invalidate someone else's pain, they probably were just trying to protect themselves.
They knew their comment was hurtful or their actions were bad, but they still found a way to make someone else feel bad for standing their ground. They avoid accountability when it works for them in the most hypocritical ways.
8. 'I never said that'
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Many hypocrites have an "I don't owe you anything" mentality, especially when they're called out for being a hypocrite. They say one thing and make all kinds of promises to your face when it's easy to commit, but when their actions don't match up or they're unreliable, it's always "I don't owe you anything."
They expect people to drop everything when they need something or inconvenience themselves to show up. But when their friends or loved ones ask for the same decency, they have every excuse in the book to justify missing commitments and breaking promises.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
