What do you say when someone says that they are better than you?

Answer 1

if you say so, I don't really care. that will hit them for sure.

If someone tells you they're better than you, they must be very insecure, so you don't want to hurt them too much, however tempting that might be.

Perhaps you could congratulate them on their wonderful sense of self-esteem. There's no need to say in exactly what way you think their self-esteem is wonderful.

Or you could say, warmly, 'That's priceless!' while thinking, "Yeah, priceless as in worth nothing.'

Of course, a lot depends on the context. Do they want you to believe they're better than you at something? And if so, are they? If they are, agree with them. If they're not, and you know it, there's no real need for comment. 'Do you think so?' in a non-challenging way would be fine.

Or do they believe they're a superior type of person to you, in some way? Better looking, more money, whatever? The neutral 'Do you think so?' response works there, too.

However you decide to respond, the important thing is to make it short and not obviously hurtful or nasty or sarcastic; keep your tone neutral, and - above all - walk away. Right away, as you finish speaking. Don't take a chance on the conversation going on, just leave and do something interesting instead, and quickly.

And in future, unless it's absolutely impossible, avoid this person. If you can't avoid them, at least avoid speaking with them.

Of course, if the person concerned is your partner, you've a problem if they feel they need to speak to you that way. If you want to keep the relationship going, perhaps you'd be best to suggest they have a think about what they mean, and why they've said it. And then go somewhere else, immediately, while they think.