--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: IF YOU CAN'T BE GOOD, BE GOOD AT IT!" description: "\"“IF YOU CAN'T BE GOOD, BE GOOD AT IT!”\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/anonymous-1_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it-99705_997053.jpg" --- # IF YOU CAN'T BE GOOD, BE GOOD AT IT! ![“IF YOU CAN'T BE GOOD, BE GOOD AT IT!” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/anonymous-1_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it-99705_997053.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/anonymous-1_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it-99705_997053.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/anonymous-1_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it-99705_997053.jpg) > ““IF YOU CAN'T BE GOOD, BE GOOD AT IT!”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates excellence by suggesting that if you cannot be morally good, you should at least be skilled at something. **In simple terms:** If you can't be good, be good at something. Key Takeaway Strive for competence in any field. Themes self‑improvement skill ethics Mood motivational pragmatic assertive Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career development - personal growth - education Key Concepts competence theory moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What skill can you improve today? - Can competence replace moral integrity? A Different Perspective Skill alone may not justify unethical behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) ## Related quotes > [You dont have to make others look bad, for you to look good, Look good because you are good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-dont-have-to-make-others-look-bad-for-you-to-look-good-look-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I'm good. I'm good, when I'm evil. I'm better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-m-good-i-m-good-when-i-m-evil-i-m-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't settle for mediocrity; never let good enough be good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-settle-for-mediocrity-never-let-good-enough-be-good-enough/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [To be good and to do good-that is the whole of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/to-be-good-and-to-do-good-that-is-the-whole-of-religion/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I am good. I live good. I think good. I don't have to feel good to be good, I take my goodness wherever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tosh/i-am-good-i-live-good-i-think-good-i-don-t-have-to-feel-good-to-be/) [Peter Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tosh/) > [It's so much easier to do good than to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-s-so-much-easier-to-do-good-than-to-be-good/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Everyday may not be good, but there's something good in each day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyday-may-not-be-good-but-there-s-something-good-in-each-day/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not as good as I should be. I'm not as good as I could be. But Thank God I'm better than I used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-as-good-as-i-should-be-i-m-not-as-good-as-i-could-be-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyday may not be good,but there is something good in everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyday-may-not-be-good-but-there-is-something-good-in-everyday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the end it's good and if it's not good then it's not the end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-end-it-s-good-and-if-it-s-not-good-then-it-s-not-the-end/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can be good in a good movie, you can be good in a bad movie, you can be bad in a bad movie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gielgud/you-can-be-good-in-a-good-movie-you-can-be-good-in-a-bad-movie-you/) [John Gielgud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gielgud/) > [Where's the good in a good bye?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-s-the-good-in-a-good-bye/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We may be as good as we please, if we please to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-may-be-as-good-as-we-please-if-we-please-to-be-good/) [Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/) > [Everyday might not be good, but there is a good in everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyday-might-not-be-good-but-there-is-a-good-in-everyday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't ever let good enough be good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-parcells/don-t-ever-let-good-enough-be-good-enough/) [Bill Parcells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-parcells/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The difference in being good at some thing and being great at something is usually found in the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-anderson/the-difference-in-being-good-at-some-thing-and-being-great-at/) Randy Anderson > [It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character-is-good-or-bad-he-just-has/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“IF YOU CAN'T BE GOOD, BE GOOD AT IT!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be good" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/anonymous-1_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it-99705_997053.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/anonymous-1_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it-99705_997053.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/anonymous-1_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it-99705_997053.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“IF YOU CAN'T BE GOOD, BE GOOD AT IT!” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“IF YOU CAN'T BE GOOD, BE...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-t-be-good-be-good-at-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```