--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: if you tell people there’s nothing they…" description: "\"“if you tell people there’s nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.”\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/anonymous-1_quote_if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they_2140015.jpg" --- # if you tell people there’s nothing they can do, they will… ![“if you tell people there’s nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/anonymous-1_quote_if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they_2140015.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/anonymous-1_quote_if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they_2140015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/anonymous-1_quote_if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they_2140015.jpg) > ““if you tell people there’s nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.”” [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. Telling people they’re powerless leads to poorer outcomes than inaction. **In simple terms:** Pessimism worsens performance. Key Takeaway Encourage agency and hope. Themes motivation psychology agency Mood cautionary empowering Type psychological practical When to use this quote - team management - education - health interventions - public policy Key Concepts self‑efficacy behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - What language can empower rather than discourage? - How do you support people with limited options? A Different Perspective May not apply when resources truly are lacking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-worse/) [Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell/) [Tell People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-people/) [Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse/) ## Related quotes > [I hate when people say I don't have it that bad, I mean yeah I know people have it much worse but you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-when-people-say-i-don-t-have-it-that-bad-i-mean-yeah-i-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...we must be a beacon of hope, because if you tell people there's nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/we-must-be-a-beacon-of-hope-because-if-you-tell-people-there-s/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Your life may be hard, but there's people worse off than you. Always. Be patient. Your life will improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-life-may-be-hard-but-there-s-people-worse-off-than-you-always-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know people have it worse than me, but I still have troubles of my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-people-have-it-worse-than-me-but-i-still-have-troubles-of-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Saying 'How can you be sad when people have it so much worse than you' is as ridiculous as 'How can you be happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/saying-how-can-you-be-sad-when-people-have-it-so-much-worse-than-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel like I don't have the right to be depressed when so many people have it worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-like-i-don-t-have-the-right-to-be-depressed-when-so-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I dare say, ladies and gentlemen, it's even worse in some people, it's worse than the mistake they make in just assuming that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-dare-say-ladies-and-gentlemen-it-s-even-worse-in-some-people-it-s/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [There are a lot of ups and downs. But there are always people who have it worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/there-are-a-lot-of-ups-and-downs-but-there-are-always-people-who-have/) [Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/) > [That's how we grew up - kinda like Pops would put his drums, his percussion and instruments into the car and we would just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-e/that-s-how-we-grew-up-kinda-like-pops-would-put-his-drums-his/) [Sheila E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-e/) > [If you accept people for what they are, they will become worse. Treat them like they should be, and they will become better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/if-you-accept-people-for-what-they-are-they-will-become-worse-treat/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [This just isn't for me. Nothing personal. I want to be able to tell people - I'm single.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-just-isn-t-for-me-nothing-personal-i-want-to-be-able-to-tell/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you love somebody, you should go ahead and tell them... people never get the flowers while they can still smell them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-love-somebody-you-should-go-ahead-and-tell-them-people-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't tell people you are broke. Guilting fans into buying your music never works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-tell-people-you-are-broke-guilting-fans-into-buying-your-music/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When it's important enough, you speak up. You tell people what you need. You show them who you are. You ask. And you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-s-important-enough-you-speak-up-you-tell-people-what-you-need/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If someone means a lot to you, tell them. People come and go, and missed opportunities turn into regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-means-a-lot-to-you-tell-them-people-come-and-go-and-missed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 People quotes > [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) [Browse all 211,607 People quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“if you tell people there’s nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they-can-do-they-will-do-worse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "People" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they-can-do-they-will-do-worse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/anonymous-1_quote_if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they_2140015.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/anonymous-1_quote_if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they_2140015.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/anonymous-1_quote_if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they_2140015.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“if you tell people there’s nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.” — 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 tell people there’s nothing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they-can-do-they-will-do-worse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-tell-people-there-s-nothing-they-can-do-they-will-do-worse/#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 } } ] } ```