--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not a nice person." description: "\"I'm not a nice person.\" — Barbara Ehrenreich" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_nice_i-m-not-a-nice-person-2948254_2948254.png" --- # I'm not a nice person. ![“I'm not a nice person.” quote by Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_nice_i-m-not-a-nice-person-2948254_2948254.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_nice_i-m-not-a-nice-person-2948254_2948254.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_nice_i-m-not-a-nice-person-2948254_2948254.png) > “I'm not a nice person.” [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑identifying as “not nice” reflects societal expectations and personal authenticity. **In simple terms:** Admitting flaws challenges social norms. Key Takeaway Own your true self. Themes identity social norms authenticity self‑acceptance gender roles Mood defiant honest Type personal critical When to use this quote - personal essays - public speaking - therapy - social media - activism Key Concepts psychology sociology cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How does honesty affect relationships? - What benefits arise from rejecting perfection? A Different Perspective Embracing “not nice” may invite criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Nice person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-person/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) ## Related quotes > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Everybody has an inside scoop, so just be a nice guy. Be a nice person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hartley/everybody-has-an-inside-scoop-so-just-be-a-nice-guy-be-a-nice-person/) [Justin Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hartley/) > [I remember being a 17-year-old wheelchair basketballer at the Paralympics. I just wanted to beat everybody, but I also wanted to do it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-alcott/i-remember-being-a-17-year-old-wheelchair-basketballer-at-the/) [Dylan Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-alcott/) > [Maybe because Im a nice and sweet person in life, I like the darker roles. The really dark one is Lady Macbeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-netrebko/maybe-because-im-a-nice-and-sweet-person-in-life-i-like-the-darker/) [Anna Netrebko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-netrebko/) > [The awkward moment when you're just being nice and the person thinks you're flirting with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-awkward-moment-when-you-re-just-being-nice-and-the-person-thinks/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I would say I'm a nice person, and I take pride in the fact that I treat everyone really well, so there's no reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/i-would-say-i-m-a-nice-person-and-i-take-pride-in-the-fact-that-i/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [A nice person is like a wind... you never know what's inside their heart but you always feel their sincerity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/a-nice-person-is-like-a-wind-you-never-know-what-s-inside-their-heart/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“niceness does not equal goodness. Niceness is a decision, a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait. People seeking to control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-de-becker/niceness-does-not-equal-goodness-niceness-is-a-decision-a-strategy-of/) [Gavin de Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-de-becker/) > [I am naturally a nice person and will give anyone the benefit of the doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bailey/i-am-naturally-a-nice-person-and-will-give-anyone-the-benefit-of-the/) [Cynthia Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bailey/) > [“and confused if someone does not appreciate their niceness. Others often sense this and avoid giving them feedback not only, effectively blocking the nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-bryson/and-confused-if-someone-does-not-appreciate-their-niceness-others/) [Kelly Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-bryson/) > [“She took care of evyone with the same no-nonsense air of friendliness and good cheer that made her seem so paradoxically wholesome, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/she-took-care-of-evyone-with-the-same-no-nonsense-air-of-friendliness/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [This is what happens when nice people are pushed too far. We give too many chances, and so when we've finally had enough, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/this-is-what-happens-when-nice-people-are-pushed-too-far-we-give-too/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [I'm A Nice Person,When People Step All Over Me I Brush Off The Shoe Prints And Keep Moving.But Karma Awaits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexanderstuart/i-m-a-nice-person-when-people-step-all-over-me-i-brush-off-the-shoe/) [AlexanderStuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexanderstuart/) > [“The kindness made Joaquin crosser, because there’s nothing like knowing that you were just a heel to a nice person to make you even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/the-kindness-made-joaquin-crosser-because-there-s-nothing-like/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“I’m a nice person. I give money to starving babies and properly tip my hairdresser. Why am I the one everyone tries to kill?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-oak/i-m-a-nice-person-i-give-money-to-starving-babies-and-properly-tip-my/) [Sophie Oak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-oak/) ## More by Barbara Ehrenreich > [Money does not bring happiness' - only the wherewithal, perhaps, to endure its absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/money-does-not-bring-happiness-only-the-wherewithal-perhaps-to-endure/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Yes. I think the anti-Wal-Mart is Costco, which pays much better and has much better health benefits and which is profitable and offers low…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/yes-i-think-the-anti-wal-mart-is-costco-which-pays-much-better-and/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Jesus: a wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/jesus-a-wine-guzzling-vagrant-and-precocious-socialist/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ What would it mean in practice to eliminate all the 'negative people' from one's life \[as demanded by motivational speaker J.P. Maroney\]? It might… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/what-would-it-mean-in-practice-to-eliminate-all-the-negative-people/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Wars produce warlike societies, which in turn make the world more dangerous for other societies, which are thus recruited into being war-prone themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/wars-produce-warlike-societies-which-in-turn-make-the-world-more/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Heads of state are notoriously ill prepared for their mature careers; think of Adolf Hitler (landscape painter), Ho Chi Minh (seaman), and our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/heads-of-state-are-notoriously-ill-prepared-for-their-mature-careers/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Some people make stuff; other people have to buy it. And when we gave up making stuff, starting in the 1980s, we were left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/some-people-make-stuff-other-people-have-to-buy-it-and-when-we-gave/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ “Robert Jackall’s book \[ Moral Mazes \] impressed on me that corporate dress serves a far more important function than mere body covering. “Proper… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/robert-jackall-s-book-moral-mazes-impressed-on-me-that-corporate/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [war is, in some not yet entirely defined sense, a self-replicating pattern of behavior, possessed of a dynamism not unlike that of living things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/war-is-in-some-not-yet-entirely-defined-sense-a-self-replicating/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Sometime in the eighties, Americans had a new set of 'traditional values' installed. ... the poor and the middle class were shaken down, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/sometime-in-the-eighties-americans-had-a-new-set-of-traditional/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Marriage probably originated as a straightforward food-for-sex deal among foraging primates. Compatibility was not a big issue, nor, of course, was there any tension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/marriage-probably-originated-as-a-straightforward-food-for-sex-deal/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [I became a student of the history of religion. I am fascinated by how religions often center on mystical experience, and in the Old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-became-a-student-of-the-history-of-religion-i-am-fascinated-by-how/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [The nation was not founded by habitual groupthinkers. But it stands a fair chance of being destroyed by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-nation-was-not-founded-by-habitual-groupthinkers-but-it-stands-a/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ “You might discover that, nationwide, America's food banks are experiencing 'a torrent of need which \[they\] cannot meet' and that, according to a survey… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/you-might-discover-that-nationwide-america-s-food-banks-are/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [My Turn is the distilled bathwater of Mrs. Reagan's life. It is for the most part sweetish, with a tart edge of rebuke, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/my-turn-is-the-distilled-bathwater-of-mrs-reagan-s-life-it-is-for-the/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) [Explore all 274 Barbara Ehrenreich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) ## More Nice quotes > [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/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [“Me and nice things didn't go well together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/me-and-nice-things-didn-t-go-well-together/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/sometimes-in-midfield-it-s-nice-because-you-do-get-a-little-bit-more/) [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to concentrate on winning things with Barcelona and Argentina. Then if people want to say nice things about me when I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/i-want-to-concentrate-on-winning-things-with-barcelona-and-argentina/) [Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [Although it sounds very trite, I wish people were nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/although-it-sounds-very-trite-i-wish-people-were-nice/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [It's a great feeling to know that I've played the best golf throughout the season of any of the guys for the second time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-mcilroy/it-s-a-great-feeling-to-know-that-i-ve-played-the-best-golf/) [Rory McIlroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-mcilroy/) > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I wouldn't want to play a normal princess who always walks around in nice dresses. I never had a connection to it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-wouldn-t-want-to-play-a-normal-princess-who-always-walks-around-in/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [Business school graduates from the best schools earn large salaries and frequently rise to positions of great power. It would be nice if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/business-school-graduates-from-the-best-schools-earn-large-salaries/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) [Browse all 8,628 Nice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not a nice person.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barbara Ehrenreich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-m-not-a-nice-person/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-m-not-a-nice-person/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_nice_i-m-not-a-nice-person-2948254_2948254.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_nice_i-m-not-a-nice-person-2948254_2948254.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_nice_i-m-not-a-nice-person-2948254_2948254.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not a nice person.” — Barbara Ehrenreich", "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": "Barbara Ehrenreich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not a nice person.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-m-not-a-nice-person/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-m-not-a-nice-person/#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 } } ] } ```