---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The good news doesn't make any sense…"
description: "\"The good news doesn't make any sense unless you know what the bad news is first, and the bad news goes pretty deep.\" — Bill Mallonee"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/bill-mallonee-69827_bad-news_the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unl_1853223.jpg"
---

#  The good news doesn't make any sense unless you know what…

![“The good news doesn't make any sense unless you know what the bad news is first, and the bad news goes pretty deep.” quote by Bill Mallonee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/bill-mallonee-69827_bad-news_the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unl_1853223.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/bill-mallonee-69827_bad-news_the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unl_1853223.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/bill-mallonee-69827_bad-news_the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unl_1853223.jpg)

> “The good news doesn't make any sense unless you know what the bad news is first, and the bad news goes pretty deep.”

Bill Mallonee

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding bad news provides context that makes good news meaningful.

**In simple terms:** Bad news gives perspective for good news.

Key Takeaway

Seek context before celebrating.

Themes

perspective context interpretation

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

reflective philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal decisions
- financial news
- health updates
- media consumption

Key Concepts

cognitive framing relativity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does knowing the downside change your reaction?
- What would you miss without the contrast?

A Different Perspective

If bad news is ignored, good news may be misinterpreted.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Good news](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-news/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/)

## Related quotes

> [“I have good news and bad news The good news is that the jeep is still where we left it, and I got the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/i-have-good-news-and-bad-news-the-good-news-is-that-the-jeep-is-still/)

[Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/)

> [The truth is, we know so little about life, we don't really know what the good news is and what the bad news is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-truth-is-we-know-so-little-about-life-we-don-t-really-know-what/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [For a long period of time, the media covered rap music and hip hop the same way they cover a lot of black people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/for-a-long-period-of-time-the-media-covered-rap-music-and-hip-hop-the/)

[Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/)

> [Well-reported news is a public good; bad news is bad for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/well-reported-news-is-a-public-good-bad-news-is-bad-for-everyone/)

[Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/)

> [The government's view is that the best time to announce bad news, news that it doesn't want the public to dwell on is late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-schieffer/the-government-s-view-is-that-the-best-time-to-announce-bad-news-news/)

[Bob Schieffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-schieffer/)

> [I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that it's going to drop to zero tonight. The good news is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-bad-news-and-good-news-the-bad-news-is-that-it-s-going-to-drop/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Great news for someone is always bad news for someone else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/great-news-for-someone-is-always-bad-news-for-someone-else/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [You folks feeling the economic pinch? Are you a little fed up with the economic news? It's bad. The department stores, this holiday season,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-folks-feeling-the-economic-pinch-are-you-a-little-fed-up-with-the/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [“Good news, bad news.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-sakey/good-news-bad-news/)

[Marcus Sakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-sakey/)

> [The real news is bad news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-real-news-is-bad-news/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [“Mr. A calls me into his office and says he's got bad news and bad news, and which do I want first. I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/mr-a-calls-me-into-his-office-and-says-he-s-got-bad-news-and-bad-news/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" I shrug. "The bad news, I guess?" "Alright. You're a horrible student." That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-reintgen/do-you-want-the-good-news-or-the-bad-news-first-i-shrug-the-bad-news/)

Scott Reintgen

> [“Bad news is still bad news - even if you're expecting it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-plourde/bad-news-is-still-bad-news-even-if-you-re-expecting-it/)

[Lynn Plourde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-plourde/)

> [When I'm in a session with an artist, my job is to help execute their vision - so it's whatever story they're telling, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-tranter/when-i-m-in-a-session-with-an-artist-my-job-is-to-help-execute-their/)

[Justin Tranter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-tranter/)

> [In the business world, bad news is usually good news - for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/in-the-business-world-bad-news-is-usually-good-news-for-somebody-else/)

[James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/)

## More by Bill Mallonee

> [Reason dies collapsing under its own load.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mallonee/reason-dies-collapsing-under-its-own-load/)

Bill Mallonee

> [Winnowing is more like a trip to the confessional...transparent &amp; vulnerable without being sentimental. These songs have elements that are more like prayers &amp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mallonee/winnowing-is-more-like-a-trip-to-the-confessional-transparent/)

Bill Mallonee

> [I tend to prefer the band thing. I think playing solo is good for about 45 minutes. I remember when I was on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mallonee/i-tend-to-prefer-the-band-thing-i-think-playing-solo-is-good-for/)

Bill Mallonee

Explore all 4 Bill Mallonee quotes

## More Bad news quotes

> [In the wake of such bad news, it was heartening to know that what 'Sense8' stood for meant so much to so many people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-j-smith/in-the-wake-of-such-bad-news-it-was-heartening-to-know-that-what/)

[Brian J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-j-smith/)

> [“I remember a man, a very lonely man, coming up to me at the end of a reading and looking into my face and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/i-remember-a-man-a-very-lonely-man-coming-up-to-me-at-the-end-of-a/)

[Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/)

> [In the business world, bad news is usually good news - for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/in-the-business-world-bad-news-is-usually-good-news-for-somebody-else/)

[James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/)

> [You never want to have to give your child bad news of any kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/you-never-want-to-have-to-give-your-child-bad-news-of-any-kind/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/)

[Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/)

> [I seem to thrive by destroying the last thing I did, in a kind of cartoon Nietzsche way. Emerson says in "Experience" something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chiasson/i-seem-to-thrive-by-destroying-the-last-thing-i-did-in-a-kind-of/)

[Dan Chiasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chiasson/)

> [“The bad news is that, measured in terms of geologic time, if the Earth’s history is an accurate guide, glaciers will soon return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bernstein/the-bad-news-is-that-measured-in-terms-of-geologic-time-if-the-earth/)

[Andrew Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bernstein/)

> [I love an underdog. No, I don't necessarily mean the cartoon. I mean like David, as in Goliath, or the Bears, as in The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/i-love-an-underdog-no-i-don-t-necessarily-mean-the-cartoon-i-mean/)

[Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/)

> [The good news is that economists are intelligent, engaging and often charming folks. The bad news is their work is often of little use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-good-news-is-that-economists-are-intelligent-engaging-and-often/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [The flatter the corporate hierarchy, the more likely it is that employees will communicate bad news and act upon it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-flatter-the-corporate-hierarchy-the-more-likely-it-is-that/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [The good news may be that Nature is phasing out the white man, but the bad news is that's who She thinks we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-good-news-may-be-that-nature-is-phasing-out-the-white-man-but-the/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [For a long period of time, the media covered rap music and hip hop the same way they cover a lot of black people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/for-a-long-period-of-time-the-media-covered-rap-music-and-hip-hop-the/)

[Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/)

> [“Shifting from a superior/inferior paradigm to a strength-in-difference paradigm was kind of a good news/bad news situation. On the downside, I had to admit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/shifting-from-a-superior-inferior-paradigm-to-a-strength-in/)

[Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/)

> [“The best way to mess with the head of your reader is to strategize the delivery of bad news.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/the-best-way-to-mess-with-the-head-of-your-reader-is-to-strategize/)

[Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/)

> [“The real secret, though, is that nobody belongs, whether they are natives or not. After expulsion from paradise all humans are in exile. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-codrescu/the-real-secret-though-is-that-nobody-belongs-whether-they-are/)

[Andrei Codrescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-codrescu/)

Browse all 691 Bad news quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The good news doesn't make any sense unless you know what the bad news is first, and the bad news goes pretty deep.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Mallonee"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mallonee/the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unless-you-know-what-the-bad/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bad news"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mallonee/the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unless-you-know-what-the-bad/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/bill-mallonee-69827_bad-news_the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unl_1853223.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/bill-mallonee-69827_bad-news_the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unl_1853223.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/bill-mallonee-69827_bad-news_the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unl_1853223.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The good news doesn't make any sense unless you know what the bad news is first, and the bad news goes…” — Bill Mallonee",
                "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": "Bill Mallonee",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mallonee/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The good news doesn't make any...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mallonee/the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unless-you-know-what-the-bad/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mallonee/the-good-news-doesn-t-make-any-sense-unless-you-know-what-the-bad/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
