--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can't say something nice... about…" description: "\"If you can't say something nice... about an overrated, ungrateful European nation that would have been wiped off the face of the earth twice in the twe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a0/brad-stine-21104_california_if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an_2105967.jpg" --- # If you can't say something nice... about an overrated… ![“If you can't say something nice... about an overrated, ungrateful European nation that would have been wiped off the face of the earth twice in the twentieth century if it weren't for the United States and which has given nothing to the culture in the past two hundred years but whine and cheese…” quote by Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a0/brad-stine-21104_california_if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an_2105967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a0/brad-stine-21104_california_if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an_2105967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a0/brad-stine-21104_california_if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an_2105967.jpg) > “If you can't say something nice... about an overrated, ungrateful European nation that would have been wiped off the face of the earth twice in the twentieth century if it weren't for the United States and which has given nothing to the culture in the past two hundred years but whine and cheese, both of which are made better in California, then don't say anything at all!” [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizing a nation harshly is futile; if you cannot say something positive, stay silent. **In simple terms:** If you can’t praise, say nothing. Key Takeaway Choose silence over negativity. Themes speech politics humor Mood sarcastic critical Type comedic social commentary When to use this quote - public debates - media commentary - social media posts Key Concepts censorship national identity satire Questions to Reflect On - When is constructive criticism more effective than silence? - How can humor address sensitive topics responsibly? A Different Perspective Silence may be seen as complicity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Cheese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheese/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Overrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overrated/) [Overrated Ungrateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overrated-ungrateful-4229227/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Say anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-anything/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Ungrateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ungrateful/) [Ungrateful European](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ungrateful-european-4229225/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Whine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whine/) [Whine Cheese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whine-cheese-4229226/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Whine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-whine-4229228/) ## Related quotes > [Big guys like you and me aren't allowed to whine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-alan-lewis/big-guys-like-you-and-me-aren-t-allowed-to-whine/) [Brad Alan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-alan-lewis/) > [“Excuse me. Nine hours ago, I broke off the single most pointlessly agonizing one-way relationship of my young life. It was a thin slice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-speed-mcneil/excuse-me-nine-hours-ago-i-broke-off-the-single-most-pointlessly/) [Carla Speed McNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-speed-mcneil/) > [“I’m a part of Chaos. We don’t bitch and whine. We change what doesn’t work and keep it moving. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shyla-colt/i-m-a-part-of-chaos-we-don-t-bitch-and-whine-we-change-what-doesn-t/) [Shyla Colt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shyla-colt/) > [There are two types of people : One who always whine how everything is wrong. And the other shine no matter how much it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinier/there-are-two-types-of-people-one-who-always-whine-how-everything-is/) [Chinier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinier/) > [“Want a little cheese with that whine, maestro?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-urban-abigail-roux/want-a-little-cheese-with-that-whine-maestro/) [Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-urban-abigail-roux/) > [They say Im sensational, Dawg I whine up sexin them, Wanna be like me. Then this what you better do. Eat your scooby snacks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yung-berg/they-say-im-sensational-dawg-i-whine-up-sexin-them-wanna-be-like-me/) [Yung Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yung-berg/) > [Eat her til she cry, call that whine and dine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/eat-her-til-she-cry-call-that-whine-and-dine/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [I have it all because my children did not whine and cry when I was not there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanda-kochhar/i-have-it-all-because-my-children-did-not-whine-and-cry-when-i-was/) [Chanda Kochhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanda-kochhar/) > [I don't think it's very masculine to whine about your injuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentin-chmerkovskiy/i-don-t-think-it-s-very-masculine-to-whine-about-your-injuries/) [Valentin Chmerkovskiy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentin-chmerkovskiy/) > [It's the American way: if you don't vote, you don't get to whine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/it-s-the-american-way-if-you-don-t-vote-you-don-t-get-to-whine/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [“In Europe one gets used to doing nothing. You sit on your ass and whine all day. You get contaminated. You rot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-europe-one-gets-used-to-doing-nothing-you-sit-on-your-ass-and/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [I've always tried to be cheerful, because I think people who whine are boring, and I never could tolerate bores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-ve-always-tried-to-be-cheerful-because-i-think-people-who-whine-are/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [“You should never nag, whine, preach or plead with your dog because this is not the way leaders behave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-steffens/you-should-never-nag-whine-preach-or-plead-with-your-dog-because-this/) [Lisa Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-steffens/) > [There's no downside to fame and people who whine about it make me sick. It's the greatest thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/there-s-no-downside-to-fame-and-people-who-whine-about-it-make-me/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [After you get stung, you can't get unstung no matter how much you whine about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/after-you-get-stung-you-can-t-get-unstung-no-matter-how-much-you/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) ## More by Brad Stine > [There's a difference between maliciously offending somebody - on purpose - and somebody being offended by...truth. If you're offended by the truth, that's your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/there-s-a-difference-between-maliciously-offending-somebody-on/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [It's about something that strikes you as funny but I do it with a Christian world view: why we think the way we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/it-s-about-something-that-strikes-you-as-funny-but-i-do-it-with-a/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [When did banning anything, ever work? I mean, we banned liquor once in this country, oh, that worked like a charm, didn't it, folks?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/when-did-banning-anything-ever-work-i-mean-we-banned-liquor-once-in/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [Because when the Creator of matter, tell you you matter, then you have a purpose and then you have self-esteem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/because-when-the-creator-of-matter-tell-you-you-matter-then-you-have/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [If the truth conflicts with my beliefs, I change my beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/if-the-truth-conflicts-with-my-beliefs-i-change-my-beliefs/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [They got special terms that they use when they're pregnant. They don't even say pregnant, got special words they use - I'm expecting. Expecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/they-got-special-terms-that-they-use-when-they-re-pregnant-they-don-t/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [Get out of our schools God, get out of our textbooks God, get out of our government God, go away God, go away God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/get-out-of-our-schools-god-get-out-of-our-textbooks-god-get-out-of/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [You want to reclaim your country? You got to go back to the first men who started this country, the founding fathers and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/you-want-to-reclaim-your-country-you-got-to-go-back-to-the-first-men/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [When you're at a comedy club, if you're not funny, you don't work. People will let you know, whether it's by booing or yelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/when-you-re-at-a-comedy-club-if-you-re-not-funny-you-don-t-work/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [I bring up God alot in my show, know why? Because I miss him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/i-bring-up-god-alot-in-my-show-know-why-because-i-miss-him/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [We should have a way of telling people they have bad breath without hurting their feelings. Well, I'm bored. Let's go brush our teeth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/we-should-have-a-way-of-telling-people-they-have-bad-breath-without/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [Who is more irrational, the guy who believes in a God he can't see, or a guy who's offended by a God he doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/who-is-more-irrational-the-guy-who-believes-in-a-god-he-can-t-see-or/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [People don't realize, or maybe they've forgotten, that there was a time in history when standup comedy wasn't something that you had to hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/people-don-t-realize-or-maybe-they-ve-forgotten-that-there-was-a-time/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [You know what offends me? Offended people. In a country with guaranteed rights to freedom of religion, its citizens are constantly trying to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/you-know-what-offends-me-offended-people-in-a-country-with-guaranteed/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) > [Oh, I know: If you're fat, let's not blame you, let's sue McDonalds! Oh, for cryin' out loud, hey, if you smoke, not your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/oh-i-know-if-you-re-fat-let-s-not-blame-you-let-s-sue-mcdonalds-oh/) [Brad Stine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) [Explore all 29 Brad Stine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/) ## More California quotes > [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/) [Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/) [Sam Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hinton/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Many militarists would like to see California's votes vanish from the national electoral system, which would then become more Republican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/many-militarists-would-like-to-see-california-s-votes-vanish-from-the/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [When I started in California, people would say, 'Enterprise who?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-nicholson/when-i-started-in-california-people-would-say-enterprise-who/) [Pamela Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-nicholson/) > [Take one round-trip flight between New York and California, and you've generated about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/take-one-round-trip-flight-between-new-york-and-california-and-you-ve/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/) [Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/) > [“God will break California from the surface of the continent like someone breaking off a piece of chocolate. It will become its own floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ruby/god-will-break-california-from-the-surface-of-the-continent-like/) [Laura Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ruby/) > [You could have a hit in California that no one had heard of in Oklahoma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-jackson/you-could-have-a-hit-in-california-that-no-one-had-heard-of-in/) [Wanda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-jackson/) > [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/) [David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/) [Browse all 2,036 California quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you can't say something nice... about an overrated, ungrateful European nation that would have been wiped off the face of the earth twice in the twentieth century if it weren't for the United States and which has given nothing to the culture in the past two hundred years but whine and cheese, both of which are made better in California, then don't say anything at all!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brad Stine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an-overrated-ungrateful/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "California" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an-overrated-ungrateful/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a0/brad-stine-21104_california_if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an_2105967.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a0/brad-stine-21104_california_if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an_2105967.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a0/brad-stine-21104_california_if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an_2105967.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can't say something nice... about an overrated, ungrateful European nation that would have been wiped…” — Brad Stine", "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": "Brad Stine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you can't say something nice......", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an-overrated-ungrateful/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stine/if-you-can-t-say-something-nice-about-an-overrated-ungrateful/#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 } } ] } ```