---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good does not become better by being…"
description: "\"Good does not become better by being exaggerated, but worse; And a small evil becomes a big one through being disregarded and repressed.\" — Carl Jung"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/carl-jung-274_bigs_good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exa_1828208.jpg"
---

#  Good does not become better by being exaggerated, but…

![“Good does not become better by being exaggerated, but worse; And a small evil becomes a big one through being disregarded and repressed.” quote by Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/carl-jung-274_bigs_good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exa_1828208.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/carl-jung-274_bigs_good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exa_1828208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/carl-jung-274_bigs_good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exa_1828208.jpg)

> “Good does not become better by being exaggerated, but worse; And a small evil becomes a big one through being disregarded and repressed.”

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

## About This Quote

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

Exaggerating good leads to decline, while ignoring small evils lets them grow into larger problems.

**In simple terms:** Overpraise harms good; neglect fuels evil.

Key Takeaway

Balance praise and address minor issues early.

Themes

ethics balance consequences

Mood

reflective cautious

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- leadership
- personal development
- organizational culture
- policy making

Key Concepts

Moral philosophy psychology behavioral dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you ensure praise remains constructive?
- What small problems do you tend to overlook?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on positives can blind to flaws; ignoring issues can let them fester.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Better Exaggerated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-exaggerated-2251213/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Disregarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disregarded/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-big-830744/) [Exaggerated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exaggerated/) [Exaggerated Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exaggerated-worse-2251212/) [Repressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repressed/) [Small Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-evil-1077077/)

## Related quotes

> [Everything is controlled by a small evil group to which, unfortunately, no one we know belongs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/everything-is-controlled-by-a-small-evil-group-to-which-unfortunately/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [“Evil is evil. Big. Small. Grand. Petty. Well-justified or just because. There’s no lesser or greater of it. Choosing between them does not make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-t-phipps/evil-is-evil-big-small-grand-petty-well-justified-or-just-because/)

[C.T. Phipps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-t-phipps/)

> [“But if, sometimes, an unspeakable horror arises from the smallest error, I choose to believe that it’s possible for an equally unimaginable grandeur to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/but-if-sometimes-an-unspeakable-horror-arises-from-the-smallest-error/)

[Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/)

> [This dilettante notion that the global economy is evil because big corporate leaders make too much money... they do make too much money, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-klein/this-dilettante-notion-that-the-global-economy-is-evil-because-big/)

[Joe Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-klein/)

> [In sleep, fantasy takes the form of dreams. But in waking life, too, we continue to dream beneath the threshold of consciousness, especially when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/in-sleep-fantasy-takes-the-form-of-dreams-but-in-waking-life-too-we/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [The cinema, like the detective story, makes it possible to experience without danger all the excitement, passion and desirousness which must be repressed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-cinema-like-the-detective-story-makes-it-possible-to-experience/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [All fanaticism is repressed doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/all-fanaticism-is-repressed-doubt/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [If animals are no longer quite outside the moral sphere, they are still in a special section near the outer rim. Their interests are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/if-animals-are-no-longer-quite-outside-the-moral-sphere-they-are/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [“ever since the development of the spine, the individual had become paramount, the group disregarded. Ghiselle was only following the downhill path of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/ever-since-the-development-of-the-spine-the-individual-had-become/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [I have one great political idea. . . . That idea is an old one. It is widely and generally assented to; nevertheless, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-one-great-political-idea-that-idea-is-an-old-one-it-is-widely/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [We must not, however, be like the leaders of the great romantic revolt who, in their eagerness to get rid of the husk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-babbitt/we-must-not-however-be-like-the-leaders-of-the-great-romantic-revolt/)

[Irving Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-babbitt/)

> [While thinking when sober, our success at reaching our goals by using the First Baltic Front troops, the Memel operation, it can't be disregarded,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-bagramyan/while-thinking-when-sober-our-success-at-reaching-our-goals-by-using/)

[Ivan Bagramyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-bagramyan/)

> [“But it was during those periods of silence — completely comfortable silence, finally — that she discovered that sometimes someone else had to show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-sand/but-it-was-during-those-periods-of-silence-completely-comfortable/)

[A.J. Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-sand/)

> [And from the moment that I saw you, I knew you was trouble, But I disregarded detour signs, And did not stop til you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/and-from-the-moment-that-i-saw-you-i-knew-you-was-trouble-but-i/)

[Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/)

> [Conservatives, despite their increasingly powerful presence on cable TV and talk radio, feel excluded and disregarded by the longstanding preponderance of liberal voices on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-medved/conservatives-despite-their-increasingly-powerful-presence-on-cable/)

[Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-medved/)

## More by Carl Jung

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Metaphysical assertions, however, are statements of the psyche, and are therefore psychological. Whenever the Westerner hears the word “psychological,” it always sounds to him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/metaphysical-assertions-however-are-statements-of-the-psyche-and-are/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/synchronicity-reveals-the-meaningful-connections-between-the/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Instinct is like Nature herself - prodigiously conservative, and yet transcending her own historical conditions in her acts of creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/instinct-is-like-nature-herself-prodigiously-conservative-and-yet/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Paul hardly ever allows the real Jesus of Nazareth to get a word in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/paul-hardly-ever-allows-the-real-jesus-of-nazareth-to-get-a-word-in/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [“He would have lived countless times over the life of the individual, of the family, tribe and people, and he would possess the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/he-would-have-lived-countless-times-over-the-life-of-the-individual/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [People learn from who we are, rather than what we say, and to believe otherwise is a disease of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/people-learn-from-who-we-are-rather-than-what-we-say-and-to-believe/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Neurosis is an inner cleavage-the state of being at war with oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/neurosis-is-an-inner-cleavage-the-state-of-being-at-war-with-oneself/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [It is sad but unfortunately true that man learns nothing from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/it-is-sad-but-unfortunately-true-that-man-learns-nothing-from-history/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Life is a luminous pause between two mysteries that are yet one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/life-is-a-luminous-pause-between-two-mysteries-that-are-yet-one/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Explore all 775 Carl Jung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

## More Bigs quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/)

[Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/)

[Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/)

> [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/)

[Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/)

> [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/)

[Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/)

> [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/)

[Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/)

> [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/)

[Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/)

> [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/)

[Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/)

[Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Good does not become better by being exaggerated, but worse; And a small evil becomes a big one through being disregarded and repressed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Jung"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exaggerated-but-worse-and-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bigs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exaggerated-but-worse-and-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/carl-jung-274_bigs_good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exa_1828208.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/carl-jung-274_bigs_good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exa_1828208.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/carl-jung-274_bigs_good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exa_1828208.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Good does not become better by being exaggerated, but worse; And a small evil becomes a big one through…” — Carl Jung",
                "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": "Carl Jung",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Good does not become better by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exaggerated-but-worse-and-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/good-does-not-become-better-by-being-exaggerated-but-worse-and-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
