--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We tend to learn from bad examples, but…" description: "\"“We tend to learn from bad examples, but we should take care not to use bad examples as a rationalization of our own bad behavior.”\" — Cathy Burnham Ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathy-burnham-martin-62876_bad-behavior_we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-w_779765.jpg" --- # We tend to learn from bad examples, but we should take… ![“We tend to learn from bad examples, but we should take care not to use bad examples as a rationalization of our own bad behavior.” quote by Cathy Burnham Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathy-burnham-martin-62876_bad-behavior_we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-w_779765.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathy-burnham-martin-62876_bad-behavior_we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-w_779765.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathy-burnham-martin-62876_bad-behavior_we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-w_779765.jpg) > ““We tend to learn from bad examples, but we should take care not to use bad examples as a rationalization of our own bad behavior.”” [Cathy Burnham Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-burnham-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She warns that learning from negative examples can be misused to justify one's own misconduct. **In simple terms:** Bad examples shouldn't excuse bad behavior. Key Takeaway Use negative examples to improve, not rationalize. Themes ethics behavior learning accountability Mood thoughtful critical Type ethical educational When to use this quote - leadership training - organizational policy - personal development Key Concepts moral reasoning self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - How do we prevent misuse of negative examples? - What safeguards ensure accountability? A Different Perspective Rationalizing misconduct can erode trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-behavior/) [Bad example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-example/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Good behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-behavior/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Personal choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-choice/) [Professionalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professionalism/) ## Related quotes > [Old men are fond of giving good advice to console themselves for their inability to give bad examples.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/old-men-are-fond-of-giving-good-advice-to-console-themselves-for/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [There are bad examples which are worse than crimes; and more states have perished from the violation of morality than from the violation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/there-are-bad-examples-which-are-worse-than-crimes-and-more-states/) [Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/) > [You live from the good and learn from the bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-p/you-live-from-the-good-and-learn-from-the-bad/) [Jordan P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-p/) > [There's something to learn from every situation, and sometimes it's easier to learn in the bad situations than the good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-lawrence/there-s-something-to-learn-from-every-situation-and-sometimes-it-s/) [Trevor Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-lawrence/) > [“You learn more from bad art than you do from good art, as your mistakes are more important than your successes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-learn-more-from-bad-art-than-you-do-from-good-art-as-your/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Remember the good times and learn from the bad times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/remember-the-good-times-and-learn-from-the-bad-times/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [You learn from the bad games and the bad tours. And, when things are going well, you think about that and you make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-root/you-learn-from-the-bad-games-and-the-bad-tours-and-when-things-are/) [Joe Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-root/) > [Every person you meet has both good & bad stories. Get inspired by the good ones. Learn from the bad ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-person-you-meet-has-both-good-bad-stories-get-inspired-by-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I can give myself credit for anything, it's that I do try to learn from the bad. I've never felt so sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-roberts/if-i-can-give-myself-credit-for-anything-it-s-that-i-do-try-to-learn/) [Emma Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-roberts/) > [I've done more crap than I care to remember. I really have. 'Airwolf.' 'Murder, She Wrote.' 'Amazon Women on the Moon.' But you learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/i-ve-done-more-crap-than-i-care-to-remember-i-really-have-airwolf/) [Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/) > [You can always learn more from the bad situations. I learned to trust in myself, to give everything on the pitch, not only think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timo-werner/you-can-always-learn-more-from-the-bad-situations-i-learned-to-trust/) [Timo Werner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timo-werner/) > [“If you want to learn more about the bad parts and how to use them badly, consult any other JavaScript book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crockford/if-you-want-to-learn-more-about-the-bad-parts-and-how-to-use-them/) [Douglas Crockford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crockford/) > [We learn good things and we learn bad things but together they come out awesome because the bad cant out weigh the good for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/we-learn-good-things-and-we-learn-bad-things-but-together-they-come/) Frenchqueen > [To learn bad dialogue is so difficult and so boring, and to work with a stupid director who tells you to do the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-sharif/to-learn-bad-dialogue-is-so-difficult-and-so-boring-and-to-work-with/) [Omar Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-sharif/) > [You learn from the good, you learn from the bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-palmer/you-learn-from-the-good-you-learn-from-the-bad/) [Carson Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-palmer/) ## More by Cathy Burnham Martin > [“There is tremendous trauma in the betrayal caused by a perpetual liar as they repeatedly commit psychological abuse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-burnham-martin/there-is-tremendous-trauma-in-the-betrayal-caused-by-a-perpetual-liar/) [Cathy Burnham Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-burnham-martin/) > [“Most single people are sick of married people presenting themselves as both available and interested, when indeed they are merely “playing.” Oh, yeah… and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-burnham-martin/most-single-people-are-sick-of-married-people-presenting-themselves/) [Cathy Burnham Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-burnham-martin/) > [“Become a Morale Booster Extraordinaire. Lift others up and celebrate their hard-earned successes. Win by achieving. Respect the achievements of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-burnham-martin/become-a-morale-booster-extraordinaire-lift-others-up-and-celebrate/) [Cathy Burnham Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-burnham-martin/) > [“The enthusiasm of passion is the simple key to attitude beating aptitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-burnham-martin/the-enthusiasm-of-passion-is-the-simple-key-to-attitude-beating/) [Cathy Burnham Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-burnham-martin/) [Explore all 5 Cathy Burnham Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-burnham-martin/) ## More Bad behavior quotes > [“It is chilling to know that some accepted ways of being with children can leave them vulnerable to suffering from anxiety, depression, or rage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-taylor/it-is-chilling-to-know-that-some-accepted-ways-of-being-with-children/) [Natalie Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-taylor/) > [More often than not, the belief that you are bad contributes to the "bad" behavior. 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You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binod-shankar/it-s-extremely-unlikely-you-will-be-magically-transformed-from-a/) Binod Shankar > [The Fox News that I know and work in is a team of producers, technicians, photographers, truck operators and production managers who barely have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-maccallum/the-fox-news-that-i-know-and-work-in-is-a-team-of-producers/) [Martha MacCallum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-maccallum/) > [Most bad behavior comes from insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-winger/most-bad-behavior-comes-from-insecurity/) [Debra Winger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-winger/) > [ “\[T\]here are some human rights that are so deep that we can't negotiate them away. I mean people do heinous, terrible things. But there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-helen-prejean/t-here-are-some-human-rights-that-are-so-deep-that-we-can-t-negotiate/) Sister Helen Prejean > [The end result of positively reinforcing bad behavior is that you get more of it. The culmination of a failure to punish predators is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-end-result-of-positively-reinforcing-bad-behavior-is-that-you-get/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [I think writers are excited by stupidity and bad behavior, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-think-writers-are-excited-by-stupidity-and-bad-behavior-generally/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“I became a student of my own depressed experience, trying to unthread its causes. What was the root of all this despair? Was it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-became-a-student-of-my-own-depressed-experience-trying-to-unthread/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“She leaned down so she was looking right in my eyes. "You hear me, child. you can't use other folks' bad behavior to excuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/she-leaned-down-so-she-was-looking-right-in-my-eyes-you-hear-me-child/) [susan crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) [Browse all 203 Bad behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We tend to learn from bad examples, but we should take care not to use bad examples as a rationalization of our own bad behavior.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cathy Burnham Martin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-burnham-martin/we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-we-should-take-care-not-to-use/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad behavior" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-burnham-martin/we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-we-should-take-care-not-to-use/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathy-burnham-martin-62876_bad-behavior_we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-w_779765.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathy-burnham-martin-62876_bad-behavior_we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-w_779765.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathy-burnham-martin-62876_bad-behavior_we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-w_779765.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We tend to learn from bad examples, but we should take care not to use bad examples as a rationalization of…” — Cathy Burnham Martin", "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": "Cathy Burnham Martin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-burnham-martin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We tend to learn from bad...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-burnham-martin/we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-we-should-take-care-not-to-use/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-burnham-martin/we-tend-to-learn-from-bad-examples-but-we-should-take-care-not-to-use/#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 } } ] } ```