--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I actually think it's easier to be…" description: "\"I actually think it's easier to be positive than negative, to be honest - it takes way more energy to stay mad at someone, for instance, than it does t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/dave-smalley-38345_being-honest_i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-posit_1650027.png" --- # I actually think it's easier to be positive than negative… ![“I actually think it's easier to be positive than negative, to be honest - it takes way more energy to stay mad at someone, for instance, than it does to say "i forgive you" and move on.” quote by Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/dave-smalley-38345_being-honest_i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-posit_1650027.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/dave-smalley-38345_being-honest_i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-posit_1650027.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/dave-smalley-38345_being-honest_i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-posit_1650027.png) > “I actually think it's easier to be positive than negative, to be honest - it takes way more energy to stay mad at someone, for instance, than it does to say "i forgive you" and move on.” [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being positive requires less energy than staying angry; forgiveness frees emotional resources. **In simple terms:** Forgiveness is easier than holding anger. Key Takeaway Choose forgiveness to conserve emotional energy. Themes forgiveness positivity energy management Mood hopeful calm Type advice motivational When to use this quote - relationships - personal growth - stressful situations Key Concepts emotional labor conflict resolution mental health Questions to Reflect On - What steps help you move from anger to forgiveness? - Can you practice forgiveness without condoning behavior? A Different Perspective Forgiveness may be challenging when hurt is deep. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Being positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-positive/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [I forgive you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-forgive-you/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [If you're mad at someone for being excited and inspired by your art then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azealia-banks/if-you-re-mad-at-someone-for-being-excited-and-inspired-by-your-art/) [Azealia Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azealia-banks/) > [I will always be mad at someone. That will never go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stern/i-will-always-be-mad-at-someone-that-will-never-go-away/) [Howard Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stern/) > [It's funny how you can be mad at someone one moment and want to hug them the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/it-s-funny-how-you-can-be-mad-at-someone-one-moment-and-want-to-hug/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [How could you get mad at someone who neither needed to attack nor was at all worried about being able to defend? It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-could-you-get-mad-at-someone-who-neither-needed-to-attack-nor-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think what you have to recognise is everybody has their own deal, and everybody has challenges. Do I think that it was easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-brooke/i-think-what-you-have-to-recognise-is-everybody-has-their-own-deal/) [Beth Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-brooke/) > [I think it's always easier to play parts that you have something concrete that you can relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-atwell/i-think-it-s-always-easier-to-play-parts-that-you-have-something/) [Hayley Atwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-atwell/) > [“Ignore you, sweetheart? I think it would be easier to stop breathing." -Vasili”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/ignore-you-sweetheart-i-think-it-would-be-easier-to-stop-breathing/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) > [In many ways, I think it's easier in some ways, or it's more entertaining or more guaranteed to be entertaining than traditional improvising. Again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-henson/in-many-ways-i-think-it-s-easier-in-some-ways-or-it-s-more/) [Brian Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-henson/) > [I think it's easier than ever to hear only what you want to hear. That doesn't make a good citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/i-think-it-s-easier-than-ever-to-hear-only-what-you-want-to-hear-that/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [Being a South Indian, I think it was easier for me to pick up the languages on the go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pranitha-subhash/being-a-south-indian-i-think-it-was-easier-for-me-to-pick-up-the/) [Pranitha Subhash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pranitha-subhash/) > [“I think sometimes it’s easier to pretend to be okay than it is to admit weakness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-fletcher/i-think-sometimes-it-s-easier-to-pretend-to-be-okay-than-it-is-to/) Erin Fletcher > [I think it's almost easier to make people cry than to make people laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-marceau/i-think-it-s-almost-easier-to-make-people-cry-than-to-make-people/) [Sophie Marceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-marceau/) > [I often think how much easier the world would have been to manage if Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini had been at Oxford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-l-wood-1st-earl-of-halifax/i-often-think-how-much-easier-the-world-would-have-been-to-manage-if/) [E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-l-wood-1st-earl-of-halifax/) > [“All I can think is that this would be so much easier if we were dealing with a completely different set of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/all-i-can-think-is-that-this-would-be-so-much-easier-if-we-were/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [We're technology obsessed. I think it's easier to text than to actually say hi to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/we-re-technology-obsessed-i-think-it-s-easier-to-text-than-to/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) ## More by Dave Smalley > [The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/the-survival-of-the-fittest-is-the-ageless-law-of-nature-but-the/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [I think too many times people can get rigid in life, put our blinders on, get locked into one way of thinking, and forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-think-too-many-times-people-can-get-rigid-in-life-put-our-blinders/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [I think having some sort of religious faith can be helpful for many people, because it kind of puts things in perspective a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-think-having-some-sort-of-religious-faith-can-be-helpful-for-many/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [I think all human beings are at least a little bit Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, and many of us are downright quadrophenic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-think-all-human-beings-are-at-least-a-little-bit-dr-jeckyl-and-mr/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [One really important thing is to have good friends and family that will be there to help you when the hard times come. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/one-really-important-thing-is-to-have-good-friends-and-family-that/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [The experience of playing music at a young age really opens up one's mind to different melody in life itself, literally - like, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/the-experience-of-playing-music-at-a-young-age-really-opens-up-one-s/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [I've never lost track of what I stand for and what I believe in. I'm proud of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-ve-never-lost-track-of-what-i-stand-for-and-what-i-believe-in-i-m/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [Music is the one universal language. It's your best friend when the chips are down, and it's better than any energy drink when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/music-is-the-one-universal-language-it-s-your-best-friend-when-the/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [I do consider myself to be a positive person. I'd much rather have my energy be focused on trying to make the world a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-do-consider-myself-to-be-a-positive-person-i-d-much-rather-have-my/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [I really think music in school is vital. Some pivotal moments in my life were my childhood scholastic experiences with music - teachers who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-really-think-music-in-school-is-vital-some-pivotal-moments-in-my/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [I listen to tons of hard rock and metal, like Iron Maiden, Motorhead, etc., but I also listen to Beethoven and Mozart, to Discharge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-listen-to-tons-of-hard-rock-and-metal-like-iron-maiden-motorhead/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) [Explore all 12 Dave Smalley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) ## More Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) Maynard Ferguson > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I actually think it's easier to be positive than negative, to be honest - it takes way more energy to stay mad at someone, for instance, than it does to say \"i forgive you\" and move on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dave Smalley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-positive-than-negative-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being honest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-positive-than-negative-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/dave-smalley-38345_being-honest_i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-posit_1650027.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/dave-smalley-38345_being-honest_i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-posit_1650027.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/dave-smalley-38345_being-honest_i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-posit_1650027.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I actually think it's easier to be positive than negative, to be honest - it takes way more energy to stay…” — Dave Smalley", "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": "Dave Smalley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I actually think it's easier to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-positive-than-negative-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/i-actually-think-it-s-easier-to-be-positive-than-negative-to-be/#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 } } ] } ```