--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be good. Do something good." description: "\"Be good. Do something good.\" — David Nicholls" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/david-nicholls-873_be-good_be-good-do-something-good-2129904_2129904.png" --- # Be good. Do something good. ![“Be good. Do something good.” quote by David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/david-nicholls-873_be-good_be-good-do-something-good-2129904_2129904.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/david-nicholls-873_be-good_be-good-do-something-good-2129904_2129904.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/david-nicholls-873_be-good_be-good-do-something-good-2129904_2129904.png) > “Be good. Do something good.” [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Simple moral urging personal responsibility and kindness toward others. **In simple terms:** Do good things and help others. Key Takeaway Act kindly and purposefully. Themes kindness responsibility action ethics Mood encouraging optimistic Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - volunteering - daily interactions - community service - personal goals Key Concepts moral philosophy social duty personal development Questions to Reflect On - What small act of kindness can you do today? - How does personal responsibility shape society? A Different Perspective Might seem simplistic without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-good/) ## Related quotes > [“Anyway, that's why you do it. Not to be famous, just to be good. To do good work. Find the thing you really love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/anyway-that-s-why-you-do-it-not-to-be-famous-just-to-be-good-to-do/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I don't think it matters if there is a god or not. I've met people who believe in God that are good and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-don-t-think-it-matters-if-there-is-a-god-or-not-i-ve-met-people-who/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [To the good I would be good; to the not-good I would also be good, in order to make them good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/to-the-good-i-would-be-good-to-the-not-good-i-would-also-be-good-in/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [To be good, and do good, is the whole duty of man comprised in a few words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-adams/to-be-good-and-do-good-is-the-whole-duty-of-man-comprised-in-a-few/) [Abigail Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-adams/) > [Think good, speak good, and be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inbar-lavi/think-good-speak-good-and-be-good/) [Inbar Lavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inbar-lavi/) > [Don't ever let good enough be good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-parcells/don-t-ever-let-good-enough-be-good-enough/) [Bill Parcells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-parcells/) > [Don't settle for mediocrity; never let good enough be good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-settle-for-mediocrity-never-let-good-enough-be-good-enough/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [To be good and to do good-that is the whole of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/to-be-good-and-to-do-good-that-is-the-whole-of-religion/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I am good. I live good. I think good. I don't have to feel good to be good, I take my goodness wherever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tosh/i-am-good-i-live-good-i-think-good-i-don-t-have-to-feel-good-to-be/) [Peter Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tosh/) > [It's so much easier to do good than to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-s-so-much-easier-to-do-good-than-to-be-good/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [You can be good in a good movie, you can be good in a bad movie, you can be bad in a bad movie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gielgud/you-can-be-good-in-a-good-movie-you-can-be-good-in-a-bad-movie-you/) [John Gielgud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gielgud/) > [We may be as good as we please, if we please to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-may-be-as-good-as-we-please-if-we-please-to-be-good/) [Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/) > [Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/better-by-far-to-be-good-and-courageous-and-bold-and-to-make/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Dylan stopped at an intersection and gave Chris a long look. 'Not you. You are original. Unique.' 'That good or bad?' 'Oh definitely good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-fielding/dylan-stopped-at-an-intersection-and-gave-chris-a-long-look-not-you/) [Kim Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-fielding/) > [From what I have seen, I am driven to the conclusion that religion is only good for good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/from-what-i-have-seen-i-am-driven-to-the-conclusion-that-religion-is/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## More by David Nicholls > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. She no longer believed that a situation could be made better by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/good-god-the-elusive-thing-she-had-reached-a-turning-point-she-no/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I still find it absurdly difficult to concentrate on a novel if there's a phone or computer to hand; I have taken to locking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-still-find-it-absurdly-difficult-to-concentrate-on-a-novel-if-there/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [You've got to stop letting women slip drugs into your mouth, Dex, it's unhygienic. And dangerous. One day it'll be a cyanide capsule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/you-ve-got-to-stop-letting-women-slip-drugs-into-your-mouth-dex-it-s/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“He presses two fingers against each eye and attempts to account for this crippling melancholy, but is having trouble with rational thought. It feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/he-presses-two-fingers-against-each-eye-and-attempts-to-account-for/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Live each day as if it's our last', that was the conventional advice, but really who had the energy for that? What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [She was reaching the limits of how much its possible to change a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/she-was-reaching-the-limits-of-how-much-its-possible-to-change-a-man/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“How would she fill the days? She had no idea. The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/how-would-she-fill-the-days-she-had-no-idea-the-trick-of-it-she-told/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/what-if-it-rained-or-you-felt-a-bit-glandy-it-just-wasn-t-practical/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Sometimes, when it is going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/sometimes-when-it-is-going-badly-she-wonders-if-what-she-believes-to/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [The city had defeated her, just like they said it would. Like some overcrowded party, no one had noticed her arrival, and would notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/the-city-had-defeated-her-just-like-they-said-it-would-like-some/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/better-by-far-to-be-good-and-courageous-and-bold-and-to-make/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Most of the books and films I love walk a knife edge between romance and cynicism, and I wanted 'One Day' to stay on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/most-of-the-books-and-films-i-love-walk-a-knife-edge-between-romance/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Explore all 332 David Nicholls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The difference in being good at some thing and being great at something is usually found in the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-anderson/the-difference-in-being-good-at-some-thing-and-being-great-at/) [Randy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-anderson/) > [It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character-is-good-or-bad-he-just-has/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) [Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Be good. 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