--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just kidding' was exactly what people…" description: "\"Just kidding' was exactly what people wrote when they meant every word.\" — David Nicholls" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/david-nicholls-873_just-kidding_just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wro_3104288.png" --- # Just kidding' was exactly what people wrote when they… ![“Just kidding' was exactly what people wrote when they meant every word.” quote by David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/david-nicholls-873_just-kidding_just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wro_3104288.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/david-nicholls-873_just-kidding_just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wro_3104288.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/david-nicholls-873_just-kidding_just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wro_3104288.png) > “Just kidding' was exactly what people wrote when they meant every word.” [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. A sarcastic remark reveals that people sometimes use irony to mask sincerity, highlighting the tension between humor and truth. **In simple terms:** Sarcasm can hide genuine intent. Key Takeaway Beware of sarcasm’s double‑edged nature. Themes communication humor truth Mood wry insightful Type observational humorous When to use this quote - online comments - social media posts - cas conversations Key Concepts sarcasm intentional ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - When does sarcasm help or hurt? - Can sincerity be conveyed without humor? A Different Perspective Sarcasm may erode trust if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exactly People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exactly-people-1133321/) [Just kidding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-kidding/) [Kidding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidding/) [Kidding Exactly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidding-exactly-5393245/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-wrote-458932/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know if I'm ever going to quit playing football. I'm just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-ever-going-to-quit-playing-football-i-m-just/) [Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/) > [I would say, 'I'm alone, but I'm not lonely.' But I was just kidding myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-willis/i-would-say-i-m-alone-but-i-m-not-lonely-but-i-was-just-kidding-myself/) [Bruce Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-willis/) > [I think I'm starting to like NASCAR…just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-i-m-starting-to-like-nascar-just-kidding/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Just kidding,” he said, standing. “Pretty sure it’s just a dick in my pants and not a magic wand. But if I could wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caisey-quinn/just-kidding-he-said-standing-pretty-sure-it-s-just-a-dick-in-my/) [Caisey Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caisey-quinn/) > [I'm going to hand you over to them and watch them tear you limb from limb...I'm just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marston/i-m-going-to-hand-you-over-to-them-and-watch-them-tear-you-limb-from/) [John Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marston/) > [I am everything and I am nothing. I am just kidding; I am not everything and nothing. That would be ridiculous. I am just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-am-everything-and-i-am-nothing-i-am-just-kidding-i-am-not/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [That moment when you say,Just Kidding but you're actually dead serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/that-moment-when-you-say-just-kidding-but-you-re-actually-dead-serious/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When someone insults you and says, just kidding, but you know they really meant it!..:(](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-insults-you-and-says-just-kidding-but-you-know-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I cheat with another lady? Yes, Yo Yo, I'm just kidding, you are mad I'm just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hinds/if-i-cheat-with-another-lady-yes-yo-yo-i-m-just-kidding-you-are-mad-i/) [Alison Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hinds/) > [In comedy, I hate that cop-out where you say, "Just kidding." I know you're just kidding. Don't insult my intelligence by spelling it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/in-comedy-i-hate-that-cop-out-where-you-say-just-kidding-i-know-you/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Teasing is often healthy and fun, not to mention an important part of interpersonal and individual development. But when it's abused, 'just kidding' contains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/teasing-is-often-healthy-and-fun-not-to-mention-an-important-part-of/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [I will kill you with all my hopes and regret... just kidding :3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/i-will-kill-you-with-all-my-hopes-and-regret-just-kidding-3/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [When you said you loved me, did you forget to say just kidding?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-said-you-loved-me-did-you-forget-to-say-just-kidding/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Adding 'just kidding' doesn't make it okay to insult the Principal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-cartwright/adding-just-kidding-doesn-t-make-it-okay-to-insult-the-principal/) [Nancy Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-cartwright/) > [There's always some TRUTH behind every 'JUST KIDDING'... There's always some KNOWLEDGE behind every 'I DONT KNOW'... There's always some EMOTION behind every 'I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-mamerto/there-s-always-some-truth-behind-every-just-kidding-there-s-always-2/) [Edwin Mamerto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-mamerto/) ## 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 Just kidding quotes > [I don't know if I'm ever going to quit playing football. I'm just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-ever-going-to-quit-playing-football-i-m-just/) [Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/) > [Adding 'just kidding' doesn't make it okay to insult the Principal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-cartwright/adding-just-kidding-doesn-t-make-it-okay-to-insult-the-principal/) [Nancy Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-cartwright/) > [When you said you loved me, did you forget to say just kidding?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-said-you-loved-me-did-you-forget-to-say-just-kidding/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I will kill you with all my hopes and regret... just kidding :3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/i-will-kill-you-with-all-my-hopes-and-regret-just-kidding-3/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [Its not that I regret getting to know you...its just...who'm I kidding, yeah I regret getting to know you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-not-that-i-regret-getting-to-know-you-its-just-who-m-i-kidding/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Teasing is often healthy and fun, not to mention an important part of interpersonal and individual development. But when it's abused, 'just kidding' contains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/teasing-is-often-healthy-and-fun-not-to-mention-an-important-part-of/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [In comedy, I hate that cop-out where you say, "Just kidding." I know you're just kidding. Don't insult my intelligence by spelling it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/in-comedy-i-hate-that-cop-out-where-you-say-just-kidding-i-know-you/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Just kidding, I've been very athletic all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-tom/just-kidding-i-ve-been-very-athletic-all-my-life/) [Kiana Tom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-tom/) > [If I cheat with another lady? Yes, Yo Yo, I'm just kidding, you are mad I'm just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hinds/if-i-cheat-with-another-lady-yes-yo-yo-i-m-just-kidding-you-are-mad-i/) [Alison Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hinds/) > [Five guys but only 1D ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/five-guys-but-only-1d/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When someone insults you and says, just kidding, but you know they really meant it!..:(](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-insults-you-and-says-just-kidding-but-you-know-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That moment when you say,Just Kidding but you're actually dead serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/that-moment-when-you-say-just-kidding-but-you-re-actually-dead-serious/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I am everything and I am nothing. I am just kidding; I am not everything and nothing. That would be ridiculous. I am just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-am-everything-and-i-am-nothing-i-am-just-kidding-i-am-not/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I'm going to hand you over to them and watch them tear you limb from limb...I'm just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marston/i-m-going-to-hand-you-over-to-them-and-watch-them-tear-you-limb-from/) [John Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marston/) > [“Just kidding,” he said, standing. “Pretty sure it’s just a dick in my pants and not a magic wand. But if I could wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caisey-quinn/just-kidding-he-said-standing-pretty-sure-it-s-just-a-dick-in-my/) [Caisey Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caisey-quinn/) [Browse all 31 Just kidding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-kidding/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Just kidding' was exactly what people wrote when they meant every word.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Nicholls" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wrote-when-they-meant-every-word/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Just kidding" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wrote-when-they-meant-every-word/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/david-nicholls-873_just-kidding_just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wro_3104288.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/david-nicholls-873_just-kidding_just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wro_3104288.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/david-nicholls-873_just-kidding_just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wro_3104288.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just kidding' was exactly what people wrote when they meant every word.” — David Nicholls", "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": "David Nicholls", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Just kidding' was exactly what people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wrote-when-they-meant-every-word/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/just-kidding-was-exactly-what-people-wrote-when-they-meant-every-word/#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 } } ] } ```