--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things are never so bad they can't be…" description: "\"Things are never so bad they can't be made worse.\" — Humphrey Bogart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/humphrey-bogart-9675_made_things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-ma_836704.jpg" --- # Things are never so bad they can't be made worse. ![“Things are never so bad they can't be made worse.” quote by Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/humphrey-bogart-9675_made_things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-ma_836704.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/humphrey-bogart-9675_made_things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-ma_836704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/humphrey-bogart-9675_made_things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-ma_836704.jpg) > “Things are never so bad they can't be made worse.” [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when things seem terrible, they can still deteriorate further, highlighting the endless potential for decline. **In simple terms:** Bad situations can get worse. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant and address problems early. Themes pessimism reality warning Mood cautious realistic Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - politics - economics - health crises Key Concepts decline vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What can you improve now? - How do you prevent worsening conditions? A Different Perspective Optimism can counteract fatalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Things are never so bad that they can't get worse. But they're sometimes so bad they can't get better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/things-are-never-so-bad-that-they-can-t-get-worse-but-they-re/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [Things are not as bad as they seem. They are worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-press/things-are-not-as-bad-as-they-seem-they-are-worse/) [Bill Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-press/) > [Every time I go to Beirut, I see people and the quality of life going slowly from bad to worse, and from worse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-hamdan/every-time-i-go-to-beirut-i-see-people-and-the-quality-of-life-going/) [Yasmine Hamdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-hamdan/) > [From good to bad, and from bad to worse, From worse unto that is worst of all, And then return to his former fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/from-good-to-bad-and-from-bad-to-worse-from-worse-unto-that-is-worst/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [To be blind is bad, but worse is to have eyes and not see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/to-be-blind-is-bad-but-worse-is-to-have-eyes-and-not-see/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [The reason why women grown bad are worse than men is because it is the best that turns to the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reason-why-women-grown-bad-are-worse-than-men-is-because-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why is it always only a matter of choosing between something bad and something worse?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/why-is-it-always-only-a-matter-of-choosing-between-something-bad-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Things are never as bad or as good as they seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hsieh/things-are-never-as-bad-or-as-good-as-they-seem/) [Tony Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hsieh/) > [If someone does something bad to you, you do something worse to them so they never mess with you again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/if-someone-does-something-bad-to-you-you-do-something-worse-to-them/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [“In a low state of mind, everything seems really bad and worse than it probably is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carlson/in-a-low-state-of-mind-everything-seems-really-bad-and-worse-than-it/) [Richard Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carlson/) > [Be bad, and if you can't be bad be worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/be-bad-and-if-you-can-t-be-bad-be-worse/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [Why did I come here? I thought. Why is it always only a matter of choosing between something bad and something worse?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/why-did-i-come-here-i-thought-why-is-it-always-only-a-matter-of/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Nothing's ever so bad that it can't get worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-s-ever-so-bad-that-it-can-t-get-worse/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This saying is both true and terse: There's nothing bad but might be worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-burgess/this-saying-is-both-true-and-terse-there-s-nothing-bad-but-might-be/) Thornton Burgess > [“Good girl doesn’t exist; you just have to choose between bad and worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/good-girl-doesn-t-exist-you-just-have-to-choose-between-bad-and-worse/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) ## More by Humphrey Bogart > [I came out here with one suit and everybody said I looked like a bum. Twenty years later Marlon Brando came out with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/i-came-out-here-with-one-suit-and-everybody-said-i-looked-like-a-bum/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [I don't hurt the industry. The industry hurts itself, by making so many lousy movies - as if General Motors deliberately put out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/i-don-t-hurt-the-industry-the-industry-hurts-itself-by-making-so-many/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [An actor needs something to stabilize his personality, something to nail down what he really is, not what he is currently pretending to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/an-actor-needs-something-to-stabilize-his-personality-something-to/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [(On Ingrid Bergman) "I didn't do anything I've never done before, but when the camera moves in on that Bergman face, and she's saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/on-ingrid-bergman-i-didn-t-do-anything-i-ve-never-done-before-but/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [You're not a star until they can spell your name in Karachi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/you-re-not-a-star-until-they-can-spell-your-name-in-karachi/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [On the House Un-American Activities Committee: They'll nail anyone who ever scratched his ass during the National Anthem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/on-the-house-un-american-activities-committee-they-ll-nail-anyone-who/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [If a face like Ingrid Bergman's looks at you as though you're adorable, everybody does. You don't have to act very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/if-a-face-like-ingrid-bergman-s-looks-at-you-as-though-you-re/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [The problem with this world is, everyone in it is 3 drinks behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/the-problem-with-this-world-is-everyone-in-it-is-3-drinks-behind/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [A hot dog at the game beats roast beef at the Ritz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/a-hot-dog-at-the-game-beats-roast-beef-at-the-ritz/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [the problems of three little people in a big world don't add up to much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/the-problems-of-three-little-people-in-a-big-world-don-t-add-up-to/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [ It's a good thing \[James\] Dean died when he did. If he'd lived, he'd never have been able to live up to the publicity. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/it-s-a-good-thing-james-dean-died-when-he-did-if-he-d-lived-he-d/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/the-problem-with-the-world-is-that-everyone-is-a-few-drinks-behind/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [“A hotdog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/a-hotdog-at-the-ballgame-beats-roast-beef-at-the-ritz/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [The only point in making money is, you can tell some big shot where to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/the-only-point-in-making-money-is-you-can-tell-some-big-shot-where-to/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [Everybody has something to conceal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/everybody-has-something-to-conceal/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) [Explore all 71 Humphrey Bogart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) ## More Made quotes > [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [I made $225.81 a week as an accountant, and I went to $400 a week as a stand-up. I was up to $800 a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pinette/i-made-225-81-a-week-as-an-accountant-and-i-went-to-400-a-week-as-a/) [John Pinette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pinette/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/) [Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) Browse all 29,875 Made quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Things are never so bad they can't be made worse.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Humphrey Bogart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-made-worse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Made" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-made-worse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/humphrey-bogart-9675_made_things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-ma_836704.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/humphrey-bogart-9675_made_things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-ma_836704.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/humphrey-bogart-9675_made_things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-ma_836704.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Things are never so bad they can't be made worse.” — Humphrey Bogart", "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": "Humphrey Bogart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Things are never so bad they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-made-worse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/things-are-never-so-bad-they-can-t-be-made-worse/#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 } } ] } ```