--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are pissing people off, you know…" description: "\"If you are pissing people off, you know you are doing something right.\" — John Lydon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-lydon-1234_doing-right_if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-y_3151308.jpg" --- # If you are pissing people off, you know you are doing… ![“If you are pissing people off, you know you are doing something right.” quote by John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-lydon-1234_doing-right_if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-y_3151308.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-lydon-1234_doing-right_if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-y_3151308.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-lydon-1234_doing-right_if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-y_3151308.jpg) > “If you are pissing people off, you know you are doing something right.” [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Challenging norms often provokes strong reactions, indicating impact and authenticity. **In simple terms:** Provoking strong reactions shows you’re impactful. Key Takeaway Embrace controversy as a sign of meaningful work. Themes rebellion authenticity impact Mood defiant provocative Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - marketing campaigns - political activism - creative projects - leadership decisions Key Concepts social dynamics psychology of influence Questions to Reflect On - Do you value the reaction more than the message? - How can you channel controversy constructively? A Different Perspective Not all disruption is positive; backlash can damage reputation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-right/) ## Related quotes > [Pissing people off doesn't mean you're doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/pissing-people-off-doesn-t-mean-you-re-doing-the-right-things-but/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Doing the right thing sometimes means pissing people off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/doing-the-right-thing-sometimes-means-pissing-people-off/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pissing people off should be a sport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka/pissing-people-off-should-be-a-sport/) [Priyanka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka/) > [I have this habit of pissing people off without even trying, or hurting them I'm not really sure why it's just something I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-delacruz/i-have-this-habit-of-pissing-people-off-without-even-trying-or/) [Cheyenne DeLaCruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-delacruz/) > [Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/being-responsible-sometimes-means-pissing-people-off/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [We have to know what we're doing. Right now, our police, in many cases, are afraid to do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-have-to-know-what-we-re-doing-right-now-our-police-in-many-cases/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [When you're succeeding, and you're doing something right... As I've got haters, I know I'm doing something right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-bella/when-you-re-succeeding-and-you-re-doing-something-right-as-i-ve-got/) [Nikki Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-bella/) > [Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/next-to-doing-the-right-thing-the-most-important-thing-is-to-let/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [As long as you know that you're doing the right thing, do not care about what other people think about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/as-long-as-you-know-that-you-re-doing-the-right-thing-do-not-care/) [Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/) > [You know you must be doing something right if old people like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/you-know-you-must-be-doing-something-right-if-old-people-like-you/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [You will only succeed if you know that what you are doing is right and you know how to bring out the best in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/you-will-only-succeed-if-you-know-that-what-you-are-doing-is-right/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [If your job title is head receiver, you know you're doing something right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-job-title-is-head-receiver-you-know-you-re-doing-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We like annoying people. It's a Manchester thing. It's a trait. We just like pissing people off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/we-like-annoying-people-it-s-a-manchester-thing-it-s-a-trait-we-just/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [“I thought I was playing the game of pissing off people who hated me already and eating the consequences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/i-thought-i-was-playing-the-game-of-pissing-off-people-who-hated-me/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [Socrates was likewise right that pissing people off is how we first, and maybe best, go about the business of provoking thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kingwell/socrates-was-likewise-right-that-pissing-people-off-is-how-we-first/) [Mark Kingwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kingwell/) ## More by John Lydon > [Music is escapism from the grim realities of life. But then as soon as you escape into the music, from my point of view,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/music-is-escapism-from-the-grim-realities-of-life-but-then-as-soon-as/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I'm not one for like soul-searching, sour fizzy moments. I come from the school of hard knocks, "f\*\*king get on with it", that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-m-not-one-for-like-soul-searching-sour-fizzy-moments-i-come-from/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [All the things that you would have thought would have made me a professional A1 criminal... wrong. I decided that was too lazy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/all-the-things-that-you-would-have-thought-would-have-made-me-a/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [Stroll into work at 10. Lunch from 12 till three. Leave work at five. That's living!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/stroll-into-work-at-10-lunch-from-12-till-three-leave-work-at-five/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [Live music is healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/live-music-is-healthy/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I never wore a studded leather jacket, y'know. Ne-va! If I had had the money I wouldn't have spent it on shit like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-never-wore-a-studded-leather-jacket-y-know-ne-va-if-i-had-had-the/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I've always strived to maintain a very healthy, friendly working situation, and lo and behold, it only took forty years, so the next sixty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-ve-always-strived-to-maintain-a-very-healthy-friendly-working/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [This is a very difficult thing to remain independent and persistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/this-is-a-very-difficult-thing-to-remain-independent-and-persistent/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [A record company used to be a very good thing, but they ended up soul-destroyingly trapping people in the accounting department. And you couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/a-record-company-used-to-be-a-very-good-thing-but-they-ended-up-soul/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [Destroy everything. That's all well and fine, but you got to offer something in it's place. Since I always have a point and purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/destroy-everything-that-s-all-well-and-fine-but-you-got-to-offer/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [For me people are people, without meaning to sound corny, it's a plain natural fact, music is a universal language and I've always known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/for-me-people-are-people-without-meaning-to-sound-corny-it-s-a-plain/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I'm not great at dealing with death, I have to say. I find death very hard: my mum, my dad, Sid Vicious. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-m-not-great-at-dealing-with-death-i-have-to-say-i-find-death-very/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [The joy of life is in the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/the-joy-of-life-is-in-the-work/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I have a sensible set of values that tell me to never lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-have-a-sensible-set-of-values-that-tell-me-to-never-lie/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I always knew the Sixties wasn't a revolution. It really was just a bunch of university students with wealthy parents having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-always-knew-the-sixties-wasn-t-a-revolution-it-really-was-just-a/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) [Explore all 269 John Lydon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) ## More Doing right quotes > [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [Money will come to you when you are doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-phillips/money-will-come-to-you-when-you-are-doing-the-right-thing/) [Michael Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-phillips/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [Any artist can't get away from the way the world works, which is that it wants to know what you did, and you're only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stella/any-artist-can-t-get-away-from-the-way-the-world-works-which-is-that/) [Frank Stella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stella/) > [Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/quality-means-doing-it-right-when-no-one-is-looking/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“Because doing what is right is in your bones. Just follow where your bones take you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-x-stork/because-doing-what-is-right-is-in-your-bones-just-follow-where-your/) [Francisco X. Stork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-x-stork/) > [It's all about doing the right things at the right times and I believe I can win everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-cross/it-s-all-about-doing-the-right-things-at-the-right-times-and-i/) [Rob Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-cross/) > [You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-smith/you-should-never-be-proud-of-doing-the-right-thing-you-should-just-do/) [Dean Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-smith/) > [“Management is about doing things right; leadership is about doing the right things. Peter Drucker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-banfield/management-is-about-doing-things-right-leadership-is-about-doing-the/) [Richard Banfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-banfield/) > [Audiences are hungry for something different. With binge-watching, they're hungry for interesting content they haven't seen before, and they want to be entertained. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-millar/audiences-are-hungry-for-something-different-with-binge-watching-they/) [Miles Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-millar/) > [“Doing better is creativity, doing faster is creativity, doing smarter is creativity, doing right is creativity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/doing-better-is-creativity-doing-faster-is-creativity-doing-smarter/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I went to Oregon to study permaculture and lived in an eco-village for a month outside Eugene. Its called Lost Valley. It was amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/i-went-to-oregon-to-study-permaculture-and-lived-in-an-eco-village/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) > [Never let making a profit stand in the way of doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-jenkins/never-let-making-a-profit-stand-in-the-way-of-doing-the-right-thing/) George W. Jenkins > [Knowing what is right is not the same as doing what is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-caine/knowing-what-is-right-is-not-the-same-as-doing-what-is-right/) [Christine Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-caine/) [Browse all 734 Doing right quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-right/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you are pissing people off, you know you are doing something right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Lydon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-you-are-doing-something-right/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doing right" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-you-are-doing-something-right/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-lydon-1234_doing-right_if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-y_3151308.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-lydon-1234_doing-right_if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-y_3151308.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e89/john-lydon-1234_doing-right_if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-y_3151308.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are pissing people off, you know you are doing something right.” — John Lydon", "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": "John Lydon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you are pissing people off,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-you-are-doing-something-right/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/if-you-are-pissing-people-off-you-know-you-are-doing-something-right/#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 } } ] } ```