---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's no good being nice and young and…"
description: "\"It's no good being nice and young and naive. There's no good in that at all. You've got to do it all yourself, and you've gotta learn quick. And you ca..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/john-lydon-1234_being-nice_it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-na_1720536.jpg"
---

#  It's no good being nice and young and naive. There's no…

![“It's no good being nice and young and naive. There's no good in that at all. You've got to do it all yourself, and you've gotta learn quick. And you can't look for sympathy either.” quote by John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/john-lydon-1234_being-nice_it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-na_1720536.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/john-lydon-1234_being-nice_it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-na_1720536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/john-lydon-1234_being-nice_it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-na_1720536.jpg)

> “It's no good being nice and young and naive. There's no good in that at all. You've got to do it all yourself, and you've gotta learn quick. And you can't look for sympathy either.”

[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.

Self‑reliance and rapid learning are essential; relying on others or sympathy hinders progress.

**In simple terms:** Be independent and learn fast.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate self‑sufficiency and resilience.

Themes

independence growth realism

Mood

defiant motivational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career building
- entrepreneurship
- personal adversity
- skill acquisition

Key Concepts

self‑reliance personal development critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance independence with teamwork?
- What strategies accelerate learning?

A Different Perspective

May undervalue collaborative benefits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-nice/) [Sympathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathy/)

## Related quotes

> [“Evil people rely on the acquiescence of naive good people to allow them to continue with their evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-aken/evil-people-rely-on-the-acquiescence-of-naive-good-people-to-allow/)

[Stuart Aken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-aken/)

> [I think it's important for people to realize that we were all young, all naive, and also we had lived in a time that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-it-s-important-for-people-to-realize-that-we-were-all-young/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [In many ways I just did not fit the mold of a 1970s high tech innovator. I was not white, I was not working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-ayyadurai/in-many-ways-i-just-did-not-fit-the-mold-of-a-1970s-high-tech/)

[Shiva Ayyadurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-ayyadurai/)

> [When you're young and naive, so early in your career, it's, 'This is what it's like, and you go to the Super Bowl every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bosa/when-you-re-young-and-naive-so-early-in-your-career-it-s-this-is-what/)

[Nick Bosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bosa/)

> [I was young and naive. I didn't have the advice I have now and made mistakes. I didn't understand it was about attitude as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-snodgrass/i-was-young-and-naive-i-didn-t-have-the-advice-i-have-now-and-made/)

[Robert Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-snodgrass/)

> [The only thing I wanted to do when I was a young naive kid was to become a New York stage actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-platt/the-only-thing-i-wanted-to-do-when-i-was-a-young-naive-kid-was-to/)

[Oliver Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-platt/)

> [“I tried to read that book again before I went to sleep. I didn’t like that book, but I kept going for all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/i-tried-to-read-that-book-again-before-i-went-to-sleep-i-didn-t-like/)

[Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/)

> [He's a nice young lad. I'll keep putting him on ... as long as he doesn't tell me any lies. He's back focused and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-freedman/he-s-a-nice-young-lad-i-ll-keep-putting-him-on-as-long-as-he-doesn-t/)

Lee Freedman

> [It's nice to see those young players who are humble and working hard and to see them thriving in the NBA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goran-dragic/it-s-nice-to-see-those-young-players-who-are-humble-and-working-hard/)

[Goran Dragic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goran-dragic/)

> [It's really nice to see when someone young achieves something great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/it-s-really-nice-to-see-when-someone-young-achieves-something-great/)

[Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/)

> [I am a nice young girl here to pick up your granddaughter for the weekend... We're going to a Bible retreat to scare the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-am-a-nice-young-girl-here-to-pick-up-your-granddaughter-for-the/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [“Arthur Jelliby was a very nice young man, which was perhaps the reason why he had never made much of a politician.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-bachmann/arthur-jelliby-was-a-very-nice-young-man-which-was-perhaps-the-reason/)

[Stefan Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-bachmann/)

> [I really liked Wynton when I first met him. He's still a nice young man, only confused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-really-liked-wynton-when-i-first-met-him-he-s-still-a-nice-young/)

[Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/)

> [It's nice to see the young ones 7, 8, 9 years old. It seems like they know you through their parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-lafleur/it-s-nice-to-see-the-young-ones-7-8-9-years-old-it-seems-like-they/)

[Guy Lafleur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-lafleur/)

> [“MARTIN (Serious) Am I too young for Alzheimer’s? STEVIE Probably. Isn’t it nice to be too young for something?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/martin-serious-am-i-too-young-for-alzheimer-s-stevie-probably-isn-t/)

[Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/)

## 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 Being nice quotes

> [Business school graduates from the best schools earn large salaries and frequently rise to positions of great power. It would be nice if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/business-school-graduates-from-the-best-schools-earn-large-salaries/)

[Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/)

> [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/)

[Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/)

> [I think there's a lot of scope in broadening the way videogames approach depictions of masculinity, which is still extremely narrow in scope. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-druckmann/i-think-there-s-a-lot-of-scope-in-broadening-the-way-videogames/)

Neil Druckmann

> [He put his arms around her. “Well, in my defense, then, whatever I did seemed to work, didn't it?” She sighed. “I suppose.” “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-put-his-arms-around-her-well-in-my-defense-then-whatever-i-did/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [Somewhere where people aren't so mad would be nice, but I don't know if there is anywhere like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-smith/somewhere-where-people-aren-t-so-mad-would-be-nice-but-i-don-t-know/)

[Elliott Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-smith/)

> [Most of the people I know who were raised to be accommodating or were raised to just be nice and put everybody's needs ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/most-of-the-people-i-know-who-were-raised-to-be-accommodating-or-were/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [“When we are nice to others, we generally lose all claim to their respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/when-we-are-nice-to-others-we-generally-lose-all-claim-to-their/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [Being nice from now on, leaving the old BS where it's at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-from-now-on-leaving-the-old-bs-where-it-s-at/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/)

[Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/)

> [I think music is better listened to with other people. Music is better shared. It depends what situation you're in - if it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-odell/i-think-music-is-better-listened-to-with-other-people-music-is-better/)

[Tom Odell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-odell/)

> [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great. To many people, being nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the-2/)

[Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/)

> [Give me a mirror.Or holy water. I'll drink it,even!" I gasped as someone threw water on the side of my face. "A little warning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/give-me-a-mirror-or-holy-water-i-ll-drink-it-even-i-gasped-as-someone/)

[Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/)

> [What inspired me as a child is the same thing that inspires me now: being nice. I always try to one up everybody with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joell-ortiz/what-inspired-me-as-a-child-is-the-same-thing-that-inspires-me-now/)

[Joell Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joell-ortiz/)

> [My ex-wife was trying to be nice once, so she took me to a concert in Los Angeles. I went with her to Symphony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-king/my-ex-wife-was-trying-to-be-nice-once-so-she-took-me-to-a-concert-in/)

[B. B. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-king/)

[Browse all 659 Being nice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-nice/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's no good being nice and young and naive. There's no good in that at all. You've got to do it all yourself, and you've gotta learn quick. And you can't look for sympathy either.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Lydon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-naive-there-s-no-good-in-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Being nice"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-naive-there-s-no-good-in-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/john-lydon-1234_being-nice_it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-na_1720536.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/john-lydon-1234_being-nice_it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-na_1720536.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/john-lydon-1234_being-nice_it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-na_1720536.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's no good being nice and young and naive. There's no good in that at all. You've got to do it all…” — 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": "It's no good being nice and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-naive-there-s-no-good-in-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/it-s-no-good-being-nice-and-young-and-naive-there-s-no-good-in-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
