--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only people who you should get even…" description: "\"“The only people who you should get even with are those who have helped you.”\" — John Southard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/john-southard-249678_getting-even_the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even_363458.jpg" --- # The only people who you should get even with are those who… ![“The only people who you should get even with are those who have helped you.” quote by John Southard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/john-southard-249678_getting-even_the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even_363458.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/john-southard-249678_getting-even_the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even_363458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/john-southard-249678_getting-even_the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even_363458.jpg) > ““The only people who you should get even with are those who have helped you.”” John Southard ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Only those who have helped you deserve your revenge, suggesting gratitude over retaliation. **In simple terms:** Helped people deserve your focus, not revenge. Key Takeaway Practice gratitude, not vengeance. Themes gratitude revenge help ethics Mood thoughtful inspirational Type quote ethical When to use this quote - workplace conflicts - family disputes - community service Key Concepts moral philosophy emotional intelligence social reciprocity Questions to Reflect On - Who have truly helped you? - How can you express gratitude instead of revenge? A Different Perspective Revenge may still feel justified for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Helping hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-hand/) [Helping others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-others/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“Vengeance is a monster of appetite, forever bloodthirsty and never filled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/vengeance-is-a-monster-of-appetite-forever-bloodthirsty-and-never/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“It is not unreasonable to want repentance from a wrongdoer before forgiving that wrongdoer, since, in the absence of repentance, hasty forgiveness may harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrie-g-murphy/it-is-not-unreasonable-to-want-repentance-from-a-wrongdoer-before/) Jeffrie G. Murphy > [“One bad turn does not excuse another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/one-bad-turn-does-not-excuse-another/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [There are people that helped me growing up. I want to be able to help people that are not able to help me back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sony-michel/there-are-people-that-helped-me-growing-up-i-want-to-be-able-to-help/) [Sony Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sony-michel/) > [I had a big step here in San Antonio, good help, great work. I learned a lot. Everybody helped me, great and smart people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boban-marjanovic/i-had-a-big-step-here-in-san-antonio-good-help-great-work-i-learned-a/) [Boban Marjanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boban-marjanovic/) > [I've been able to meet interesting people who have helped me. And, in turn, I want to help out my fellow NBA players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/i-ve-been-able-to-meet-interesting-people-who-have-helped-me-and-in/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [When I was skating I felt I represented not just my family and the people who helped me make it to that point, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hughes/when-i-was-skating-i-felt-i-represented-not-just-my-family-and-the/) [Sarah Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hughes/) > [I have worked with a lot of different people who have helped me along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-calvert-lewin/i-have-worked-with-a-lot-of-different-people-who-have-helped-me-along/) [Dominic Calvert-Lewin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-calvert-lewin/) > [People helped me throughout my whole life, so why not help others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-lindor/people-helped-me-throughout-my-whole-life-so-why-not-help-others/) [Francisco Lindor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-lindor/) > [I appreciate all the people that have helped me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-tatis-jr/i-appreciate-all-the-people-that-have-helped-me/) [Fernando Tatis Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-tatis-jr/) > [As I matriculate my way down the field of life, I will never forget this moment and you wonderful people who helped make this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-stram/as-i-matriculate-my-way-down-the-field-of-life-i-will-never-forget/) [Hank Stram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-stram/) > [You believed in me when no one else did; you accepted me for who I am when people rejected me; and you helped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zura-chan/you-believed-in-me-when-no-one-else-did-you-accepted-me-for-who-i-am/) [Zura Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zura-chan/) > [“God doesn’t help anyone, humans do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/god-doesn-t-help-anyone-humans-do/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“People have to be less internally focused and show more of a desire to help others in order to create change for the better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/people-have-to-be-less-internally-focused-and-show-more-of-a-desire/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) ## More Getting-even quotes > [“One bad turn does not excuse another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/one-bad-turn-does-not-excuse-another/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“It is not unreasonable to want repentance from a wrongdoer before forgiving that wrongdoer, since, in the absence of repentance, hasty forgiveness may harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrie-g-murphy/it-is-not-unreasonable-to-want-repentance-from-a-wrongdoer-before/) Jeffrie G. Murphy > [“Vengeance is a monster of appetite, forever bloodthirsty and never filled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/vengeance-is-a-monster-of-appetite-forever-bloodthirsty-and-never/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) Browse all 4 Getting-even quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The only people who you should get even with are those who have helped you.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Southard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-southard/the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even-with-are-those-who-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Getting-even" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-southard/the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even-with-are-those-who-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/john-southard-249678_getting-even_the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even_363458.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/john-southard-249678_getting-even_the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even_363458.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/john-southard-249678_getting-even_the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even_363458.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only people who you should get even with are those who have helped you.” — John Southard", "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 Southard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-southard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The only people who you should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-southard/the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even-with-are-those-who-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-southard/the-only-people-who-you-should-get-even-with-are-those-who-have/#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 } } ] } ```