---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can get through life with bad…"
description: "\"You can get through life with bad manners, but it's easier with good manners.\" — Lillian Gish"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/lillian-gish-27995_bad-man_you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manner_116593.png"
---

#  You can get through life with bad manners, but it's easier…

![“You can get through life with bad manners, but it's easier with good manners.” quote by Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/lillian-gish-27995_bad-man_you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manner_116593.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/lillian-gish-27995_bad-man_you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manner_116593.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/lillian-gish-27995_bad-man_you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manner_116593.png)

> “You can get through life with bad manners, but it's easier with good manners.”

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Good manners ease social interaction, while poor manners make life harder, though not impossible.

**In simple terms:** Politeness smooths daily life.

Key Takeaway

Manners are a social lubricant.

Themes

social etiquette interpersonal skills civility

Mood

practical optimistic

Type

advice maxim

When to use this quote

- a job interview
- a crowded public transport
- a family dinner

Key Concepts

social capital psychology of respect

Practical Applications

- Practice active listening
- Use polite language even in stressful moments

Questions to Reflect On

- When might good manners be insufficient?
- Can excessive politeness mask genuine feelings?

A Different Perspective

Manners alone cannot resolve deeper systemic inequities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bad manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-manners/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Good manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-manners/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/)

## Related quotes

> [That bad manners are so prevalent in the world is the fault of good manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/that-bad-manners-are-so-prevalent-in-the-world-is-the-fault-of-good/)

[Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/)

> [Good manners are appreciated as much as bad manners are abhorred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/good-manners-are-appreciated-as-much-as-bad-manners-are-abhorred/)

[Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/)

> [Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people's bad manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/good-manners-sometimes-means-simply-putting-up-with-other-people-s/)

[H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/)

> [The great secret...is not having bad manners or good manners...but having the same manner for all human souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-great-secret-is-not-having-bad-manners-or-good-manners-but-having/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The real test of good manners is to be able to put up with bad manners pleasantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-test-of-good-manners-is-to-be-able-to-put-up-with-bad/)

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

> [The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-great-secret-eliza-is-not-having-bad-manners-or-good-manners-or/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Good manners open the closed doors; bad manners close the open doors!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/good-manners-open-the-closed-doors-bad-manners-close-the-open-doors/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“HIGGINS. The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/higgins-the-great-secret-eliza-is-not-having-bad-manners-or-good/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [“Good manners cost nothing. Bad manners can cost you your reputation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-d-hawkey/good-manners-cost-nothing-bad-manners-can-cost-you-your-reputation/)

B.D.Hawkey

> [Evil communication corrupts good manners. I hope to live to hear that good communication corrects bad manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-banneker/evil-communication-corrupts-good-manners-i-hope-to-live-to-hear-that/)

[Benjamin Banneker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-banneker/)

> [I don't accept bad manners, so all my grandchildren are very well behaved, just like my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maye-musk/i-don-t-accept-bad-manners-so-all-my-grandchildren-are-very-well/)

[Maye Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maye-musk/)

> [This self-congratulatory notion Americans have that their country is Number One is borne of ignorance and bad manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/this-self-congratulatory-notion-americans-have-that-their-country-is/)

[Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/)

> [~I'm strict about manners. I think that kids have a horrible time with other people if they have bad manners… The one thing you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-m-strict-about-manners-i-think-that-kids-have-a-horrible-time-with/)

[Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/)

> [If I was to ask you tonight if you were saved? Do you say 'Yes, I am saved'. When? 'Oh so and so preached,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/if-i-was-to-ask-you-tonight-if-you-were-saved-do-you-say-yes-i-am/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/)

[Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/)

## More by Lillian Gish

> [It had been drilled into us that when an audience pays to see a performance, it is entitled to the best performance you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/it-had-been-drilled-into-us-that-when-an-audience-pays-to-see-a/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [Young man, if God had wanted you to see me that way, he would have put your eyes in your bellybutton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/young-man-if-god-had-wanted-you-to-see-me-that-way-he-would-have-put/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [I've never been in style, so I can't go out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/i-ve-never-been-in-style-so-i-can-t-go-out-of-style/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [It's a hard world for little things,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/it-s-a-hard-world-for-little-things/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [“I've never been in style, so I can never go out of style.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/i-ve-never-been-in-style-so-i-can-never-go-out-of-style/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [Never get caught acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/never-get-caught-acting/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [As long as you are curious, you will never be bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/as-long-as-you-are-curious-you-will-never-be-bored/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [Hollywood has turned into an emotional Detroit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/hollywood-has-turned-into-an-emotional-detroit/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [Love is a hard rock between two people and can't be torn apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/love-is-a-hard-rock-between-two-people-and-can-t-be-torn-apart/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [I can't remember a time when I wasn't acting, so I can't imagine what I would do if I stopped now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/i-can-t-remember-a-time-when-i-wasn-t-acting-so-i-can-t-imagine-what/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [You know, when I first went into the movies Lionel Barrymore played my grandfather. Later he played my father and finally he played my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/you-know-when-i-first-went-into-the-movies-lionel-barrymore-played-my/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [The older I get, the more I believe in what I can't explain or understand, even more than the things that are explainable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-believe-in-what-i-can-t-explain-or/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [Fans always write asking why I didn't smile more in films. I smiled in 'Annie Laurie', but I can't recall that it helped much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/fans-always-write-asking-why-i-didn-t-smile-more-in-films-i-smiled-in/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [The stage was our school, our home, our life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/the-stage-was-our-school-our-home-our-life/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [Hollywood - an emotional Detroit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/hollywood-an-emotional-detroit/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

[Explore all 19 Lillian Gish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

## More Bad man quotes

> [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/)

[Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/)

> [“It is said that the hallmark of a gentleman is that he is only ever rude intentionally. Arthur Bryant was no gentleman. His rudeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fowler/it-is-said-that-the-hallmark-of-a-gentleman-is-that-he-is-only-ever/)

[Christopher Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fowler/)

> [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Why, just a couple of economic seasons ago, was idle cash considered an indication of bad management or lazy management? Because it meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/why-just-a-couple-of-economic-seasons-ago-was-idle-cash-considered-an/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [Terrorism is obviously on everybody's mind. The other day my son says to me, 'Daddy, how come the bad men hate us?' How sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-giraldo/terrorism-is-obviously-on-everybody-s-mind-the-other-day-my-son-says/)

[Greg Giraldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-giraldo/)

> [What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-is-a-good-man-but-a-bad-man-s-teacher-what-is-a-bad-man-but-a/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [If I was to ask you tonight if you were saved? Do you say 'Yes, I am saved'. When? 'Oh so and so preached,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/if-i-was-to-ask-you-tonight-if-you-were-saved-do-you-say-yes-i-am/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [What is a good man? Simply one whose life is useful to the world. And a bad man is simply one whose life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-zhao/what-is-a-good-man-simply-one-whose-life-is-useful-to-the-world-and-a/)

Zhang Zhao

> [~I'm strict about manners. I think that kids have a horrible time with other people if they have bad manners… The one thing you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-m-strict-about-manners-i-think-that-kids-have-a-horrible-time-with/)

[Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/)

> [“He never looked at her; and yet, the careful avoidance of his eyes betokened that in some way he knew exactly where, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/he-never-looked-at-her-and-yet-the-careful-avoidance-of-his-eyes/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“As it happens, I’m a terrible dancer. Bears are simply not made for dancing. We’re much better at sitting and sleeping and singing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-macleod/as-it-happens-i-m-a-terrible-dancer-bears-are-simply-not-made-for/)

[Doug MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-macleod/)

> [The Gospel of Jesus Christ can make bad men good and good men better, can alter human nature, and can change human lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-gospel-of-jesus-christ-can-make-bad-men-good-and-good-men-better/)

[David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/)

> [This self-congratulatory notion Americans have that their country is Number One is borne of ignorance and bad manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/this-self-congratulatory-notion-americans-have-that-their-country-is/)

[Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/)

> [You can learn a lot about good management by working under someone who is a bad manager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/you-can-learn-a-lot-about-good-management-by-working-under-someone/)

[Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/)

Browse all 410 Bad man quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You can get through life with bad manners, but it's easier with good manners.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lillian Gish"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manners-but-it-s-easier-with-good/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bad man"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manners-but-it-s-easier-with-good/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/lillian-gish-27995_bad-man_you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manner_116593.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/lillian-gish-27995_bad-man_you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manner_116593.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9b/lillian-gish-27995_bad-man_you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manner_116593.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You can get through life with bad manners, but it's easier with good manners.” — Lillian Gish",
                "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": "Lillian Gish",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You can get through life with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manners-but-it-s-easier-with-good/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/you-can-get-through-life-with-bad-manners-but-it-s-easier-with-good/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
