--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I realized that neither Paul nor Barnabas…" description: "\"“I realized that neither Paul nor Barnabas were bad people. They were good people. But they weren’t good together. And that’s okay. It’s so much health..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/lysa-terkeurst-1076_bad-people_i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnaba_579073.png" --- # I realized that neither Paul nor Barnabas were bad people… ![“I realized that neither Paul nor Barnabas were bad people. They were good people. But they weren’t good together. And that’s okay. It’s so much healthier to be brave enough to go your separate ways than to keep stuffing and drown in a sea of bitterness.” quote by Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/lysa-terkeurst-1076_bad-people_i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnaba_579073.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/lysa-terkeurst-1076_bad-people_i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnaba_579073.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/lysa-terkeurst-1076_bad-people_i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnaba_579073.png) > ““I realized that neither Paul nor Barnabas were bad people. They were good people. But they weren’t good together. And that’s okay. It’s so much healthier to be brave enough to go your separate ways than to keep stuffing and drown in a sea of bitterness.”” [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Not all good people are compatible; separating can be healthier than staying in bitterness. **In simple terms:** Good people may not be a good match; separation can be healthier. Key Takeaway Accept incompatibility and prioritize well‑being. Themes relationships compatibility well‑being Mood hopeful reflective Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - marriage counseling - friendship endings - career partnerships Key Concepts personal growth boundaries emotional health Questions to Reflect On - When have you stayed in a harmful partnership? - What signs indicate it’s time to part ways? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of effort to improve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-people/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paul/) [Paul Barnabas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paul-barnabas-4763684/) [People Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-good/) [Realized Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-paul-4763685/) [Separate ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separate-ways/) ## Related quotes > [In this life you are meant to meet good and bad people so that you can keep the good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-this-life-you-are-meant-to-meet-good-and-bad-people-so-that-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/if-there-were-no-bad-people-there-would-be-no-good-lawyers/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-absurd-to-divide-people-into-good-and-bad-people-are-either/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I've always read in order to figure out people more, and that includes bad people and good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-ve-always-read-in-order-to-figure-out-people-more-and-that-includes/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [For me, there are no my people and strangers, no bad people and good people. All people are equal for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-yanukovych/for-me-there-are-no-my-people-and-strangers-no-bad-people-and-good/) [Viktor Yanukovych](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-yanukovych/) > [You cannot say the whole industry is bad. There are bad people, but there are many good people as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poonam-dhillon/you-cannot-say-the-whole-industry-is-bad-there-are-bad-people-but/) [Poonam Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poonam-dhillon/) > [It is a pleasant world we live in, sir, a very pleasant world. There are bad people in it, Mr. Richard, but if there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/it-is-a-pleasant-world-we-live-in-sir-a-very-pleasant-world-there-are/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“We need bad people, To be good people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadi-nourallah/we-need-bad-people-to-be-good-people/) [Hadi NourAllah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadi-nourallah/) > [Technology itself is neither good nor bad. People are good or bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/technology-itself-is-neither-good-nor-bad-people-are-good-or-bad/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [I find good people good And I find bad people good If I am good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/i-find-good-people-good-and-i-find-bad-people-good-if-i-am-good-enough/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“Bad people very often do one good thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/bad-people-very-often-do-one-good-thing/) [Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/) > [I met a girl stuck in her ways She found a boy she knew she'd change I changed my clothes, my hair, my face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-met-a-girl-stuck-in-her-ways-she-found-a-boy-she-knew-she-d-change/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Birth and death," Chet said. "The poles of human existence. We're like meridians, all beginning and ending in the same place. We spread out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/birth-and-death-chet-said-the-poles-of-human-existence-we-re-like/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I haven't slept in days. And me and my latest girl agreed to go our separate ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-haven-t-slept-in-days-and-me-and-my-latest-girl-agreed-to-go-our/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) ## More by Lysa TerKeurst > [A woman who is careful with her words is a gift to all who know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-is-careful-with-her-words-is-a-gift-to-all-who-know-her/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-lives-with-the-stress-of-an-overwhelmed-schedule-will/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [When we have the same thought again, the line of the original thought is deepened, causing what's called a memory trace. With each repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-we-have-the-same-thought-again-the-line-of-the-original-thought/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/we-must-not-confuse-the-command-to-love-with-the-disease-to-please/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep. The schedules we keep determine the lives we live. The lives we live determine how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-decisions-we-make-dictate-the-schedules-we-keep-the-schedules-we/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“It is good to be honest with God, but we must be careful that we don’t become whiners. There is nothing that aggravates my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/it-is-good-to-be-honest-with-god-but-we-must-be-careful-that-we-don-t/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Jesus, I don't want to be a secret keeper with my faith. I want to be a bold and gracious truth proclaimer. For You.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/jesus-i-don-t-want-to-be-a-secret-keeper-with-my-faith-i-want-to-be-a/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to your goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/make-every-effort-to-add-to-your-faith-goodness-and-to-your-goodness/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [You've never gone too far that God can't redeem you, restore you, forgive you, and give you a second chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/you-ve-never-gone-too-far-that-god-can-t-redeem-you-restore-you/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What happened yesterday can’t be changed, but it can be forgiven. That’s your miracle in the mess. The voices of condemnation, shame, and rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happened-yesterday-can-t-be-changed-but-it-can-be-forgiven-that/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I have discovered that if I can change the way I think about something, I can change the way I react to it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-have-discovered-that-if-i-can-change-the-way-i-think-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Whenever an opportunity comes your way, challenge yourself to first thank God and then quickly follow up with the question, “God, who else is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/whenever-an-opportunity-comes-your-way-challenge-yourself-to-first/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What happens when you delete “com” from the word compromise? You’re left with a “promise.” We were made for more than compromise. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happens-when-you-delete-com-from-the-word-compromise-you-re-left/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I had allowed to settle into the core of who I am. I talked about myself in ways I would never let another person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-had-allowed-to-settle-into-the-core-of-who-i-am-i-talked-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“When I don’t have peace physically, I don’t have peace spiritually. I can’t separate the two. Nor should I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-i-don-t-have-peace-physically-i-don-t-have-peace-spiritually-i/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) [Explore all 293 Lysa TerKeurst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## More Bad people quotes > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [“Any discussion of money and success would be lacking if I did not state that money is neither good nor bad. In the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-stovall/any-discussion-of-money-and-success-would-be-lacking-if-i-did-not/) [Jim Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-stovall/) > [When people walk away from you, let them go. You're destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn't mean they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-walk-away-from-you-let-them-go-you-re-destiny-is-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you have the ability and the opportunity to help someone, but you don't do anything just because you're scared or it's inconvenient or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/if-you-have-the-ability-and-the-opportunity-to-help-someone-but-you/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [Really bad people around the world, because of the genius of American innovation, use our products and infrastructure for their emails, for their communications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/really-bad-people-around-the-world-because-of-the-genius-of-american/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [“If you sought to leave the world, don’t go alone. Since there are too many bad people you can take them too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-you-sought-to-leave-the-world-don-t-go-alone-since-there-are-too/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“To feel someone’s life drain from their body by your hands . . . bad, bad people who need to be plucked from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/to-feel-someone-s-life-drain-from-their-body-by-your-hands-bad-bad/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“I just can't get with this idea that literature is a 12-step program. If someone wants to read a book to see good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/i-just-can-t-get-with-this-idea-that-literature-is-a-12-step-program/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [“Deterrents properly placed can help. But that is not enough. We are one society, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/deterrents-properly-placed-can-help-but-that-is-not-enough-we-are-one/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [Too bad all the people who know how to run this country are busy running taxicabs or cutting hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/too-bad-all-the-people-who-know-how-to-run-this-country-are-busy/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [The truth is that Africa is like everywhere else. There are poor areas, there are rich areas, there is a middle class. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/the-truth-is-that-africa-is-like-everywhere-else-there-are-poor-areas/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I'm a very placid human being. I don't want to kill anyone. I guess I have played a lot of bad people in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mays/i-m-a-very-placid-human-being-i-don-t-want-to-kill-anyone-i-guess-i/) [Daniel Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mays/) > [We do not come to God as bad people trying to become good people; we come as rebels to lay down our arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/we-do-not-come-to-god-as-bad-people-trying-to-become-good-people-we/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Browse all 703 Bad people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I realized that neither Paul nor Barnabas were bad people. They were good people. But they weren’t good together. And that’s okay. It’s so much healthier to be brave enough to go your separate ways than to keep stuffing and drown in a sea of bitterness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lysa TerKeurst" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnabas-were-bad-people-they-were/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnabas-were-bad-people-they-were/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/lysa-terkeurst-1076_bad-people_i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnaba_579073.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/lysa-terkeurst-1076_bad-people_i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnaba_579073.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/160/lysa-terkeurst-1076_bad-people_i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnaba_579073.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I realized that neither Paul nor Barnabas were bad people. They were good people. But they weren’t good…” — Lysa TerKeurst", "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": "Lysa TerKeurst", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I realized that neither Paul nor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnabas-were-bad-people-they-were/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-realized-that-neither-paul-nor-barnabas-were-bad-people-they-were/#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 } } ] } ```