--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nobody could be meaner than me if I…" description: "\"Nobody could be meaner than me if I really wanted to be.\" — Matt Rife" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/matt-rife-6922_could_nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-real_687017.jpg" --- # Nobody could be meaner than me if I really wanted to be. ![“Nobody could be meaner than me if I really wanted to be.” quote by Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/matt-rife-6922_could_nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-real_687017.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/matt-rife-6922_could_nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-real_687017.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/matt-rife-6922_could_nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-real_687017.jpg) > “Nobody could be meaner than me if I really wanted to be.” [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admits they could be extremely unkind if they chose, highlighting personal agency over behavior. **In simple terms:** I could be very mean if I wanted. Key Takeaway Recognize your power to choose kindness. Themes self‑control morality personal responsibility Mood reflective cautionary Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - interpersonal conflict - leadership decisions - self‑reflection - team dynamics Key Concepts ethics choice behavioral agency Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever consider the impact of your harshness? - What would change if you chose kindness? A Different Perspective Choosing to be mean harms relationships and reputation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Meaner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaner/) ## Related quotes > [I'd always really wanted to act; but the modelling contracts came more easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dornan/i-d-always-really-wanted-to-act-but-the-modelling-contracts-came-more/) [Jamie Dornan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dornan/) > [I am blessed with a good metabolism, and as long as I work out, carbs don't add to my weight. If I need a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-rampal/i-am-blessed-with-a-good-metabolism-and-as-long-as-i-work-out-carbs/) [Arjun Rampal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-rampal/) > [Never ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-barrie/never-ascribe-to-an-opponent-motives-meaner-than-your-own/) [James M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-barrie/) > [At first it was just a misdemeanor, but then you lost the "mis-de" and you just got meaner and meaner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/at-first-it-was-just-a-misdemeanor-but-then-you-lost-the-mis-de-and/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) > [Tis a meaner part of sense to find a fault than taste an excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilmot/tis-a-meaner-part-of-sense-to-find-a-fault-than-taste-an-excellence/) [John Wilmot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilmot/) > [“..I resent the jerk part. I’m meaner than that…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-marlowe/i-resent-the-jerk-part-i-m-meaner-than-that/) [Finn Marlowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-marlowe/) > [Nothing can be meaner than the anxiety to live on, to live on anyhow and in any shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/nothing-can-be-meaner-than-the-anxiety-to-live-on-to-live-on-anyhow/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [“Um, she’s meaner than a bag full of squirrels and twice as nuts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-d-ficklin/um-she-s-meaner-than-a-bag-full-of-squirrels-and-twice-as-nuts/) [Sherry D. Ficklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-d-ficklin/) > [Confronted with people who have power, and who enjoy using it, I turn into a different person, a baser and meaner one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/confronted-with-people-who-have-power-and-who-enjoy-using-it-i-turn/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [Do not corner something that you know is meaner Than you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/do-not-corner-something-that-you-know-is-meaner-than-you/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [I'm very much aware of the dangers of becoming a cliche. Mr. Anger, someone who gets meaner, angrier on record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-m-very-much-aware-of-the-dangers-of-becoming-a-cliche-mr-anger/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [That said, I have come to believe that the more committed one is to leftism, the more likely one is to become meaner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/that-said-i-have-come-to-believe-that-the-more-committed-one-is-to/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“I’m bigger and meaner than you.” Krychek raised an eyebrow. “Bigger, yes. Meaner? Let’s leave that an open question. However,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-m-bigger-and-meaner-than-you-krychek-raised-an-eyebrow-bigger-yes/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [“Some things were meaner if you said them calmly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/some-things-were-meaner-if-you-said-them-calmly/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [A patronizing disposition always has its meaner side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/a-patronizing-disposition-always-has-its-meaner-side/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) ## More by Matt Rife > [For 11 straight years, I woke up pretty much every single day with nothing to do unless I created something to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/for-11-straight-years-i-woke-up-pretty-much-every-single-day-with/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [I almost exclusively performed at Black comedy shows and Black clubs. Black comics always just gave me the opportunity: 'Hey, you want to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/i-almost-exclusively-performed-at-black-comedy-shows-and-black-clubs/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [I don't believe there's anything you can't talk about if you do it correctly, in the right way, at the right time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/i-don-t-believe-there-s-anything-you-can-t-talk-about-if-you-do-it/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [It took getting on TikTok and people having the opportunity to see my comedy to realize like oh, there's actually a lot of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/it-took-getting-on-tiktok-and-people-having-the-opportunity-to-see-my/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [I don't think I'm hot at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/i-don-t-think-i-m-hot-at-all/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [Until I got my teeth done? No-one would even look at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/until-i-got-my-teeth-done-no-one-would-even-look-at-me/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [I couldn't be more different from my stage persona.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/i-couldn-t-be-more-different-from-my-stage-persona/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [I think I was always a pretty funny kid, making my family, friends, and classmates laugh. But I never realized it was an actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/i-think-i-was-always-a-pretty-funny-kid-making-my-family-friends-and/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [I got 'Wild' n Out' and that was a phenomenal launching platform for my career. But it's not what I wanted to do forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/i-got-wild-n-out-and-that-was-a-phenomenal-launching-platform-for-my/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [Everyone wants to complain about every joke ever told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/everyone-wants-to-complain-about-every-joke-ever-told/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [We live in a world where everyone has such a false sense of security and confidence hiding behind a computer screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/we-live-in-a-world-where-everyone-has-such-a-false-sense-of-security/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [I'm wildly insecure with my looks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/i-m-wildly-insecure-with-my-looks/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [You don't have to like everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/you-don-t-have-to-like-everybody/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [Whether it's depression or a physical disability, not everyone wants to be seen as a victim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/whether-it-s-depression-or-a-physical-disability-not-everyone-wants/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [If it wasn't for my grandpa, I'd have absolutely no sense of humor and I never would have gotten my start in comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/if-it-wasn-t-for-my-grandpa-i-d-have-absolutely-no-sense-of-humor-and/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) [Explore all 96 Matt Rife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) ## More Could quotes > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) > [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/) [Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/) > [I don't think Joe Louis could take the punches today fighting in this era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-don-t-think-joe-louis-could-take-the-punches-today-fighting-in-this/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [What a gift it would be if every child in the country could hear a professional orchestra at least once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/what-a-gift-it-would-be-if-every-child-in-the-country-could-hear-a/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [If my wisdom could get support from officials, I think society would move forward 20 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-guangbiao/if-my-wisdom-could-get-support-from-officials-i-think-society-would/) [Chen Guangbiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-guangbiao/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [One of the mistakes I made was thinking chickens and penguins could sing, just like all the other animals in the 'Muppets.' But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-mckenzie/one-of-the-mistakes-i-made-was-thinking-chickens-and-penguins-could/) [Bret McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-mckenzie/) > [I liked climbing trees and could often be found up one reading a book. I played games with Dad and drew maps for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/i-liked-climbing-trees-and-could-often-be-found-up-one-reading-a-book/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) > [I studied philosophy and ended on sociology. For some reason, all the advanced courses in philosophy were offered 4:30 to 6:30, so I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-jackson/i-studied-philosophy-and-ended-on-sociology-for-some-reason-all-the/) [Lawrence Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-jackson/) Browse all 8,032 Could quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nobody could be meaner than me if I really wanted to be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Rife" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-really-wanted-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Could" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-really-wanted-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/matt-rife-6922_could_nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-real_687017.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/matt-rife-6922_could_nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-real_687017.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/matt-rife-6922_could_nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-real_687017.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nobody could be meaner than me if I really wanted to be.” — Matt Rife", "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": "Matt Rife", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nobody could be meaner than me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-really-wanted-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/nobody-could-be-meaner-than-me-if-i-really-wanted-to-be/#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 } } ] } ```