--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: nice is such a rip-off." description: "\"nice is such a rip-off.\" — Ntozake Shange" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/ntozake-shange-11891_nice_nice-is-such-a-rip-off-1239697_1239697.png" --- # nice is such a rip-off. ![“nice is such a rip-off.” quote by Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/ntozake-shange-11891_nice_nice-is-such-a-rip-off-1239697_1239697.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/ntozake-shange-11891_nice_nice-is-such-a-rip-off-1239697_1239697.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/ntozake-shange-11891_nice_nice-is-such-a-rip-off-1239697_1239697.png) > “nice is such a rip-off.” [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement critiques the commercial exploitation of something that should be authentic. **In simple terms:** It calls out cheap imitation. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity, avoid exploitation. Themes authenticity commercialism culture Mood critical contemplative Type cultural sociological When to use this quote - music industry - fashion - artistic expression Key Concepts postmodern critique consumerism Questions to Reflect On - What does authenticity mean to you? - When is a price justified? A Different Perspective Authenticity can be subjective and hard to define. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Niceness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/niceness/) ## Related quotes > [i usedta live in the world really be in the world free & sweet talkin good mornin & thank-you & nice day uh huh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-usedta-live-in-the-world-really-be-in-the-world-free-sweet-talkin/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [“they were nice in a useless sort of way, which is, after all, the only way to be truly nice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/they-were-nice-in-a-useless-sort-of-way-which-is-after-all-the-only/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [Human beings need to watch out for reasonless niceness too. It's never reasonless and its reason's not usually nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/human-beings-need-to-watch-out-for-reasonless-niceness-too-it-s-never/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“People who switch their niceness on and off are not to be trusted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-diamond/people-who-switch-their-niceness-on-and-off-are-not-to-be-trusted/) [Lucy Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-diamond/) > [“niceness does not equal goodness. Niceness is a decision, a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait. People seeking to control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-de-becker/niceness-does-not-equal-goodness-niceness-is-a-decision-a-strategy-of/) [Gavin de Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-de-becker/) > [I know it's sappy, but I bet there's a market for civility and niceness out there that, while probably not as titillating as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/i-know-it-s-sappy-but-i-bet-there-s-a-market-for-civility-and/) [Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/) > [“and confused if someone does not appreciate their niceness. Others often sense this and avoid giving them feedback not only, effectively blocking the nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-bryson/and-confused-if-someone-does-not-appreciate-their-niceness-others/) [Kelly Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-bryson/) > [You know how ESPN works; they'll throw themselves into a frenzy over Tebow's white bread lame ass niceness and then vilify Johnny Football just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/you-know-how-espn-works-they-ll-throw-themselves-into-a-frenzy-over/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) > [This is what happens when nice people are pushed too far. We give too many chances, and so when we've finally had enough, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/this-is-what-happens-when-nice-people-are-pushed-too-far-we-give-too/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“Kindness connects to who you are, niceness connects to how you want to be seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/kindness-connects-to-who-you-are-niceness-connects-to-how-you-want-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [It's a dirty little secret that most New Yorkers are pleasant, thoughtful, patient, and polite. The Chamber of Commerce must work overtime to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-kelman/it-s-a-dirty-little-secret-that-most-new-yorkers-are-pleasant/) [Judith Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-kelman/) > [A lot of warm vulgarity is incomparably preferable to a little bit of pinched niceness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-thomas/a-lot-of-warm-vulgarity-is-incomparably-preferable-to-a-little-bit-of/) [Caitlin Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-thomas/) > [One thing that I think never goes out of style is just purity. Niceness and purity. And the Muppets have never lost that. Kermit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-segel/one-thing-that-i-think-never-goes-out-of-style-is-just-purity/) [Jason Segel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-segel/) > [I hate niceness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/i-hate-niceness/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [“If it pains you to discover that a Nice Man can be a crumbum, Tom, it's life you've got to object to, not Percy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellery-queen/if-it-pains-you-to-discover-that-a-nice-man-can-be-a-crumbum-tom-it-s/) [Ellery Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellery-queen/) ## More by Ntozake Shange > [My characters don't talk necessarily in a normal American way of talking. They talk a little different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/my-characters-don-t-talk-necessarily-in-a-normal-american-way-of/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [It still amazes and fascinates me that women of color have kept my work alive for these many generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/it-still-amazes-and-fascinates-me-that-women-of-color-have-kept-my/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I write for young girls of color, for girls who don't even exist yet, so that there is something there for them when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-write-for-young-girls-of-color-for-girls-who-don-t-even-exist-yet/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [My family moved around a lot, so I don't have any friends that I had all my life, but I did have annual trips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/my-family-moved-around-a-lot-so-i-don-t-have-any-friends-that-i-had/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Creation is everything you do. Make something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/creation-is-everything-you-do-make-something/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Where there is a woman there is magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/where-there-is-a-woman-there-is-magic/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [i usedta live in the world really be in the world free & sweet talkin good mornin & thank-you & nice day uh huh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-usedta-live-in-the-world-really-be-in-the-world-free-sweet-talkin/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [The slaves who were ourselves had known terror intimately, confused sunrise with pain, & accepted indifference as kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/the-slaves-who-were-ourselves-had-known-terror-intimately-confused/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [White people use their literature to maintain culture. That's why you find references to Milton and Spencer and Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky in contemporary novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/white-people-use-their-literature-to-maintain-culture-that-s-why-you/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Multiculturalism isn't about culture, it's about power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/multiculturalism-isn-t-about-culture-it-s-about-power/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Art gives us the opportunity to have clarity as well as hope that we might be able to survive a situation, or hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/art-gives-us-the-opportunity-to-have-clarity-as-well-as-hope-that-we/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I think art is a healing force, and if we give in to the joy that can be found in art, then we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-think-art-is-a-healing-force-and-if-we-give-in-to-the-joy-that-can/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Being alive and being a woman is all I got, but being colored is a metaphysical dilemma I haven't conquered yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/being-alive-and-being-a-woman-is-all-i-got-but-being-colored-is-a/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [When I die, I will no be guilty of having left a generation of girls behind thinking that anyone can tend to their emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/when-i-die-i-will-no-be-guilty-of-having-left-a-generation-of-girls/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I had - there were three strokes, and I lost my ability to read and write and speak, and it really put me by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-had-there-were-three-strokes-and-i-lost-my-ability-to-read-and/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) [Explore all 57 Ntozake Shange quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) ## More Nice quotes > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [“Me and nice things didn't go well together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/me-and-nice-things-didn-t-go-well-together/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/sometimes-in-midfield-it-s-nice-because-you-do-get-a-little-bit-more/) [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to concentrate on winning things with Barcelona and Argentina. Then if people want to say nice things about me when I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/i-want-to-concentrate-on-winning-things-with-barcelona-and-argentina/) [Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [Although it sounds very trite, I wish people were nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/although-it-sounds-very-trite-i-wish-people-were-nice/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [It's a great feeling to know that I've played the best golf throughout the season of any of the guys for the second time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-mcilroy/it-s-a-great-feeling-to-know-that-i-ve-played-the-best-golf/) [Rory McIlroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-mcilroy/) > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I wouldn't want to play a normal princess who always walks around in nice dresses. I never had a connection to it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-wouldn-t-want-to-play-a-normal-princess-who-always-walks-around-in/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [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/) Browse all 8,628 Nice quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "nice is such a rip-off.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ntozake Shange" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/nice-is-such-a-rip-off/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/nice-is-such-a-rip-off/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/ntozake-shange-11891_nice_nice-is-such-a-rip-off-1239697_1239697.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/ntozake-shange-11891_nice_nice-is-such-a-rip-off-1239697_1239697.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/ntozake-shange-11891_nice_nice-is-such-a-rip-off-1239697_1239697.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“nice is such a rip-off.” — Ntozake Shange", "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": "Ntozake Shange", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "nice is such a rip-off.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/nice-is-such-a-rip-off/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/nice-is-such-a-rip-off/#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 } } ] } ```