--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can't be good, be loud." description: "\"If you can't be good, be loud.\" — Rich Mullins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/rich-mullins-4737_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud-2477225_2477225.png" --- # If you can't be good, be loud. ![“If you can't be good, be loud.” quote by Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/rich-mullins-4737_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud-2477225_2477225.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/rich-mullins-4737_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud-2477225_2477225.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/rich-mullins-4737_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud-2477225_2477225.png) > “If you can't be good, be loud.” [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When goodness feels impossible, express yourself boldly and unapologetically, using volume as a form of honesty. **In simple terms:** If you can’t be good, be outspoken. Key Takeaway Speak loudly when you can’t be perfect. Themes authenticity expression imperfection courage Mood defiant encouraging Type motivational cultural When to use this quote - public speaking - creative work - social activism - personal setbacks Key Concepts voice integrity self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - When is being loud appropriate? - How can you stay authentic without alienating others? A Different Perspective Loudness can be misinterpreted as aggression rather than honesty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Loud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-loud-824095/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Loud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loud/) ## Related quotes > [So, if we play it good and loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trace-adkins/so-if-we-play-it-good-and-loud/) [Trace Adkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trace-adkins/) > [I love good, loud speakers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-love-good-loud-speakers/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [When I fell in love with music, particularly hip-hop, I listened to it in the car. In Texas, you've got to drive, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wall/when-i-fell-in-love-with-music-particularly-hip-hop-i-listened-to-it/) [Paul Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wall/) > [I had a good loud voice and I wasn't afraid to be goofy or zany.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/i-had-a-good-loud-voice-and-i-wasn-t-afraid-to-be-goofy-or-zany/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [Employees hate meetings because they reveal that self-promotion, sycophancy, dissimulation and constantly talking nonsense in a loud confident voice are more impressive than merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-foley/employees-hate-meetings-because-they-reveal-that-self-promotion/) [Michael Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-foley/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Men often joke about this assignment (I Peter 3:7): 'Who can understand a woman?' God has answered the question loud and clear. You can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stu-weber/men-often-joke-about-this-assignment-i-peter-3-7-who-can-understand-a/) [Stu Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stu-weber/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) ## More by Rich Mullins > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I grew up hearing everyone tell me 'God loves you'. I would say big deal, God loves everybody. That don't make me special! That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-grew-up-hearing-everyone-tell-me-god-loves-you-i-would-say-big-deal/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [“I am thinking now of old Moses sitting on a mountain—sitting with God—looking across the Jordan into the Promised Land. I am thinking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-am-thinking-now-of-old-moses-sitting-on-a-mountain-sitting-with-god/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I think that of all the diseases in the world, the disease that all humankind suffers from, the disease that is most devastating to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-think-that-of-all-the-diseases-in-the-world-the-disease-that-all/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [God spoke to Balaam through his ass. I believe God still speaks through asses today. So if God should choose to speak through you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/god-spoke-to-balaam-through-his-ass-i-believe-god-still-speaks/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [Theres a wideness in Gods mercy I cannot find in my own And He keeps His fire burning To melt this heart of stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/theres-a-wideness-in-gods-mercy-i-cannot-find-in-my-own-and-he-keeps/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [Prayer is a grace through which we pour ourselves out before God and through which He calls us into His presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/prayer-is-a-grace-through-which-we-pour-ourselves-out-before-god-and/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I think, you know, the thing everybody really wants to know anyway is not what the theory of relativity is, but I think what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-think-you-know-the-thing-everybody-really-wants-to-know-anyway-is/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [“Bear in mind, children, that they listen to you because you are kids—not because you are right. That's how our Father listens to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/bear-in-mind-children-that-they-listen-to-you-because-you-are-kids/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take lightly what it cost Him. And never assume that if it cost Him His very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/never-forget-what-jesus-did-for-you-never-take-lightly-what-it-cost/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [There's a difference, you know, between faith and playing make-believe. One will make you grow. The other one will make you sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/there-s-a-difference-you-know-between-faith-and-playing-make-believe/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [There's people been friendly But they'd never be your friends Sometimes this has bent me to the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/there-s-people-been-friendly-but-they-d-never-be-your-friends/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [And step by step You'll lead me / And I will follow You all of my days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/and-step-by-step-you-ll-lead-me-and-i-will-follow-you-all-of-my-days/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I had a professor one time... He said, 'Class, you will forget almost everything I will teach you in here, so please remember this:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-had-a-professor-one-time-he-said-class-you-will-forget-almost/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I think I would envy me too, if I didn't know me better...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-think-i-would-envy-me-too-if-i-didn-t-know-me-better/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Explore all 107 Rich Mullins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The difference in being good at some thing and being great at something is usually found in the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-anderson/the-difference-in-being-good-at-some-thing-and-being-great-at/) [Randy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-anderson/) > [It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character-is-good-or-bad-he-just-has/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) [Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you can't be good, be loud.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rich Mullins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be good" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/rich-mullins-4737_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud-2477225_2477225.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/rich-mullins-4737_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud-2477225_2477225.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/rich-mullins-4737_be-good_if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud-2477225_2477225.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can't be good, be loud.” — Rich Mullins", "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": "Rich Mullins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you can't be good, be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/if-you-can-t-be-good-be-loud/#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 } } ] } ```