--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't mind arguing with myself. It's…" description: "\"I don't mind arguing with myself. It's when I lose that it bothers me.\" — Richard Powers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f76/richard-powers-8111_arguing_i-don-t-mind-arguing-with-myself-it-s-wh_3125440.jpg" --- # I don't mind arguing with myself. It's when I lose that it… ![“I don't mind arguing with myself. It's when I lose that it bothers me.” quote by Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f76/richard-powers-8111_arguing_i-don-t-mind-arguing-with-myself-it-s-wh_3125440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f76/richard-powers-8111_arguing_i-don-t-mind-arguing-with-myself-it-s-wh_3125440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f76/richard-powers-8111_arguing_i-don-t-mind-arguing-with-myself-it-s-wh_3125440.jpg) > “I don't mind arguing with myself. It's when I lose that it bothers me.” [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects internal conflict, noting that self‑debate is fine but losing oneself to it is problematic. **In simple terms:** Arguing with yourself is okay; losing yourself is not. Key Takeaway Stay aware of when self‑critique becomes self‑destruction. Themes self‑reflection conflict mental health Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - personal decision‑making - creative writing - stress management Key Concepts identity self‑awareness control Questions to Reflect On - When does self‑critique become harmful? - How can you regain focus after losing yourself? A Different Perspective It can be hard to distinguish healthy self‑analysis from harmful rumination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arguing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/) [Arguing Lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing-lose-5505211/) [Bothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bothers/) [Lose Bothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-bothers-5505212/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Arguing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-arguing-3558936/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [I don't mind arguing back and forth with people who have actual information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-frye/i-don-t-mind-arguing-back-and-forth-with-people-who-have-actual/) [Channing Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-frye/) > [If I see something I don't like, or something that bothers me, I can't hold it in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-cheban/if-i-see-something-i-don-t-like-or-something-that-bothers-me-i-can-t/) [Jonathan Cheban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-cheban/) > [To me, score is really important. I would rather not have any score if it's something that's going to detract from the film. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-buscemi/to-me-score-is-really-important-i-would-rather-not-have-any-score-if/) [Steve Buscemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-buscemi/) > [It really bothers me when a guy is controlling. Dont just say Im picking the place - ask me where I want to go!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-scerbo/it-really-bothers-me-when-a-guy-is-controlling-dont-just-say-im/) [Cassie Scerbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-scerbo/) > [People have the right to call themselves whatever they like. That doesn't bother me. It's other people doing the calling that bothers me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-have-the-right-to-call-themselves-whatever-they-like-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never try to get ahead of myself because there's nothing that bothers me more than cockiness. I don't think that's necessary at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-tiafoe/i-never-try-to-get-ahead-of-myself-because-there-s-nothing-that/) [Frances Tiafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-tiafoe/) > [What bothers me most is that I don't bother you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waylon-jennings/what-bothers-me-most-is-that-i-don-t-bother-you/) [Waylon Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waylon-jennings/) > [In the past, there were many times when I thought, 'This photo doesn't look good with a low angle, or this part bothers me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayeon/in-the-past-there-were-many-times-when-i-thought-this-photo-doesn-t/) [Nayeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayeon/) > [When you're a mom to three children, nothing bothers you. Trust me. Who cares what people say? I've got other things to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hill/when-you-re-a-mom-to-three-children-nothing-bothers-you-trust-me-who/) [Faith Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hill/) > [It's not what happens in life that bothers us. It's what we're believing about it that bothers us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/it-s-not-what-happens-in-life-that-bothers-us-it-s-what-we-re/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [People frequently ask me if adverse criticism bothers me. I've had a lot of it, and I have been able to shrug most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-giles/people-frequently-ask-me-if-adverse-criticism-bothers-me-i-ve-had-a/) [Warren Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-giles/) > [It bothers me when I hear it in a car commercial or some such. But for the most part, it's better than seeing sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-morris/it-bothers-me-when-i-hear-it-in-a-car-commercial-or-some-such-but-for/) [Richard Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-morris/) > [What bothers me about TV is that it tends to take our minds off our minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/what-bothers-me-about-tv-is-that-it-tends-to-take-our-minds-off-our/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [What bothers me is when my players don't train well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-kewell/what-bothers-me-is-when-my-players-don-t-train-well/) [Harry Kewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-kewell/) > [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-think-i-need-the-demons-in-order-to-write-but-the-demons-have-gone/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) ## More by Richard Powers > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“It seemed to me that half of life’s problems would be solved if one of us had a vagina.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/it-seemed-to-me-that-half-of-life-s-problems-would-be-solved-if-one/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“Information may travel at light speed, but meaning spreads at the speed of dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/information-may-travel-at-light-speed-but-meaning-spreads-at-the/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Science is not about control. It is about cultivating a perpetual condition of wonder in the face of something that forever grows one step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/science-is-not-about-control-it-is-about-cultivating-a-perpetual/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [What we can do should never by itself determine what we choose to do, yet this is the way technology tends to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/what-we-can-do-should-never-by-itself-determine-what-we-choose-to-do/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [I really like science because it seems to be that place where you get the big picture, everything connects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-really-like-science-because-it-seems-to-be-that-place-where-you-get/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [For me, university was just awful because it was closing one door after the other of all these candy shops of professional possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/for-me-university-was-just-awful-because-it-was-closing-one-door/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [We will live with racism for ever. But senses of self, senses of belonging, senses of us and of others? Those are up for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/we-will-live-with-racism-for-ever-but-senses-of-self-senses-of/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Reading is the last act of secular prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/reading-is-the-last-act-of-secular-prayer/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Time passes, as the novelist says. The single most useful trick of fiction for our repair and refreshment: the defeat of time. A century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/time-passes-as-the-novelist-says-the-single-most-useful-trick-of/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [A book is still atemporal. It is you, in silence, hearing voices in your head, unfolding at a time that has nothing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/a-book-is-still-atemporal-it-is-you-in-silence-hearing-voices-in-your/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [My dream has always been to suspend myself in space when I write, and lying horizontal in bed is the closest to doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/my-dream-has-always-been-to-suspend-myself-in-space-when-i-write-and/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“Je ne fais aucun mal en restant ici. I do no harm by remaining here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/je-ne-fais-aucun-mal-en-restant-ici-i-do-no-harm-by-remaining-here/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [The use of music is to remind us how short a time we have a body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/the-use-of-music-is-to-remind-us-how-short-a-time-we-have-a-body/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Explore all 84 Richard Powers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) ## More Arguing quotes > [I do wish you wouldn't argue with me when I'm knitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-durrell/i-do-wish-you-wouldn-t-argue-with-me-when-i-m-knitting/) [Gerald Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-durrell/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [When Eudæmonidas heard a philosopher arguing that only a wise man can be a good general, "This is a wonderful speech," said he; "but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/when-eud-monidas-heard-a-philosopher-arguing-that-only-a-wise-man-can/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Fasting is required, staying away from fighting and arguing and bombing of masjids is still going on. Hatred is still manifested between Sunni and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/fasting-is-required-staying-away-from-fighting-and-arguing-and/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [The problem for the Left, however, is that the moment it stops painting the Right as vile, it has to argue the issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/the-problem-for-the-left-however-is-that-the-moment-it-stops-painting/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-argue-with-a-person-who-has-renounced-the-use-of-reason-is-like/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [You can argue that the Terminator movies reboot their world each time they go back in time, but that doesn't negate the value of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hayter/you-can-argue-that-the-terminator-movies-reboot-their-world-each-time/) [David Hayter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hayter/) > [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [I'm a very serious person, but I don't take myself very seriously and I would rather laugh all day than argue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/i-m-a-very-serious-person-but-i-don-t-take-myself-very-seriously-and/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [These eyes, tho' clear To outward view of blemish or of spot, Bereft of light, their seeing have forgot, Nor to their idle orbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/these-eyes-tho-clear-to-outward-view-of-blemish-or-of-spot-bereft-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [There's crucial distinction that has to be drawn between the Shari'a, which is this hugely expansive vision of cosmic order that I've been describing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadakat-kadri/there-s-crucial-distinction-that-has-to-be-drawn-between-the-shari-a/) [Sadakat Kadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadakat-kadri/) > [Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. They don't understand truth nor do they meditate on it. Who can define what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/only-fools-argue-whether-to-eat-meat-or-not-they-don-t-understand/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [The surest sign that you haven't any sense is to argue with one who hasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/the-surest-sign-that-you-haven-t-any-sense-is-to-argue-with-one-who/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) [Browse all 1,908 Arguing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't mind arguing with myself. 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