--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good people sometimes do bad things…" description: "\"“Good people sometimes do bad things. Sometimes they're by accident, sometimes by design. It doesn't make you any less good. It just makes you human.”\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/s-a-ferkey-275220_bad-thing_good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-some_2804928.jpg" --- # Good people sometimes do bad things. Sometimes they're by… ![“Good people sometimes do bad things. Sometimes they're by accident, sometimes by design. It doesn't make you any less good. It just makes you human.” quote by S.A. Ferkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/s-a-ferkey-275220_bad-thing_good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-some_2804928.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/s-a-ferkey-275220_bad-thing_good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-some_2804928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/s-a-ferkey-275220_bad-thing_good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-some_2804928.jpg) > ““Good people sometimes do bad things. Sometimes they're by accident, sometimes by design. It doesn't make you any less good. It just makes you human.”” [S.A. Ferkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-ferkey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even good people can commit harmful acts, whether by accident or design, yet this does not diminish their inherent goodness; it simply underscores their humanity. **In simple terms:** Good people may do bad things, but remain human. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection in yourself. Themes humanity morality mistakes intent self‑acceptance Mood thoughtful empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace - community life Key Concepts ethical psychology human nature self‑compassion Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile actions with identity? - What limits define “good”? A Different Perspective Might excuse harmful behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Beam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beam/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Makes Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-human-300636/) [People Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-bad-310174/) [Things Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-accident-3477247/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes good people do bad things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-gilmore/sometimes-good-people-do-bad-things/) [Andrew Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-gilmore/) > [Good people can do bad things, make bad decisions. It doesn't make them bad people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-people-can-do-bad-things-make-bad-decisions-it-doesn-t-make-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Often, people hurt things on accident... No one plans on hurting anyone, but it happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-chase/often-people-hurt-things-on-accident-no-one-plans-on-hurting-anyone/) [Nichole Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-chase/) > [“Sometimes good people have to do bad things. It's nothing personal. It's just life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belle-aurora/sometimes-good-people-have-to-do-bad-things-it-s-nothing-personal-it/) [Belle Aurora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belle-aurora/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [That to me is the basic message of events like the rise of Nazism, the Salem witch trials, and so on: not that bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/that-to-me-is-the-basic-message-of-events-like-the-rise-of-nazism-the/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“People are good and people are bad, sometimes one right after the other, sometimes simultaneously. Sometimes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/people-are-good-and-people-are-bad-sometimes-one-right-after-the/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“The reason most people are bad is because they do not try to be good." L. Frank Baum, The Emerald City of Oz, 1910”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/the-reason-most-people-are-bad-is-because-they-do-not-try-to-be-good/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [I can tell you that good people do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hartley/i-can-tell-you-that-good-people-do-bad-things/) [Justin Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hartley/) > [The idea that people do very bad things for sometimes very good reasons, feels reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/the-idea-that-people-do-very-bad-things-for-sometimes-very-good/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [As a human race, we have good people and bad people, and everyone has agendas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-morley/as-a-human-race-we-have-good-people-and-bad-people-and-everyone-has/) [Bobby Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-morley/) > [Good people struggle against what's imperfect about them. The people that we call 'bad' people embrace that kind of stuff, embrace the darker side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-azzarello/good-people-struggle-against-what-s-imperfect-about-them-the-people/) [Brian Azzarello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-azzarello/) > [People are complicated. People have secrets. It doesnt make them good people or bad people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-zayas/people-are-complicated-people-have-secrets-it-doesnt-make-them-good/) [David Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-zayas/) > [Sometimes, good people make bad choices. It doesn't mean they're bad…it means they're human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-good-people-make-bad-choices-it-doesn-t-mean-they-re-bad-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Personally I believe sometimes ugly things happen to good people and sometimes good people do awful things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-parker/personally-i-believe-sometimes-ugly-things-happen-to-good-people-and/) [Scott Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-parker/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-shayk/in-my-business-you-should-be-very-strong-in-mind-you-have-to-be-sure/) [Irina Shayk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-shayk/) > [“I don’t know why I latched onto the idea of being friends, but it sits right with my gut. I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/) [Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/) [Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/) > [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) [Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Good people sometimes do bad things. Sometimes they're by accident, sometimes by design. It doesn't make you any less good. It just makes you human.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "S.A. Ferkey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-ferkey/good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-sometimes-they-re-by-accident/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad thing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-ferkey/good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-sometimes-they-re-by-accident/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/s-a-ferkey-275220_bad-thing_good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-some_2804928.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/s-a-ferkey-275220_bad-thing_good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-some_2804928.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/s-a-ferkey-275220_bad-thing_good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-some_2804928.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Good people sometimes do bad things. Sometimes they're by accident, sometimes by design. It doesn't make you…” — S.A. Ferkey", "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": "S.A. Ferkey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-ferkey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Good people sometimes do bad things....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-ferkey/good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-sometimes-they-re-by-accident/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-ferkey/good-people-sometimes-do-bad-things-sometimes-they-re-by-accident/#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 } } ] } ```