--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you could just be nice, then you…" description: "\"If you could just be nice, then you wouldn't have to worry about arguments at all. but being nice wasn't as easy as it seemed, especially when the rest..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/sarah-dessen-110_argument_if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-would_2127235.png" --- # If you could just be nice, then you wouldn't have to worry… ![“If you could just be nice, then you wouldn't have to worry about arguments at all. but being nice wasn't as easy as it seemed, especially when the rest of the world could be so mean.” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/sarah-dessen-110_argument_if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-would_2127235.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/sarah-dessen-110_argument_if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-would_2127235.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/sarah-dessen-110_argument_if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-would_2127235.png) > “If you could just be nice, then you wouldn't have to worry about arguments at all. but being nice wasn't as easy as it seemed, especially when the rest of the world could be so mean.” [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being kind could eliminate many conflicts, yet kindness is difficult when faced with widespread hostility. **In simple terms:** Kindness reduces arguments, but it's hard when the world is harsh. Key Takeaway Practice empathy despite negativity. Themes relationships communication kindness conflict human nature Mood reflective hopeful empathetic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - friendships - family dynamics - online interactions - workplace - community events Key Concepts social psychology emotional intelligence resilience Questions to Reflect On - What barriers stop you from being kind? - How can you stay kind when others are mean? A Different Perspective Kindness alone may not resolve deeper systemic issues; it must be paired with boundaries and self‑care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Being nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-nice/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [“Being nice was the ideal, the one place where people didn't get loud, or so quiet they could scare you. If you could just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/being-nice-was-the-ideal-the-one-place-where-people-didn-t-get-loud/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“But being nice wasn't as easy as it seemed, especially when the rest of the world could be so mean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-being-nice-wasn-t-as-easy-as-it-seemed-especially-when-the-rest/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [It's hard to be nice when the rest of the world is so mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/it-s-hard-to-be-nice-when-the-rest-of-the-world-is-so-mean/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [It's such a dangerous world out there. I mean it really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keyshia-cole/it-s-such-a-dangerous-world-out-there-i-mean-it-really-is/) [Keyshia Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keyshia-cole/) > [Someone might mean the world to you, but do you mean the world to them???](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-might-mean-the-world-to-you-but-do-you-mean-the-world-to-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The world's a mean place. It's unfair, then it's fair. It's hateful, then it's loving. It's a very peculiar place on philosophical and metaphysical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-allen/the-world-s-a-mean-place-it-s-unfair-then-it-s-fair-it-s-hateful-then/) [Tim Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-allen/) > [Beware the things of this world that can mean everything or nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/beware-the-things-of-this-world-that-can-mean-everything-or-nothing/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [“The world's nothing but a mean bully, that's a fact. Even when you've big misfortunes threatening to drop on your head, small ones still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-world-s-nothing-but-a-mean-bully-that-s-a-fact-even-when-you-ve/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“God damn it, there are nice things in the world – and I mean nice things. We're all such morons to get so sidetracked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/god-damn-it-there-are-nice-things-in-the-world-and-i-mean-nice-things/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“You know nothing of this world, and now you mean to go out and die in it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-arden/you-know-nothing-of-this-world-and-now-you-mean-to-go-out-and-die-in/) [Katherine Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-arden/) > [He means the world to you,but to him you mean nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-randy/he-means-the-world-to-you-but-to-him-you-mean-nothing/) [Prince Randy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-randy/) > [“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All of the people of the world, I mean everybody. No matter how dull and boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/everybody-has-a-secret-world-inside-of-them-all-of-the-people-of-the/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [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/) ## More by Sarah Dessen > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“if i were a book i would be so open”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-i-were-a-book-i-would-be-so-open/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“At times, I found myself questioning his very existence, even though I knew I had, in fact, spotted him, with my own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/at-times-i-found-myself-questioning-his-very-existence-even-though-i/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [When you had to do something, you had to do it. And eventually, if you were lucky, you did it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-you-had-to-do-something-you-had-to-do-it-and-eventually-if-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [the truth about forever is that it is happening right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/the-truth-about-forever-is-that-it-is-happening-right-now/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I jammed my hand in my jacket pocket, bracing myself fo the next hit, and fel something. Something grainy and samll, sticking to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-jammed-my-hand-in-my-jacket-pocket-bracing-myself-fo-the-next-hit/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-had-no-illusions-about-love-anymore-it-came-it-went-it-left/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [call it chicken salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/call-it-chicken-salad/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“For me, however, it was a mix of the two, this constant push and pull. I loved it here. But I'd been in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/for-me-however-it-was-a-mix-of-the-two-this-constant-push-and-pull-i/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I think whenever a writer is really enjoying themselves and liking what they are doing, that shows on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-whenever-a-writer-is-really-enjoying-themselves-and-liking/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) [Explore all 1,251 Sarah Dessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More Argument quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [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/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/) [Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) [Browse all 3,479 Argument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you could just be nice, then you wouldn't have to worry about arguments at all. but being nice wasn't as easy as it seemed, especially when the rest of the world could be so mean.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Dessen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-wouldn-t-have-to-worry-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Argument" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-wouldn-t-have-to-worry-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/sarah-dessen-110_argument_if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-would_2127235.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/sarah-dessen-110_argument_if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-would_2127235.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/sarah-dessen-110_argument_if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-would_2127235.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you could just be nice, then you wouldn't have to worry about arguments at all. but being nice wasn't as…” — Sarah Dessen", "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": "Sarah Dessen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you could just be nice,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-wouldn-t-have-to-worry-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-you-could-just-be-nice-then-you-wouldn-t-have-to-worry-about/#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 } } ] } ```