Good thing Quote by Steve Martin
““Be courteous, kind, and forgiving. Be gentle and peaceful each day. Be warm and human and grateful, And have a good thing to say. Be thoughtful and trustful and childlike, Be witty and happy and wise. Be honest and love all your neighbors, Be obsequious, purple, and clairvoyant. Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus. Be dull and boring and omnipresent. Criticize things you don’t know about. Be oblong and have your knees removed. Be sure to stop at stop signs, And drive fifty-five miles an hour. Pick up hitchhikers foaming at the mouth, And when you get home get a master’s degree in geology. Be tasteless, rude, and offensive. Live in a swamp and be three-dimensional. Put a live chicken in your underwear. Go into a closet and suck eggs.””
About This Quote
Source Comedy routine: "A Wild and Crazy Guy" stand‑up, 1970s
A satirical list of contradictory virtues and absurd behaviors highlighting the impossibility of trying to be everything at once.
In simple terms: Trying to be all things leads to absurdity.
Key Takeaway
Embrace realistic expectations.
Themes
humor
absurdity
virtue
contradiction
self‑awareness
Mood
playful
ironic
critical
Type
comedic
satirical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal development
- social interaction
- ethical decision‑making
- comedic performance
Key Concepts
satire
paradox
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- What virtues truly matter to you?
- How do you avoid over‑extending yourself?
A Different Perspective
The humor relies on exaggeration; real life requires balance, not extremes.
