People come up to me and say, 'What's wrong?' 'Nothing.' 'Well, it takes more energy to frown than it does to smile.' 'Yeah, you know it takes more energy to point that out than it does to leave me alone?'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker deflects a cliché about smiling by pointing out the energy it takes to tell him to do it.
- In plain terms
- Telling someone to smile takes more effort than just leaving them alone.
- What can you take from it?
- Unsolicited advice about mood can be annoying.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we respect boundaries?
- Is smiling always the right advice?
Another view
The response avoids addressing underlying emotional distress.
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