---
title: "People come up to me and say, 'What's wrong?' 'Nothing.' 'Well, it ta… — Bill Hicks Quote #30 | QuotesBy.net"
description: "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 e… — a quote by Bill Hicks."
image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png"
---

> # 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?'

[Bill Hicks](https://quotesby.net/Bill-Hicks)\#30

[Social](https://quotesby.net/Bill-Hicks/social/)[Advice](https://quotesby.net/topics/advice/)[Interaction](https://quotesby.net/topics/interaction/)[Mood](https://quotesby.net/topics/mood/)[Social norms](https://quotesby.net/topics/social-norms/)

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## 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 termsTelling 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

- casual conversation
- mental health

### Putting it to work

- recognize unsolicited advice
- respect emotional boundaries

### Questions to consider

- How do we respect boundaries?
- Is smiling always the right advice?

### Another view

The response avoids addressing underlying emotional distress.

## More from Bill Hicks

1. > But I'll tell you this. Where's this idea that childbirth is a miracle come from? I missed that fucking meeting, okay. 'It's a miracle. Childbirth is a miracle…

[Permalink to quote \#29](https://quotesby.net/Bill-Hicks/29/ "Permalink to quote 29")
2. > I smoke. If this bothers anyone, I recommend you look around the world in which we live, and : I don't know, shut your fucking mouth?

[Permalink to quote \#31](https://quotesby.net/Bill-Hicks/31/ "Permalink to quote 31")
3. > In many parts of our troubled world, people are yelling 'Revolution!'. In Tennessee they're yelling 'Evolution! We want our thumbs!'

[Permalink to quote \#28](https://quotesby.net/Bill-Hicks/28/ "Permalink to quote 28")

## Related quotes

1. > Why don't you get out of that wet coat and into a dry martini?

[Robert Benchley](https://quotesby.net/Robert-Benchley)[Robert Benchley quote \#15](https://quotesby.net/Robert-Benchley/15/ "Permalink to quote 15")
2. > Politeness is organized indifference.

[Paul Valery](https://quotesby.net/Paul-Valery)[Paul Valery quote \#19](https://quotesby.net/Paul-Valery/19/ "Permalink to quote 19")
3. > A gloomy guest fits not a wedding feast.

[Friedrich von Schiller](https://quotesby.net/Friedrich-von-Schiller)[Friedrich von Schiller quote \#83](https://quotesby.net/Friedrich-von-Schiller/83/ "Permalink to quote 83")

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