Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
Not everyone will accept a piece of advice, no matter how sensible it is. Sure, you may mean well, but the other person may feel insulted, maybe even to the point of resentment.
So, to save yourself from awkward moments at the dinner table, here are some words of wisdom that the people of Reddit have deemed “socially unacceptable.” Yes, these tips are rational and well-intentioned, but as you read through, you will understand why they may not sit well with some.
Scroll through and feel free to join in on the conversation in the comments below!
This post may include affiliate links.
RELATED:
#2
Family should not get a free pass because they're family. Family isn't everything.
Doctor Strange 12 hours ago
I HATE how many times TV shows, movies, etc have the "You are a terrible person and did absolutely nothing to earn it, but I forgive you because FAMILY". No.
#3
Get an abortion if you are not in the most prepared situation to have a child that you can possibly be in. No one wins if you both struggle for the rest of your lives.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 10 hours ago
100%. I once supported a friend through her abortion behind her very conservative mother's back, and it was the right decision for everyone involved.
#4
People often ask me how I look so young for my age (they usually guess about 10 years under). The thing I don't usually tell them is: it's cuz don't have kids. People don't like that answer.
#5
Often the best way to get a job isn't through working hard, getting a good education, and being tireless - it's having a friend who already works at the company.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 10 hours ago
Working hard and tirelessly only motivates people to walk over you. At this point, the only reward for hard work is more work.
#6
Sometimes it's best to entirely cut yourself off from toxic people. Sure you can forgive them, but you gotta watch out for yourself.
#7
No one's born special. The world owes you nothing. Most people don't achieve their dreams. Do the best you can.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 10 hours ago
Nah, this one is just nihilist BS. Especially the "world owes you nothing" part. The humankind evolved solely because we invested all the skill points into cooperation and communication, and that's what gave us advantage over species that were stronger and more dangerous. Individualism is a complete antithesis of what made the humankind succeed in the first place. Give what you can and receive what you need - that's how it should work.
#8
You are responsible for your actions. Act that way.
David Paterson 7 hours ago
From Dame Margot Fonteyn "Taking your work seriously is vital. Taking yourself seriously is fatal."
#10
Put yourself first. Most people you go out of your way for won't do the same for you.
#11
Honesty is not always the best policy. Sometimes it's better for all involved if you lie a little.
#12
It's okay to be angry at people who've wronged you, it's okay to want revenge, it's okay to feel all sorts of negative emotions that you're told you're not 'supposed' to. Sometimes acting on those is bad for you, and sometimes hanging on to something unreasonably long doesn't make sense, but you're not obliged to forgive people or to feel bad for being angry or upset.
#13
Get rid of friends that bring constant negativity into your life. There are so many positive people out there that are much more deserving of your life
Along that same line, try your best to be a positive influence in others' lives. Your friendship will be cherished.
#14
Looks determine who comes together.
Character determines who stays together.
So if you're aiming for the short run, you better shape up.
#15
Flattery works on everyone. The trick is to figure out what flavor of flattery suits each person. Sometimes it's simply agreeing with someone's opinions. Sometimes it's being flirtatious. Sometimes it's making a show of being subordinate. Sometimes it's directly including someone in jokes. Sometimes it's asking questions or for advice. Sometimes it's just noticing someone.
Flattery works on everyone. It's best not to admit that openly, but if you're doing it right, people can know your plan and still not be able to stop you, because they won't want to.
#16
A guy I used to live above - he was homeless for years as a teenager, he used to score pot off of me - told me once that no matter how bad things get, you have two choices: end yourself or continue living. Every bad situation boiled down to that decision, in his opinion.
#17
Don't have kids.
Never get married.
#18
Can you change it? If not, then you shouldn't give a darn
If you can change things, go change them.
David Paterson 7 hours ago
This is the stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. You missed the third bit. Wisdom is knowing the difference between what you can change and what you can't.
#19
The HR staff is not there to help you, they are there to help the company.
If some whom you love, and who loves you, says "tell me the truth", tell the truth. If anybody else says it, it's probably in your best interest to lie. The court-appointed therapist is not your friend.
When working around machines, never put your hands where you wouldn't put your wiener.
#20
Most people are idiots.
*Present company excluded, of course.
David Paterson 6 hours ago
"Stupidity and intelligence are not opposites. It is possible to be unintelligent and not stupid. And it is possible to be intelligent and stupid". I lose all intelligence quite frequently.
#21
If your kid is being picked on , don't tell them to ignore the bully. Tell them to sweep the leg then drop the elbow. It's the only proven bully repellant.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 9 hours ago
And do NOT tell the girls that a boy who bullies them is actually in love with them
#22
Always fact check your professors. Half truths get passed on by teachers more than anything else. Also there is no such thing as non-biased journalism.
Nicole Weymann 14 hours ago
"non biased anything" is a tall order in any case, but I do expect objective work from professionals, not market crier sensationalism.
#23
Make yourself happy before you try to help others with their unhappiness. It may seem selfish but if you sacrifice so much of yourself for others you'll run yourself dry and help no one.
#24
Practice and get good at Irish exits.
#25
My favorite: follow the small rules and you can break the big ones
(1984).
Luke || Kira (he/she) 9 hours ago
Basically sums up my high school years. Everyone clocked me as the well-behaved, polite student and thanks to this, I could get away with things that would put the notorious troublemakers under the crossfire. I actually spent most of the time at high school working at my novels, and the professors either didn't know or didn't care.
#26
People judge you based on how you dress. Dress like trash and you will be perceived as one.
#27
Fake it until you make it.
You might not be the most successful, the coolest, the most put together, etc. It doesn't matter. If people think that you are, they will gravitate towards you naturally.
#28
You will be exponentially happier and achieve more in life if you are ruthless about removing any and all toxic, negative and/or unnecessarily critical people from your life and inner circle, even if they are close family.
Most people scoff at being so heartless as to completely cut someone out so quickly and completely, citing someone's other "good" qualities, bad run in life, personality, familial ties or personal difficulties excusing them for their jerk behavior that ultimately takes value from your life.
David Paterson 6 hours ago
Not unless you're ruthless with yourself as well. Often I find that what I see in other people is just a reflection of what I see in myself. If you hate parents then it's a pretty fair bet that the problem is you, not them.
#29
You never "owe" anyone anything. Do it because you want to, because your honor is important to you, because you want to be a decent guy-- but you are never obligated to be miserable on someone else's behalf.
Look out for your mental health first. Your sense of security, self-esteem and stability are important. Don't get involved with people that make you feel bad or put your life into chaos.
Arthur Waite 5 hours ago
I follow the maxim from Lucy Van Pelt: I'm just trying to make the world a better place for me to live in."
#30
There's no such thing as true love, you don't have a soul mate out there waiting for you and there's no happily ever after. Every single romantic film and book and fairy tale and song and TV show is lying to you, building up a collective image that is a poor reflection of reality. It's the relationship equivalent of a Barbie doll, unrealistic and vapid.
Instead of all that what you have is a lot of people whose personality is more or less compatible with yours. At some point in your life you're going to find yourself in lust with one of those people. You're going to want to spend all of your waking hours with them, you're going to miss them so much when they're not with you that it's going to hurt. And you're going to want to do the kinds of things to them and with them that you cannot under any circumstances tell grandma about. The real depraved stuff that would cause her to drag you straight down to church to ask Jesus for forgiveness.
You're going to fall in lust a hundred times over the course of your life. Maybe more. And sooner or later you're going to fall in lust with someone who has fallen in lust with you. There will be many of those too. Maybe a handful, maybe a few dozen. And out of those, eventually, if you're lucky, you'll find someone worth loving.
Now pay attention kids, because here's what love is. It's not burning passion and flaming hearts and sappy Hallmark moments. Love doesn't proclaim itself from the rooftops. Love is what comes after all of that. It's quieter than that, and more modest. Love is hard work. It's toiling, every day without end, because this person is worth the effort. Being in love doesn't mean not seeing your partner's flaws; it means knowing every single one of them, and deciding that you're going to put up with them for the sake of him or her. You don't fall in love; you dive in, and you swim for all you're worth.
Sometimes you fall out of love. Sometimes you can't give it the effort it deserves. Or sometimes it just becomes no longer worth it. That's okay. Most of us are going to be on one end or the other of this at some point in our lives. But there's good news, though. Because you chose to fall in love. And that means, once you get over the heartbreak, you can choose to do it again.
I think there are a lot of people who will disagree with my definition of love. Everyone wants the fairy tale. But the fairy tale is a lie. I like my way better.
#31
Use advantages to the most. If you find a flaw in a system, find a way to exploit it.
#32
You should lose some weight.
#33
Be a bad liar when it doesn't matter so that when you really need to lie people will believe you.
#34
When you're ill, ring into work, and try and act Ill. It's unacceptable because of how ridiculous and uneccessarry it is.
Discovermyview 5 hours ago
I absolutely hate this conversation. Thankful my current job lets us text if we're not coming in.
#35
Don't tell your problems to anyone, 80% of people don't care and 20% of people are glad you have them. Sorry folks.
#36
Pay no attention to the "professional perpetually offended" crowd, race baiters, and stupid idiots who have a victim mentality who scream "racism" at any opportunity even where there is none.
#37
If you find yourself facing an unavoidable crash with a pedestrian, speed up. It's cheaper to pay for a funeral than ten years of medical care.
- my grandfather, former driving instructor.
Lost Panda 12 hours ago
I don't think people are getting that this was a dark joke and not some serious sage advice from grandpa...
#38
No one cares about you but you. If someone is helping you it helps them in someway.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 9 hours ago
Lmao this thread sure is a parade of miserable nihilist who've never had a true friend in their lives
#39
Avoid hiring unlucky people by taking half the applications and immediately throwing them in the trash.
What do you think ?
Luke || Kira (he/she) 9 hours ago
Boy, this thread made me appreciate my life 100x more since apparently, there are TONS of miserable f@cks who've never felt genuine love and friendship and started inventing those "uncomfortable profound truths" to cope with it better.
Angela C 4 hours ago
It's pretty obvious why they've come to the conclusion that no one gives a fúck about them: because they're bitter miserable people
Load More Replies...
Liliana Spiro 3 hours ago
When there's no context to when said "wisdoms" are applied, the majority can be perceived either as really horrible concepts, but in some situations might be something to consider...
Luke || Kira (he/she) 9 hours ago
Boy, this thread made me appreciate my life 100x more since apparently, there are TONS of miserable f@cks who've never felt genuine love and friendship and started inventing those "uncomfortable profound truths" to cope with it better.
Angela C 4 hours ago
It's pretty obvious why they've come to the conclusion that no one gives a fúck about them: because they're bitter miserable people
Load More Replies... Liliana Spiro 3 hours ago
When there's no context to when said "wisdoms" are applied, the majority can be perceived either as really horrible concepts, but in some situations might be something to consider...
Related on Bored Panda
