The unbearable burden of being right (all the time)

July 20th, 2025

Why being right is the fastest way to lose friends

Some people are born right.

Not just occasionally right, but consistently, irritatingly, relentlessly right.

They correct your pronunciation.
They quote obscure articles no one asked for.
They fact-check you mid-sentence.
They say “technically speaking …” in social settings.

Don’t be one of these people.

They’re not necessarily bad people.
But they are just exhausting.

The know-it-all playbook:

The Technicality Trap
- Will ruin a perfect conversation to point out that “asteroid” and “meteor” are not the same thing.
- Would probably interrupt their own wedding vows to correct a misquote.
- This is how you should deal with them: Don’t fall for this. Smile. Ignore. Change topic.
The Fact-Checker
- Will pull out their phone to confirm a trivial detail no one else cares about.
- “Actually, that song was released in 1987, not 1986.”
- This is how you should deal with them: Agree. Say: You’re right. Move on. (Pray they lose Wi-Fi.)
The Walking Wikipedia
- Has read five books on every topic and will let you know so.
- Thinks trivia is a competitive sport.
- This is how you should deal with them: Pretend to be impressed. Then run. You can’t compete anyway.

If you are any of these types – beware the following: some people get pretty annoyed by you.

Quick tip:

But you are not one of those. You’ve met the, though. Maybe you’re thinking: Should I just give up?

Yes. You should. You will never change these people. But you don’t have to play along either.

Being right isn’t the problem.
Making people feel small while being right – that’s the problem.
People don’t remember facts. They remember feelings.
Choose wisely.

A colourful moment:

After a workshop, a man came up to me and said,

“You got one thing wrong in your book.”
I said, “Really? What’s that?”
He said, “You said people don’t always tell the truth. I always do.”
Quick internal discussion with myself.

Then I said, “Thanks for proving my point.”
He actually didn’t get it.
He just kept talking.

See you next Wednesday.
//Thomas