That’s a deep and timeless question — “Is it better to be right, or not?”
The answer? It depends on what you value most: truth, peace, connection, or control.
Here’s a breakdown to help explore it:
✅ When Being Right Is Important
- In matters of safety or ethics
(e.g., medical facts, legal issues, justice) - When your expertise is needed
(e.g., leading a team, protecting others from harm) - When truth brings clarity, not ego
(i.e., you’re helping someone grow or avoid danger)
📌 Being right is important when truth serves a purpose higher than pride.
❌ When Being Right Does More Harm Than Good
- In personal arguments where ego takes over
- When it fractures relationships
- When you’re trying to “win” rather than understand
- When silence or grace is more powerful than correction
📌 Sometimes, “being right” becomes a wall.
It can stop you from hearing, healing, or helping.
🤝 Consider: “Do I want to be right, or do I want to be wise?”
Wisdom knows when to speak the truth…
and when to let love, peace, or humility speak louder.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
💭 So… Is it better to be right?
Sometimes yes.
But often—it’s better to be kind, humble, curious, or quiet.
Because truth without love is often rejected.
But truth with grace can change hearts.
I can think of two prime examples where in my own corporate life I had to speak the truth, and on each occasion the results were mixed:
- In a management meeting, the CEO was asking department managers how each department was performing, and what the associated financial impact was on the health of the business as a whole. After going around the table it was my turn, and I started my answer with, “I can tell you what you want to hear, or I can tell you the truth…”. By speaking the truth I alienated myself from my peers, but was able to reduce material waste 20% across the production facility which created a significant win for all departments and set in motion valuable fat-trimming exercises throughout the organization. Positive outcome!
- During a company wide questionnaire we were asked to respond as a department on various topics relating to the business model. The team asked “how do we respond to these questions?” I encouraged honesty and truthful responses and management were not expecting some of the feedback, which resulted in backlash and singling out of those that shared their truth. The end result was not favorable and beckoned the question “was it better to be right or not?” Negative outcome!
I created this space as a welcoming home for candid life discussions, faith, and purposeful community. My journey has been anything but conventional—from navigating childhood moves to Europe, spending 40 years in the printing industry, and living across two vastly different worlds in Zimbabwe and the United States, God has spent decades quietly forming my heart before officially calling me into pastoral ministry. Recently ordained and commissioned as a pastor, I write from a place of real, lived experience, openly sharing the highs of deep faith alongside the raw seasons of depression, doubt, and navigating life’s unexpected detours. Since establishing this journal back in 2005, my mission remains simple: to listen without judgment, share honest testimonies, and encourage you to slow down, press pause, and discover how to shine brightly for Jesus in our everyday lives.