# Would you rather be right or happy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2000, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121 "2000-06-01T15:44:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/1 "2000-06-01T15:44:03Z")
One of my favorite questions to ask people. There really is no specific answer. So, what would you say? ---
**Author:** ![Vestal\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@Vestal\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vestal_Blue)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/2 "2000-06-01T15:50:14Z")
Unless it’s life or death, I’ll take happy, any day! _Most_ things that people get wrapped around the axle about won’t matter in 5 years, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/3 "2000-06-01T15:52:17Z")
Me? I’d rather be happy. Anyway, this reminds me of a great debate my friends and I used to have after smoking large quantities of pot, and listening to The Smiths. There is a lyric that goes, “I would rather be famous, than righteous or holy, anyday, anyday, anyday.” We would talk for hours on which it would be best to be. ---
**Author:** ![dook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@dook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dook)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/4 "2000-06-01T16:06:18Z")
I think I’d rather be right… From what I’ve heard, happiness is overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Kiki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kiki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiki)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/5 "2000-06-01T16:09:01Z")
As long as I don’t have to admit that I wasn’t right… I’d rather be happy. I don’t let little stuff bother me. Life’s too short to be unhappy… live for the moment and die happy with no regrets. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/6 "2000-06-01T16:20:35Z")
Y’know, I’m just uptight enough to go with right. Not that that means I’d debate every last little detail of everything that happens in my life to death; being right means, to me at least, that my understanding of the world and life is fundamentally sound. From that I should be able to understand knowing how to pick my battles (i.e. when just to offer an opinion and when to fight like hell), which would in turn give me the personal satisfaction both of knowing I’m right and that I’m hep enough not to lord it over the rest of you, at least in an obnoxious way. That in itself would be enough to make me happy. I mean, look at Unca Cecil. Living proof that it can be done. ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/7 "2000-06-01T16:49:05Z")
Well, I’d certainly rather be right than President, but that’s a whole different debate. On this one, I’ll have to waffle and say that it really depends on the situation. Let’s say that aliens land. They seem to be the greatest thing since sliced bread: friendly, altruistic, caring, willing to transfer enormous amounts of valuable technology essentially for free. They keep claiming that they are doing this for a religious reason. Now, _you_ think that the aliens are just trying to lull us off guard, that they are really evil monsters who want to rape our women, enslave our men and eat our little puppies. Would you rather be right or happy? I know what I’d pick in that situation. But other situations would be different. ---
**Author:** ![ultress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7c8e57/32.png) [@ultress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultress)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/8 "2000-06-01T16:54:41Z")
I’d rather be happy. No one really cares whether I’m right or not, right? ---
**Author:** ![Girlbysea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Girlbysea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlbysea)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/9 "2000-06-01T17:12:00Z")
Happy that I’m right… ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/10 "2000-06-01T17:12:21Z")
My four choices in order: 1. Right and happy 2. Happy and wrong 3. Unhappy and wrong 4. Unhappy and right. ---
**Author:** ![GreenEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@GreenEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/11 "2000-06-01T17:46:34Z")
I would rather be happy. Because if I’m not happy, then nothing else seems right… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/12 "2000-06-01T19:31:34Z")
Well, my whole damn family suffers from depression, and we’re never particularly happy, so we’ve all settled on being right at any cost. Makes for some interesting get-togethers. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/13 "2000-06-01T19:41:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Let’s say that aliens land. They seem to be the greatest thing since sliced bread: friendly, altruistic, caring, willing to transfer enormous amounts of valuable technology essentially for free. They keep claiming that they are doing this for a religious reason. > > Now, you think that the aliens are just trying to lull us off guard, that they are really evil monsters who want to rape our women, enslave our men and eat our little puppies. > > Would you rather be right or happy? I’d rather be one of them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/14 "2000-06-01T19:57:52Z")
Being right makes me happy. ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/15 "2000-06-01T20:05:25Z")
DrMatrix, I just noticed the picture in your sig. You guys look so _cool_ together! I didn’t realize it was your anniversary this year. Congrats! ---
**Author:** ![Delta-9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Delta-9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delta-9)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/16 "2000-06-01T20:05:50Z")
I’d rather be happy. Being right comes easy to me. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/17 "2000-06-01T21:32:37Z")
Oh rats Delta, your reply was just close enough to what I was going to say to knock whatever steam it may have had in it out. What I was going to say was that since I’ve been right so long, I might as well try happiness. Now, thanks to Delta, I’m not even going to try happiness, I’m stickin with right. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2000, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/18 "2000-06-01T21:34:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > I didn’t realize it was your anniversary this year. Congrats! > \*\* Umm… I’m not sure if you are joking, but you do realize that anniversaries come EVERY year don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![mega\_the\_roo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mega\_the\_roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mega_the_roo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2000, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/19 "2000-06-02T01:27:33Z")
Happy. There’s absolutely no question. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2000, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121/20 "2000-06-02T02:22:54Z")
**Democritus** Thank you so much. **Kenny** After two decades, this is our aniversary year. (If anyone reads this after I change my sig, they should know that I have a link in my sig: [SO & Me](http://members.aol.com/ljgrafix/20yrs.html) since June is gay pride. In an effort to return to the OT, and to answer seriously: It is not an easy answer for me, but I would rather be happy, I guess. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-be-right-or-happy/21121.md?page=2)