Daily Inspiration Quote by Ezra Taft Benson

“Be right” lands like a moral gavel: not “be agreeable,” not “be liked,” but be anchored to what you believe is true. Coming from Ezra Taft Benson - a political figure turned religious leader in a tradition that prizes conviction, obedience, and clarity - the line reads as a hierarchy of virtues. Correctness is the spine; social comfort is, at best, a coat you put on afterward.

The genius (and the danger) is in the little clause “if possible.” It concedes what everyone knows but rarely admits: righteousness can make a person insufferable. The quote doesn’t deny that tension; it manages it. By placing “easy to live with” second, Benson gives the prickly truth-teller an alibi (“I’m doing what’s right”), while still issuing a behavioral check (“try not to make everyone miserable”). It’s a commandment with customer service.

Subtextually, it’s also a warning against a very modern temptation: sanding down beliefs into vibes for the sake of harmony. Benson’s ordering rejects the idea that peace is the highest good. That tracks with mid-century conservatism and Cold War moral rhetoric, where ambiguity looked like weakness and compromise could feel like complicity.

Yet the line also exposes an unresolved question: who gets to define “right”? When “right” is treated as settled, interpersonal kindness becomes optional - a garnish. Read generously, it’s integrity first, temperament second. Read critically, it’s permission to be correct and cruel, with politeness framed as a nice-to-have rather than part of the moral package.