Be awful nice to 'em goin' up, because you're gonna meet 'em all comin' down." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
As quoted in The New Speaker's Treasury of Wit and Wisdom (1958) by Herbert Victor Prochnow, p. 409
• Variants:
• Be nice to people on your way up, because you're going to meet them all on your way down.
 • As quoted in A Quote for Every Day (2011) edited by Peter A. LaPorta, p. 41
• Be nice to people goin' up, because you're going to meet them all comin' down.
• Be nice to 'em goin' up, because you're going to meet them all comin' down.
Originally by Wilson Mizner. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/10/16/be-nice-on-way-up/
“

Be awful nice to 'em goin' up, because you're gonna meet 'em all comin' down.

— Jimmy Durante

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Be awful nice to 'em goin' up, because you're gonna meet 'em all comin' down." in the context of "As quoted in The New Speaker's Treasury of Wit and Wisdom (1958) by Herbert Victor Prochnow, p. 409
• Variants:
• Be nice to people on your way up, because you're going to meet them all on your way down.
 • As quoted in A Quote for Every Day (2011) edited by Peter A. LaPorta, p. 41
• Be nice to people goin' up, because you're going to meet them all comin' down.
• Be nice to 'em goin' up, because you're going to meet them all comin' down.
Originally by Wilson Mizner. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/10/16/be-nice-on-way-up/" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Jimmy Durante" (Misattributed) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Jimmy Durante#awful#youre#gonna#comin#nice#goin#meet#down
Jimmy Durante

About Jimmy Durante

James Francis Durante (10 February 1893 – 29 January 1980) American pianist, actor, comedian, composer, and singer; usually known as Jimmy Durante, also nicknamed "The Schnozzola", and "The Schnoz", in reference to his large nose.