Literature
Law 10: Infection: Avoid the unhappy and the unlucky. You can die from someone else's misery - emotional states are as infectious as diseases. You may feel you're helping the drowning man but you're only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they'll also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.
—Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Live-Action TV
In my American education system, children who are disrupting the ability of the rest of the class to learn should be plucked out of the class and put in a school for disruptive children. That's what I think, in my world. It's my Blueberry Rule. ... I think common sense dictates that if you buy a quart of blueberries and all the blueberries are nice, plump, juicy blueberries and one of them is moldy, and you say, "You know what? The fair thing to do is to not take out this moldy blueberry and make it feel bad. I'm gonna leave this moldy blueberry in the box and hope that all the healthy blueberries will make it well." Now, I'm no spring chicken, and I've bought lots of blueberries in my time, including blueberries with a moldy blueberry. And it's been my experience that the moldy blueberry doesn't get well from the well blueberries. What happens is, all the blueberries get moldy. So that when you have a very small number of children who are disrespectful, who are impeding the teacher from teaching the other kids who want to say, "Can you be quiet? I want to learn! I don't want to grow up to be a dummy! I want to be able to say a whole sentence without using the word 'like'!" They can't do that, because we leave in the moldy blueberries instead of taking them out.
—Judge Judy, Judge Judy
"To the other cadets, the members of that team are gods, and that's a hard image to live up to. But Nick Locarno, he watches out for them. He keeps them together. Nick is what makes that team special. He's their coach, surrogate father and best friend all in one. A natural leader. The members of that team love him. If he asks them to do something, they do it—even if it means going right over a cliff."
— Groundskeeper Boothby, subtly telling Picard that Nick Locarno may not be a great influence on the rest of Nova Squadron, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The First Duty"
Webcomics
Elan: I can't tell if the cat is a good influence on Belkar, or Belkar is a bad influence on the cat.
Haley: Both, I think, but it probably still averages out somewhere south of Neutral.
Haley: Both, I think, but it probably still averages out somewhere south of Neutral.
Web Original
For a while, I really felt like I’d "found my tribe" (yeah, that’s the phrase we used). I had friends. They were supportive (as long as I bought the right things and never ever admitted I wasn’t blissfully happy being a mother every minute of every day). I had a community, and it helped. For a while. Kind of.
I began to base my identity on being a Natural Mom. It’s what I was. I wasn’t Amber. I wasn’t a wife, or a sister, or a daughter, or a friend. I wasn’t a pit bull rescuer any more. I wasn’t a musician any more. I wasn’t even a mom any more. I was a Natural Mom. I took great pride in being a Natural Mom. We all did. It made us feel good. It made us feel superior.
Web Video
Rainbow: Alright! Come on Scoot's, it's margarita time.
Scootaloo: Bro. I'm twelve.
Rainbow: Don't worry about it, they've got the little ones.
[later]
Scootaloo: Dude. I woke up in a urinal three days ago and I'm positive it's your fault.
Scootaloo: Bro. I'm twelve.
Rainbow: Don't worry about it, they've got the little ones.
[later]
Scootaloo: Dude. I woke up in a urinal three days ago and I'm positive it's your fault.
— My Little Pony: Totally Legit Recap, "Newbie Dash"
Take a look at this guy. Remember that face. I know he looks like a totally upstanding citizen, but I would recommend not following his advice. He's kind of like that friend that gets you into so much trouble — like, really serious trouble — that you start wondering if your friend is just more stupid than you thought, or if he knows he's going to end up in prison at some point, and wants to bring you along with him for the company.
— Ross Scott, Ross's Game Dungeon, regarding an NPC in Strife who gives you a sidequest that makes the game Unwinnable by Design when you complete it.
Western Animation
"Look, if a friend likes a pencil case, you get it for them. If your friend likes your new shoes, you give them to her! And if a friend wants you to steal a crazy music box from a thrift store, even if you really don't want to... you do it, okay? Because if you don't... they might not want to be your friend anymore."
— Anne Boonchuy, Amphibia
Rick, forgive me for doing this in notes. I'm not strong enough to do it in persons.
I realize now that I'm attracted to you for the same reason I can't be with you. You can't change. And I have no problem with that, but it clearly means I have a problem with myself.
I'm sure there's no perfect version of me. I'm sure I'll just unify species after species and never really be complete. But I know how it goes with us; I lose who I am and become part of you. Because in a strange way, you're better at what I do without even trying.
Yours, and nobody else's,
Unity
I realize now that I'm attracted to you for the same reason I can't be with you. You can't change. And I have no problem with that, but it clearly means I have a problem with myself.
I'm sure there's no perfect version of me. I'm sure I'll just unify species after species and never really be complete. But I know how it goes with us; I lose who I am and become part of you. Because in a strange way, you're better at what I do without even trying.
Yours, and nobody else's,
Unity
—Rick and Morty, "Auto Erotic Assimilation"
Bart: What's [your mom] got against me?
Milhouse: She says you're a bad influence.
Bart: Bad influence my ass! How many times have I told you not to listen to your mother!?
