Here is the Swiss army knife of one-liner life advice.

Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Mark Twain

Are you arguing to show your own intelligence?

To the other person, you’re an idiot either way.

Are you arguing to prove someone wrong?

You’ll only make an enemy in the process.

Are you arguing to prove your own belief to be true to yourself?

If you feel the need, there’s a good chance your belief could be wrong, or at the very least only part of the whole.

Are you arguing to win?

You won’t. If you change another person’s mind with force, they will hate you for it.

Are you arguing to show your good character?

Only you have all the information to judge your character. In the eyes of others, your character is viewed by how it makes them feel. The fastest way to drop it is to make them feel dumb or immoral

Are you arguing for the truth?

Truth doesn’t need an advocate. In the end, it will eventually overcome naivety on its own. Thankfully we no longer burn witches or believe rich people created Covid19 to oppress the masses. Maybe the second one needs a little more time.

Are you arguing to change the other person’s mind?

It will only do the opposite. When threatened, we grasp onto our beliefs even tighter, no matter how wrong they might be.

The most convincing argument is the one that never happened.