I think “nice” is definitely a loaded word. You can be polite, considerate and generous without being selfless, ascetic and a doormat. Life’s not fair, and sure, there are lots of examples of the nice guy finishing last because he chose propriety over success. I just think the phrase is mostly thrown about, either as a way for people to justify rude or immoral behavior, or as an excuse for failure or misfortune.

Whether the premise is true or not, isn't it simply enough to be good and courteous because it's the right thing to do? I do get annoyed when I see girls go off with the 'bad guy' sometimes, but it's less that I am jealous and more that I pity the person who will inevitably be in a crap situation due to their choices.

I choose to be a nice person because that is what I generally want to be, and I value altruism wherever it can be applied in my life. People will eventually see that over time and come to value it more instead of cynically thinking you are expecting some sort of compensation for your efforts.

I know about "nice guys" and they are equally as bad as the "bad boys" because they too are just playing some game in expectation of a reward.

I guess that depends on what it means to win...

Only the good die young

i'm not sure what 'nice guy/gal' actually means.
It could be 'creeps', people who appear to be harmless.
It could be 'hypocrites' who habitually pretend to be someone else.
It could be someone who does not have any hidden agenda; it could be someone who does.

It has been my experience that it isn't niceness that attracts women but confidence. I found that if I don't worry about whether the girls like me or not, but just be myself, there will be some girls that are attracted to me. And those are the girls that might be worth getting to know.

Nice guys finish last because we care about her pleasure before our own.

No point. Just be yourself.

Excellent question?

You know if everyone you know says you're a nice person.accept it. You will meet the right people who will appreciate your loving nature when iit is supposed to happen.

I'm am nice for myself, not for "kudos" or finishing first.

You'd be last to last to run off the flat earth...

It Depends where you want to go....

What! It depends on what your expectations are. There's always that secret agenda. 1. Will he or she like Me? 2. If i kiss ass will I get that promotion? 3. If i smile and be pleasant will i be liked? Its a tough world but nice guys and girls get to live and breathe outside the prison.

All of us finish last- we all end up dead, don't we? So the endpoint is irrelevant, because it's going to be the same for all of us no matter what. What matters is what we do between our birth and death- and how we do it.

There are certain times when being nice can be detrimental, and there are certain times when being mean can be detrimental. It's a different tools for different jobs sort of situation. I consider myself apart from the whole nice guy v. bad boy thing. I just do me, and whatever that ends up being, I'm cool with it. Stuff like "Nice guys finish last" is an overgeneralization, and should be looked upon with skepticism based on that alone. Furthermore, it tries to make good people feel bad for doing good things, and bad people feel good for doing bad things. Fuck that. Don't feel bad for being good.

I don't accept the premise. In individual cases it might be true. Also, life isn't fair. There is no cosmic referee. BUT...socially, "nice guys" build a level of trust and good-will over time that gains them a lot of support from friends and acquaintances. Selfish pricks tend to burn their bridges...eventually.

It's not about getting a reward but the process and the effect on others. It's kind of hard to believe that mean guys do better than nice ones.

...because we finish with dignity ~