You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: Take the high road, it's not worth your time stooping to their level. You get in a fight with someone, they say something rude to you, and you want to retaliate. That small voice in your head says ,"Do it, they deserve it, say something mean back to them," but you shouldn't. Here's why:

1. It isn't worth the aggravation.

Taking the high road means doing the right thing even if it isn’t easy. Sometimes it can be hard to remove yourself from a situation, especially if the problem seems unresolved. But ultimately, stepping away from certain issues can yield a better outcome. You are allowing for the situation to dissolve itself and help others realize that the disagreement was insignificant compared to a bigger picture. By taking the high road and removing yourself from the situation, or firing back with negative words or comments, you are helping yourself more thank you think.

2. It brings peace.

There is always going to be a difference of opinions among people, and that’s okay. But, when those differences start making people malicious towards one another, we can choose to take the high road. By realizing that you can’t win every battle—even if you think you’re right, it will bring you peace knowing that you were big enough to walk away. By walking away, you take away the power that the situation was holding over you. You can have peace with yourself knowing that you chose the greater good by not fighting back.

3. It causes less drama.

No one wants to be part of a drawn out, unnecessary argument. By taking the high road, you don’t give anyone anything to talk about -- you simply end the situation. Sometimes arguments in life are petty, and are not worth the time and effort of people involved.

4. You feel better about yourself.

By choosing not to react to a situation, you are eliminating yourself from a place with negative energy. You don’t have to worry about saying something that you would probably regret. You will thank yourself later for taking the high road and not dwelling on a situation that brings you down.

5. You realize what is truly important to you

Everyone fights. Everyone has a person who doesn’t agree with their morals or how they go about life, but that’s normal. Things would be boring if everyone got along. With that being said, don’t waste your time trying to prove yourself to someone who you know will never see eye to eye. You can only explain yourself to someone for so long. It isn’t worth the aggravation. By spending all of your time proving yourself to someone, you miss out on the people who want to hear what you have to say. Sometimes you need to remove negative energy and toxic people from your life in order to make room for the ones that continuously respect and care about you.

At the end of the day, you’ll feel much better about yourself by choosing not to fight every battle. Life is too short to argue over the little things. By rising above, you empower yourself and show to others that you aren’t bothered by negative comments. It is relieving to allow yourself to let go of the situation and focus your time on more positive experiences.