We are all humans. There will be times when we will only say good and appropriate things, and there will be moments when we might mess things up a little bit. But hey, both of these examples are a part of life. However, not everyone is open to this, and sometimes, people can get mad if you’re offending them.

You’ve just said something that wasn’t appropriate. The person who a few seconds ago was listening to you is now looking at you with a red and annoyed face. It is almost like in the cartoons we used to watch when we were children, with characters that were blowing steam out of their ears. It’s not what you’ve said that’s the problem; it’s what they’ve heard.

Take it from us: some statements function exactly like little silent ninjas, sabotaging your self-esteem and irritating your friends, family, partner, children, and coworkers—and the worst part is, you might not even recognize it.

We want to make sure that you will always stand on safe ground, so here are 14 things you should NEVER, EVER, EVER say to someone!