A bruised ego heals faster than a bruised friendship. Pick which one gets hurt.

In most arguments you can protect one of two things: how you look or who you are close to. Pride recovers in a day or two and leaves nothing behind. A friendship sacrificed to prove a point can stay damaged for a year, and the point itself will look small by then.

Next time you are winning something you would rather not lose, let the last word go. Say you might be wrong, or simply stop, which is quicker. Weigh what the fight is worth against what the person is worth, and decide that before the temperature rises.