A good friend of mine told me to never argue with an idiot. He explained, “The idiot will drag you down to his level and then beat you with his experience.” On a more serious note, healthy conflict and heated discussions are one thing, but as soon as any argument feels personal, you should try to exit that conversation. You can always come back to it later when the participants aren’t as heated. This way you’ll maintain control over yourself and you won’t find yourself being beaten by an idiot.