MrRogers

I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending.
~ Fred Rogers
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One of the most important gifts a parent can give a child is the gift of accepting that child's uniqueness.
~ Fred Rogers
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The more we can be in a relationship with those who might seem strange to us, the more we can feel like we're neighbors and all members of the human family.
~ Fred Rogers
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Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.
~ Fred Rogers
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When we look for what's best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does, so in appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something truly sacred.
~ Fred Rogers
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The underlying message of the Neighborhood is that if somebody cares about you, it's possible that you'll care about others. 'You are special, and so is your neighbor' - that part is essential: that you're not the only special person in the world. The person you happen to be with at the moment is loved, too.
~ Fred Rogers
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When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'
~ Fred Rogers
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Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.
~ Fred Rogers
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All of us have special ones who have loved us into being.
~ Fred Rogers
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Parents are like shuttles on a loom. They join the threads of the past with threads of the future and leave their own bright patterns as they go.
~ Fred Rogers
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It's not the honors and not the titles and not the power that is of ultimate importance. It's what resides inside.
~ Fred Rogers
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Children aren't responsible for wars.
~ Fred Rogers
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To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.
~ Fred Rogers
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If the day ever came when we were able to accept ourselves and our children exactly as we and they are, then, I believe, we would have come very close to an ultimate understanding of what 'good' parenting means.
~ Fred Rogers
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How sad it is that we give up on people who are just like us.
~ Fred Rogers
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You know, you don't have to look like everybody else to be acceptable and to feel acceptable.
~ Fred Rogers
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Human beings need to feel that they are lovable and capable of loving.
~ Fred Rogers
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I think of discipline as the continual everyday process of helping a child learn self-discipline.
~ Fred Rogers
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I do think that young children can spot a phony a mile away.
~ Fred Rogers
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The number 143 means 'I love you.' It takes one letter to say 'I' and four letters to say 'love' and three letters to say 'you.' One hundred and forty-three. 'I love you.' Isn't that wonderful?
~ Fred Rogers
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The space between the television set and the viewer is holy ground.
~ Fred Rogers
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The world is not always a kind place. That's something all children learn for themselves, whether we want them to or not, but it's something they really need our help to understand.
~ Fred Rogers
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I saw this new thing called television, and I saw people throwing pies in each other's faces, and I thought, 'This could be a wonderful tool for education! Why is it being used this way?' So I said to my parents, 'You know, I don't think I'll go into seminary right away. I think I'll go into television.'
~ Fred Rogers
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Deep and simple are far, far more important than shallow and complicated and fancy.
~ Fred Rogers
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When I first saw children's television, I thought it was perfectly horrible. And I thought there was some way of using this fabulous medium to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen.
~ Fred Rogers
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The whole idea is to look at the television camera and present as much love as you possibly could to a person who might feel that he or she needs it.
~ Fred Rogers
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When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.
~ Fred Rogers
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In my own life, as the nearer I get to the end of life on this earth, the simpler I want to become.
~ Fred Rogers
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I believe that those of us who are the producers and purveyors of television, I believe that we are the servants of this nation.
~ Fred Rogers
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I don't think that the basics that kids need have changed in 10,000 years.
~ Fred Rogers
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Just because somebody wants to be alone sometimes, it doesn't mean they don't love you.
~ Fred Rogers
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Love isn't a perfect state of caring. It's an active noun, like 'struggle.'
~ Fred Rogers
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I think everybody longs to be loved and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And, consequently, the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they're loved and capable of loving.
~ Fred Rogers
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Very frankly, I am opposed to people being programmed by others. My whole approach in broadcasting has always been 'You are an important person just the way you are. You can make healthy decisions.' Maybe I'm going on too long, but I just feel that anything that allows a person to be more active in the control of his or her life, in a healthy way, is important.
~ Fred Rogers
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This is what I give. I give an expression of care every day to each child, to help him realize that he is unique. I end the program by saying, 'You've made this day a special day, by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you; and I like you just the way you are.' And I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health.
~ Fred Rogers
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You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And, consequently, the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they're loved and capable of loving.
~ Fred Rogers
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Yes, when I was here the first word of the alma mater was 'Men…Men of Dartmouth, give a rouse…' Well, now the first word is 'Dear.' Some things change for the better.
~ Fred Rogers
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Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of that jewel. A facet of that jewel. And in the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal.
~ Fred Rogers
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Well, what is essential about you? And who are those who have helped you become the person that you are? Anyone who has ever graduated from a college, anyone who has ever been able to sustain a good work, has had at least one person and often many who have believed in him or her. We just don't get to be competent human beings without a lot of different investments from others.
~ Fred Rogers
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When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.
~ Fred Rogers
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I believe that appreciation is a holy thing, that when we look for what's best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does; so in appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something truly sacred.
~ Fred Rogers
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Vermont is a small state which makes an enormous difference.
~ Fred Rogers
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It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls.  It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff.
~ Fred Rogers
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It's our insides that make us who we are, that allow us to dream and wonder and feel for others.  That's what's essential.  That's what will always make the biggest difference in our world.
~ Fred Rogers
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Little by little we human beings are confronted with situations that give us more and more clues that we aren't perfect.
~ Fred Rogers
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If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.
~ Fred Rogers
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As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has—or ever will have—something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.
~ Fred Rogers
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Justice is taking care of those who aren't able to take care of themselves.
~ Fred Rogers
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What do you think it is that drives people to want far more than they could ever use or need? I frankly think it's insecurity. How do we let the world know that the trappings of this life are not the things that are ultimately important for being accepted?
~ Fred Rogers
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Fame is a four letter word and like tape, or zoom, or face, or pain, or life, or love, what ultimately matters is what we do with it.
~ Fred Rogers
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Both Joanne and I can recall many times when we wish we'd said or done something different.  But we didn't, and we've learned not to feel too guilty about that.  What gives me my good feelings is that we always cared and always tried to do our best.
~ Fred Rogers
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Children are to be respected and I respect them deeply.  They've taught me an awful lot.
~ Fred Rogers
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When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Part of the problem with the word 'disabilities' is that it immediately suggests an inability to see or hear or walk or do other things that many of us take for granted. But what of people who can't feel? Or talk about their feelings? Or manage their feelings in constructive ways? What of people who aren't able to form close and strong relationships? And people who cannot find fulfillment in their lives, or those who have lost hope, who live in disappointment and bitterness and find in life no joy, no love? These, it seems to me, are the real disabilities.
  -- Fred Rogers
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When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Anything thats human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.
  -- Fred Rogers
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If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.
  -- Fred Rogers
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We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem." Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.
  -- Fred Rogers
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In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else.
  -- Fred Rogers
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You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Mutual caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Forgiveness is a strange thing. It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to forgive people we love. Like all of life's important coping skills, the ability to forgive and the capacity to let go of resentments most likely take root very early in our lives.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I hope you're proud of yourself for the times you've said "yes," when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to someone else.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Whether we're a preschooler or a young teen, a graduating college senior or a retired person, we human beings all want to know that we're acceptable, that our being alive somehow makes a difference in the lives of others.
  -- Fred Rogers
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We need to help people to discover the true meaning of love. Love is generally confused with dependence. Those of us who have grown in true love know that we can love only in proportion to our capacity for independence.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The connections we make in the course of a life--maybe that's what heaven is.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The child is in me still and sometimes not so still.
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's very dramatic when two people come together to work something out. It's easy to take a gun and annihilate your opposition, but what is really exciting to me is to see people with differing views come together and finally respect each other.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Who we are in the present includes who we were in the past.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The thing I remember best about successful people I've met all through the years is their obvious delight in what they're doing and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success. They just love what they're doing, and they love it in front of others.
  -- Fred Rogers
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In the external scheme of things, shining moments are as brief as the twinkling of an eye, yet such twinklings are what eternity is made of -- moments when we human beings can say "I love you," "I'm proud of you," "I forgive you," "I'm grateful for you." That's what eternity is made of: invisible imperishable good stuff.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Love and trust, in the space between whats said and whats heard in our life, can make all the difference in the world.
  -- Fred Rogers
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There are three ways to ultimate success:
The first way is to be kind.
The second way is to be kind.
The third way is to be kind.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetimes work, but its worth the effort.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The kingdom of God is for the broken hearted
  -- Fred Rogers
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When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers  so many caring people in this world.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Little by little we human beings are confronted with situations that give us more and more clues that we are not perfect.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Life is for service.
  -- Fred Rogers
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When we treat children's play as seriously as it deserves, we are helping them feel the joy that's to be found in the creative spirit. It's the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.
  -- Fred Rogers
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At the center of the Universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service.
  -- Fred Rogers
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There was a story going around about the Special Olympics. For the hundred-yard dash, there were nine contestants, all of them so-called physically or mentally disabled. All nine of them assembled at the starting line and, at the sound of the gun, they took off. But one little boy didn't get very far. He stumbled and fell and hurt his knee and began to cry. The other eight children heard the boy crying. They slowed down, turned around, and ran back to him--every one of them ran back to him. The little boy got up, and he and the rest of the runners linked their arms together and joyfully walked to the finish line.
They all finished the race at the same time. And when they did, everyone in the stadium stood up and clapped and whistled and cheered for a long, long time. And you know why? Because deep down we know that what matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win, too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.
  -- Fred Rogers
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What's been important in my understanding of myself and others is the fact that each one of us is so much more than any one thing. A sick child is much more than his or her sickness.
A person with a disability is much, much more than a handicap. A pediatrician is more than a medical doctor. You're MUCH more than your job description or your age or your income or your output.
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?...

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood,
A neighborly day for a beauty.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?...

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.
Since we're together we might as well say:
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?

Won't you please,
Won't you please?
Please won't you be my neighbor?
  -- Fred Rogers
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Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and to channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it.
  -- Fred Rogers
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When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong with the fearful, the true mixed in with the faade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way.
  -- Fred Rogers
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There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I'm proud of you for the times you came in second, or third, or fourth, but what you did was the best you have ever done
  -- Fred Rogers
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I believe that appreciation is a holy thing--that when we look for what's best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something sacred.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Peace means far more than the opposite of war.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Love is like infinity: You can't have more or less infinity, and you can't compare two things to see if they're "equally infinite." Infinity just is, and that's the way I think love is, too.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I don't think anyone can grow unless he's loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be.
  -- Fred Rogers
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How great it is when we come to know that times of disappointment can be followed by joy; that guilt over falling short of our ideals can be replaced by pride in doing all that we can; and that anger can be channeled into creative achievements... and into dreams that we can make come true.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The only thing evil cant stand is forgiveness.
  -- Fred Rogers
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There's no "should" or "should not" when it comes to having feelings. They're part of who we are and their origins are beyond our control. When we can believe that, we may find it easier to make constructive choices about what to do with those feelings.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The world needs a sense of worth, and it will achieve it only by its people feeling that they are worthwhile.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Solitude is different from loneliness, and it doesn't have to be a lonely kind of thing.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Some days, doing "the best we can" may still fall short of what we would like to be able to do, but life isn't perfect on any front-and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else.
 ~ Mister Rogers
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Try your best to make goodness attractive. That's one of the toughest assignments you'll ever be given.
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's a mistake to think that we have to be lovely to be loved by human beings or by God
  -- Fred Rogers
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Whatever we choose to imagine can be as private as we want it to be. Nobody knows what you're thinking or feeling unless you share it.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Feeling good about ourselves is essential in our being able to love others.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I believe that at the center of the universe there dwells a loving spirit who longs for all thats best in all of creation, a spirit who knows the great potential of each planet as well as each person, and little by little will love us into being more than we ever dreamed possible. That loving spirit would rather die than give up on any one of us.
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's really easy to fall into the trap of believing that what we do is more important than what we are. Of course, it's the opposite that's true: What we are ultimately determines what we do!
  -- Fred Rogers
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Everyone longs to be loved. And the greatest thing we can do is to let people know that they are loved and capable of loving.
  -- Fred Rogers
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A young apprentice applied to a master carpenter for a job. The older man asked him, "Do you know your trade?" "Yes, sir!" the young man replied proudly. "Have you ever made a mistake?" the older man inquired. "No, sir!" the young man answered, feeling certain he would get the job. "Then there's no way I'm going to hire you," said the master carpenter, "because when you make one, you won't know how to fix it.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Often out of periods of losing come the greatest strivings toward a new winning streak.
  -- Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember
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I'm fairly convinced that the Kingdom of God is for the broken-hearted. You write of 'powerlessness.' Join the club, we are not in control. God is.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Anyone who has ever been able to sustain good work has had at least one person--and often many--who have believed in him or her. We just don't get to be competent human beings without a lot of different investments from others.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Sometimes people are good, and they do just what they should. But the very same people who are good sometimes are the very same people who are bad sometimes. It's funny but it's true. Its the same isn't it, for me and . . .
 ~ Mister Rogers
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Music is the one art we all have inside. We may not be able to play an instrument, but we can sing along or clap or tap our feet. Have you ever seen a baby bouncing up and down in the crib in time to some music? When you think of it, some of that baby's first messages from his or her parents may have been lullabies, or at least the music of their speaking voices. All of us have had the experience of hearing a tune from childhood and having that melody evoke a memory or a feeling. The music we hear early on tends to stay with us all our lives.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Most of us, I believe, admire strength. It's something we tend to respect in others, desire for ourselves, and wish for our children. Sometimes, though, I wonder if we confuse strength with other wordslike 'aggression' and even 'violence'. Real strength is neither male nor female; but it is, quite simply, one of the finest characteristics that a human being can possess.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The values we care about the deepest, and the movements within society that support those values, command our love. When those things that we care about so deeply become endangered, we become enraged. And what a healthy thing that is! Without it, we would never stand up and speak out for what we believe.
  -- Fred Rogers
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As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has- or ever will have- something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Life is deep and simple, and what our society gives us is shallow and complicated.
  -- Fred Rogers
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There's a world of difference between insisting on someone's doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.
  -- Fred Rogers
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One of the universal fears of childhood is the fear of not having value in the eyes of the people whom we admire so much.
  -- Fred Rogers
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You are a very special person. There is only one like you in the whole world. There's never been anyone exactly like you before, and there will never be again. Only you. And people can like you exactly as you are.
  -- Fred Rogers
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We speak with more than our mouths. We listen with more than our ears.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Real strength has to do with helping others.
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's good to be curious about many things.
 ~ Mister Rogers
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Mutually caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain. We need to accept the fact that it's not in the power of any human being to provide all these things all the time. for any of us, mutually caring relationships will always include some measure of unkindness and impatience, intolerance, pessimism, envy, self-doubt, and disappointment.
  -- Fred Rogers
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If we can bring our children understanding, comfort, and hopefulness when they need this kind of support, then they are more likely to grow into adults who can find these resources within themselves later on. (from the introduction)
  -- Fred Rogers
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You can't really love someone else unless you really love yourself first.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Kenneth Koch once said, You arent just the age you are. You are all the ages you ever have been!
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life that ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is firm.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Being able to resolve conflicts peacefully is one of the greatest strengths we can give our children.
 ~ Mister Rogers
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How many times have you noticed that its the little quiet moments in the midst of life that seem to give the rest extra-special meaning?
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's the people we love the most who can make us feel the gladdest ... and the maddest! Love and anger are such a puzzle!
  -- Fred Rogers
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I've often hesitated in beginning a project because I've thought, "It'll never turn out to be even remotely like the good idea I have as I start." I could just "feel" how good it could be. But I decided that, for the present, I would create the best way I know how and accept the ambiguities.
  -- Fred Rogers
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You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And consequently, the greatest thing we can do is to help somebody know that they are loved and capable of loving.
  -- Fred Rogers
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All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether were giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. Thats one of the things that connects us as neighborsin our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Its very important, no matter what you may do professionally, to keep alive some of the healthy interests of your youth. Childrens play is not just kids stuff. Childrens play is rather the stuff of most future inventions.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Listening and trying to understand the needs of those we would communicate with seems to me to be the essential prerequisite of any real communication. And we might as well aim for real communication.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I realize that it isn't very fashionable to talk about some things being holy; nevertheless, if we ever want to rid ourselves of personal and corporate emptiness, brokenness, loneliness, and fear, we have to allow ourselves room for that which we can not see, hear, touch , or control.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I must be an emotional archaeologist because I keep looking for the roots of things, particularly the roots of behavior and why I feel certain ways about certain things.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Taking care is one way to show your love. Another way is letting people take good care of you when you need it.
  -- Fred Rogers
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One of the strongest things I have had to wrestle with in my life is the significance of the longing for perfection in oneself and in the people bound to the self by friendship or parenthood or childhood.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and to channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Pretending doesn't require expensive toys.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I can put on a hat, or put on a coat, or wear a pair of glasses or sail a boat. I can change all my names and find a place to hide. I can do most anything, but I'm still myself inside. I can go far away, or dream of anything, Or wear a scary costume or act like a king. I can change all my names and find a place to hide. I can do almost anything, but I'm still myself. I'm still myself. I'm still myself inside.
  -- Fred Rogers
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A high school student wrote to ask, "What was the greatest event in American history?" I can't say. However, I suspect that like so many "great" events, it was something very simple and very quiet with little or no fanfare (such as someone forgiving someone else for a deep hurt that eventually changed the course of history). The really important "great" things are never center stage of life's dramas; they're always "in the wings". That's why it's so essential for us to be mindful of the humble and the deep rather than the flashy and the superficial.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Well, life isn't cheap. It's the greatest mystery of any millennium, and television needs to do all it can to broadcast that...to show and tell what the good in life is all about.
  -- Fred Rogers
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But how do we make goodness attractive? By doing whatever we can do to bring courage to those whose lives move near our own--by treating our 'neighbor' at least as well as we treat ourselves and allowing that to inform everything that we produce.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Who in your life has been such a servant to you? Who has helped you love the good that grows within you? Let's just take ten seconds to think of some of those people who have loved us and wanted what was best for us in life, those who have encouraged us to become who we are tonight - just ten seconds of silence.
  -- Fred Rogers
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No matter where they are, either here or in heaven, imagine how pleased those people must be to know that you thought of them right now.
  -- Fred Rogers
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There are times when explanations, no matter how reasonable, just don't seem to help.
  -- Fred Rogers
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You can think about things and make believe. All you have to do is think and they'll grow.
 ~ Mister Rogers
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In a young child's mind, parents probably condone what's on the television, just like they choose what's in the refrigerator or on the stove. That's why we who make television for children must be especially careful.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Our society is much more interested in information than wonder, in noise rather than silence...And I feel that we need a lot more wonder and a lot more silence in our lives
  -- Fred Rogers
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All our lives, we rework the things from our childhood, like feeling good about ourselves, managing our angry feelings, being able to say good-bye to people we love.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Jane Addams, writing about her Twenty Years at Hull House, said, People did not want to hear about simple things. They wanted to hear about great things simply told.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Theres a part of all of us that longs to know that even whats weakest about us is still redeemable and can ultimately count for something good.
  -- Fred Rogers
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A friend of mine was in a taxi in Washington, D.C., going slowly past the National Archives, when he noticed the words on the cornerstone of the building: The past is prologue. He read them out loud to the taxi driver and said, What do you think that means, The past is prologue? The taxi driver said, I think it means, Man, you aint seen nothin yet!
  -- Fred Rogers
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Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Imagine what our real neighbors would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person. There have been so many stories about the lack of courtesy, the impatience of today's world, road rage and even restaurant rage. Sometimes, all it takes is one kind word to nourish another person. Think of the ripple effect that can be created when we nourish someone. One kind empathetic word has a wonderful way of turning into many.
  -- Fred Rogers
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When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers-so many caring people in this world.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The media shows the tiniest percentage of what people do. There are millions and millions of people doing wonderful things all over the world, and theyre generally not the ones being touted in the news.
  -- Fred Rogers
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We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.
  -- Fred Rogers
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When I think of Robert Frost's poems, like "The Road Not Taken", I feel the support of someone who is on my side, who understands what life's choices are like, someone who says, "I've been there, and it's okay to go on".
  -- Fred Rogers
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Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else. I've felth that many times. My hope for all of us is that "the miles we go before we sleep" will be filled with all the feelings that come from deep caring - delight, sadness, joy, wisdom - and that in all the endings of our life, we will be able to see the new beginnings.
  -- Fred Rogers
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When I was ordained, it was for a special ministry, that of serving children and families through television. I consider that what I do through "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" is my ministry. A ministry doesn't have to be only through a church, or even through an ordination. And I think we all can minister to others in this world by being compassionate and caring. I hope you will feel good enough about yourselves that you will want to minister to others, and that you will find your own unique ways to do that.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I remember one of my seminary professors saying people who were able to appreciate otherswho looked for what was good and healthy and kindwere about as close as you could get to Godto the eternal good. And those people who were always looking for what was bad about themselves and others were really on the side of evil. Thats what evil wants, he would say. Evil wants us to feel so terrible about who we are and who we know, that well look with condemning eyes on anybody who happens to be with us at the moment. I encourage you to look for the good where you are and embrace it.
  -- Fred Rogers
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There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I know that when I walk out of the studio someday and there is a child who has Downs Syndrome, for instance, and that child comes up and gives me a hug, I know that that's the field I want to be growing in. Because I see that people who are not the fancy people of this world are the ones who seem to nourish my soul. And I want to learn how to be the best receiver that I can ever be. Because I think graceful receiving is one of the most wonderful gifts we can give anybody.
  -- Fred Rogers
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The older I get, the more I seem to be able to appreciate my "neighbor" (whomever I happen to be with at the moment). Oh, sure, I've always tried to love my neighbor as myself; however, the more experiences I've had, the more chances I've had to see the uniqueness of each person... as well as each tree, and plant, and shell, and cloud... the more I find myself delighting every day in the lavish gifts of God, whom I've come to believe is the greatest appreciator of all.
  -- Fred Rogers
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We get so wrapped up in numbers in our society. The most important thing is that we are able to be one-to-one, you and I with each other at the moment. If we can be present to the moment with the person that we happen to be with, that's what's important.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I dont think we give that gift anymore (the gift of silence). Im very concerned that our society is much more interested in information than wonder. In noise, rather than silencehow do we encourage reflection? Oh my, this is a noisy world. I get up every morning at least by 5AM. I have a couple hours of quiet time, reflect about what it is important. What can we do, to encourage people to have more quiet in their lives, more silence? Real revelation comes through silence.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Love and success, always in that order. It's that simple AND that difficult.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Whats been important in my understanding of myself and others is the fact that each one of us is so much more than any one thing. A sick child is much more than his or her sickness. A person with a disability is much, much more than a handicap. A pediatrician is more than a medical doctor. You're much more than your job description or your age or your income or your output.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Most of us have so few moments like that in our lives. Theres noise everywhere. There are some places we cant even escape it. Television and radio are probably the worst culprits. They are very seductive. Its so tempting for some people to turn on the television set or the radio when they first walk into a room or get in the car to fill any space with noise. I wonder what some people are afraid might happen in the silence. Some of us must have forgotten how nourishing silence can be. That kind of solitude goes by many names. It may be called meditation or deep relaxation, quiet time or downtime. In some circles, it may even be criticized as daydreaming. Whatever its called, its a time away from outside stimulation, during which inner turbulence can settle, and we have a chance to become more familiar with ourselves.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Try your best to make goodness attractive. Thats one of the toughest assignments youll ever be given.
  -- Fred Rogers
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You are a very special person. There is only one like you in the whole world. Theres never been anyone exactly like you before, and there never will be again. Only you. And people can like you exactly as you are.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I have long believed that the way to know a spiritual sense is to know it in our real life. I think the best way to understand about God and peace is to know about peace in our everyday lives.
  -- Fred Rogers
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It isn't only famous movie stars who want to be alone. Whenever I hear someone speak of privacy, I find myself thinking once again how real and deep the need for such times is for all human beings . . . at all ages.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I wonder if we might pledge ourselves to remember what life is really all aboutnot to be afraid that we're less flashy than the next, not to worry that our influence is not that of a tornado, but rather that of a grain of sand in an oyster! Do we have that kind of patience?
  -- Fred Rogers
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It's a mistake to think we have to be lovely to be loved by humans beings or by God.
  -- Fred Rogers
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One of our friends asked Fred about his thoughts on heaven when she was taking a walk with him on a Nantucket beach a few years ago. Ill bet there was a twinkle in his eye when he told her, Oh, I think there will be a lot of people surprised to see whos there! Fred would never want anyone to think they might not be worthy of getting through heavens gate. His God loved everyonejust the way they were!
  -- Fred Rogers
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All were ever asked to do in this life is to treat our neighborespecially our neighbor who is in needexactly as we would hope to be treated ourselves. Thats our ultimate responsibility.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Out of difference can come the reinforcement of two important values. One is tolerance and the other is awareness that people who disagree over the things they hold dear really can live together in love and respect.
  -- Fred Rogers
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I think that those who would try to make you feel less than who you are, I think that's the greatest evil.
  -- Fred Rogers
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Let's take the gauntlet and make goodness attractive in this so-called next millennium. That's the real job that we have. I'm not talking about Pollyanna-ish kind of stuff. I'm talking about down-to-Earth actual goodness. People caring for each other in a myriad of ways rather than people knocking each other off all the time...What changes the world? The only thing that ever really changes the world is when somebody gets the idea that love can abound and can be shared.
  -- Fred Rogers
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