Fred Rogers was an American television personality, musician, puppeteer, writer, and producer. He was best known as the creator, composer, and star of the educational children’s television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001.
Rogers was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, was nominated for an Academy Award for one of his songs, and received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. He was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 shortly before he died from cancer at the age of 74.
At Good Good Good, our work celebrating good news has been highly influenced by Fred Rogers’ passion for filling the world with more love, kindness, and care.
We partnered with Rick Lee James — the creator of @MisterRogersSay on Twitter — to compile this collection of Fred Rogers best quotes.
As an expert on the life and words of Fred Rogers, Rick shares Mr. Rogers quotes on his Twitter account daily, and hosts the podcast “Welcome To The Neighborhood (A Mister Rogers Tribute Podcast)”.
Together we compiled 143 Mister Rogers quotes — because of Fred Rogers love for the numbers 143. 143 was Rogers’ code for “I love you” — a numerical shorthand derived from the number of characters in each word. “It takes one letter to say I and four letters to say love and three letters to say you. One hundred and forty-three,” he once said.
As we celebrate Fred Rogers’ birthday on March 20th, and 143 Day on May 23rd, our hope is that these love-filled quotes will leave you feeling encouraged, inspired, and ready to become a Helper.
Scroll through and enjoy the ultimate list of Fred Rogers’ best quotes —
Topics: Famous Quotes | Kindness | Short Quotes | Play | Silence | Education | Feelings | Forgiveness | Friendship | Anger | Diversity | Faith | Love | Media | Neighbors | More...
You might also like: Best Books By Fred Rogers | Best Books About Fred Rogers
Famous Mister Rogers Quotes
“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
“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.”
“Try your best to make goodness attractive. That’s one of the toughest assignments you’ll ever be given.”
“You know you can always help to make each day a special day by just your being yourself. You grow in your own way; everyone does. That’s one reason each one of us is different and special and people can like us exactly as we are.”
“Anything that’s 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.”
“From the time you were very little, you’ve had people who have smiled you into smiling, people who have talked you into talking, sung you into singing, loved you into loving. Let’s take some time to think of those extra special people.”
“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.”
“Love is at the root of everything. All learning. All parenting. All relationships. Love, or the lack of it.”
“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.”
“To me, what makes someone successful is managing a healthy combination of wishing and doing. Wishing doesn’t make anything happen, but it certainly can be the start of some important happenings.”
“You make each day a special day. You know how, by just your being you. There’s only one person in this whole world like you. And people can like you exactly as you are.”
— Fred Rogers, the words he used to close Mister Rogers Neighborhood each day.
About Kindness
“Being kind means responding to the needs of others — and people can be kind, no matter how old or young we are.”
“Caring comes from the Gothic word kara, which means ‘to lament.’ So caring is not what a powerful person gives to a weaker one. Caring is a matter of being there... lamenting right along with the one who laments.”
“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.”
“People have said, ‘Don’t cry’ to other people for years and years, and all it has ever meant is ’I’m too uncomfortable when you show your feelings: Don’t cry.’ I’d rather have them say, ‘Go ahead and cry. I’m here to be with you.’”
“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.”
“There’s a part of all of us that longs to know that even what’s weakest about us is still redeemable and can ultimately count for something good.”
Short Mr. Rogers Quotes
“Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero.”
“Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.”
“Do you get enough quiet?”
“Hate is such a strong word to use so lightly.”
“I really think that everybody, every day, should be able to feel some success.”
“I think children and adults long to be in touch with what’s real. Don’t you?”
“The child is in me still and sometimes not so still.”
— Fred Rogers, in an example of his sense of humor.
“How can we make goodness attractive? And how can we encourage quiet reflection rather than noise?”
— Fred Rogers, in an interview on PBS
“I think those who try to make you feel less than you are — that’s the greatest evil.”
— Fred Rogers, in an interview that appeared in Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
“The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.”
“Anger makes us feel so isolated.”
“Often out of periods of losing come the greatest strivings toward a new winning streak.”
“People wear all sorts of things, but the best part is the part that’s on the inside. That’s what’s really you — the person inside.”
“There is no person in this whole world who is a mistake, no matter how different that person may seem.”
“There is one thought that I feel can be helpful to grown-ups and children alike: Sadness isn’t forever. I’m not suggesting that we remind ourselves of this in order to lessen our grief. On the contrary. The knowledge that time does bring relief from sadness and that sooner or later there will be days when we are happy again may allow us to grieve more fully and deeply when we need to.”
“Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life.”
“You can think about things and make believe. All you have to do is think and they’ll grow.”
About Play
“Play is the work of childhood.”
“I loved children, I loved drama I loved music, I loved whimsy, I loved puppetry.”
— Fred Rogers, reflecting on his early days in broadcasting
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.”
“Playing about war is very different from having a real war. Play is one of the important ways children can work through their concerns. Of course, war play can become scary or unsafe. At times like that, children need to know adults are nearby to help reassure them, to stop the play when it becomes too scary, and to redirect the play into caring and nurturing themes, perhaps by suggesting they build a hospital for people who are hurt or tents and homes where others could go to eat and sleep.”
About Silence
“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”
“Sometime in your day today, try to turn off all the noises you can around you, and give yourself some ‘quiet time.’ In the silence, let yourself think about something... or if possible, think about nothing.”
“How many times have you noticed that it’s the little quiet moments in the midst of life that seem to give the rest extra-special meaning?”
About Education — Quotes For Parents and Teachers
“We speak with more than our mouths. We listen with more than our ears.”
“Do you remember your favorite teachers? They were probably the ones who wanted to learn your name; who had a warm smile; who made you feel that they were glad to be there to help you learn. No matter how old or young we are, we learn best from people who care about us. That relationship grows when teachers are friendly, respectful, and interested in us as unique human beings.”
— Fred Rogers, in an interview with Education World
“My mother would try to find out who was helping the person who got hurt. ‘Always look for the people who are helping,’ she’d tell us. ‘You’ll always find somebody who’s trying to help.’ So even today when I read the newspaper and see the news on television I look for the people who were trying to help... One of the most important parts of growing up is learning to talk and play about our feelings. Some people wonder if Mister Rogers ever gets angry. Of course I do, especially when I hear about people hurting other people or when somebody hurts me.”
— Fred Rogers, in another version of his famous quote
“You learn something old everyday.”
— Fred Rogers, said by X the Owl in Make-Believe
“A high school student wrote to ask, ‘What was the greatest event in American history?’ I can’t say. However, I suspect that likes so many ‘great’ events, it was something very simple and very quiet little or no fanfare (such as someone forgiving someone else for a deep hurt that eventually change 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.”
“Children are not merely vessels into which facts are poured one week and then when it comes time for exams they turn themselves upside down and let the facts run out. Children bring all of themselves, their feelings, and their experiences to the learning.”
“Children need lots of free, quiet time to get used to all that’s developing within them. Have you noticed that unhurried time by yourself or with someone you really trust can be the best setting for personal growth? It’s no different for children.”
“How our words are understood doesn’t depend just on how we express our ideas. It also depends on how someone receives what we’re saying. I think the most important part about communicating is the listening we do beforehand. When we can truly respect what someone brings to what we’re offering, it makes the communication all the more meaningful.”
“I think that a fear of the world has a lot to do with some children’s difficulty in looking carefully and listening carefully. I’m thinking of those children who grow up amidst deprivation and in surroundings where so much of what there is to look at and listen to is painful and scary. A human being can take only so much frightening stimulation, and then he or she is likely to shut off the desire to look at or listen to anything carefully. If a child is confronted with murder, rape, domestic violence, and other kinds of destructive aggression in daily life, it doesn’t surprise me if that child ‘turns off’ careful looking and listening. I even feel that this may be one of the most frequent causes of trouble for children who can’t learn to read.”
“I think the most important part about communicating is the listening we do beforehand. When we can truly respect what someone brings to what we’re offering, it makes the communication all the more meaningful.”
“Our children will learn a lot about expressing their feelings by watching how we express ours. And we need to let them know that the violent expressions of anger that they see around them are not the way it has to be. Above all, we need to try to show our children that we love and value them. By doing so, we can help them learn that there is much in the world to love and value as well... and that goes for the people in it, too.”
“Please think of the children first. If you ever have anything to do with their entertainment, their food, their toys, their custody, their child care, their health care, their education — listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them. Think of the children first.”
“The best way to learn something well is to ask somebody to help you with it. But it takes hours and hours of practice to be really good at it. In fact, it takes a lot of practice to be good at almost everything. But it’s worth it.”
“The most important learning is the ability to accept and expect mistakes, and deal with the disappointments that they bring.”
“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.”
“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.”
“There are all kinds of artists in the world. If people can combine the talent that they have inside of them with the hard work that it takes to develop it, they can become a true artist of some kind.”
“When children bring up something frightening, it’s helpful right away to ask them what they know about it. We often find that their fantasies are very different from the actual truth. What children probably need to hear most from us adults is that they can talk with us about anything and that we will do all we can to keep them safe in any scary time.”
“When fears are present, many parents try to be reassuring, telling their children not to be afraid. But for inexplicable reasons, a child may actually need to be afraid. It may be more helpful to say, ‘There aren’t any real tigers out there, but I understand you’re scared, and I’ll be here to keep you safe.’ With reassurance like that, a child may feel strong enough to think about the ‘tiger’ and eventually tame it.”
“Where there is pain or sorrow in our children’s lives, as there is bound to be, there is often no way we can make it go away. Often our quiet availability is just what children need, far more than they need coaxes or cajoling or threats or punishments. Our reassuring presence may be enough to help them find inner resources of their own.”
“No matter how helpful computers are as tools (and of course they can be very helpful tools), they don’t begin to compare in significance to the teacher-child relationship, which is human and mutual. A computer can help you learn to spell ‘HUG,’ but it can never know the risk or the joy of actually giving or receiving one.”
“I usually say at the end of each Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood program, ‘You’ve made this day a special day by just your being you. There’s only one person in the whole world like you and people can like you just because you’re you.’ That’s meant for children to hear, but it’s meant for parents, too.”
About Feelings
“I used to cry to myself when I was alone. And I would cry through my fingers and make up songs on the piano.”
— Fred Rogers, on being bullied as a child when he was overweight
“It can be fun to be scared, as many of us will recall from Halloweens past. But if we think back, we’ll probably agree that there were two things that made it possible for that scariness to be fun. First, that we knew we were safe because someone we loved was nearby. Second, we knew that whatever was scaring us was only pretend.”
“It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and 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.”
“Children have very strong feelings. Children love intensely, and they get angry just as intensely. They can be so happy that they laugh out loud, and they can be so sad that they feel their hearts are breaking. And often the way children look at others depends a lot on how they feel within themselves.”
“I’m wary of people who insist on trying to make other people feel bad about themselves. The more I look around me and within me the more I notice that those who feel best about themselves have the greatest capacity to feel good about others.”
“The world needs a sense of worth, and it will achieve it only by its people feeling that they are worthwhile.”
“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.”
“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.”
About Forgiveness
“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.”
“There is no chance of redemption if the goal is annihilation.”
“The only thing evil can’t stand is forgiveness.”
About Friendship
“When the gusty winds blow and shake our lives, if we know that people care about us, we may bend with the wind... but we won’t break.”
“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.”
“Neighbors are people who are close to us and friends are people who are close to our hearts. I like to think of you as my neighbor and my friend.”
“The connections we make in the course of a life — maybe that’s what heaven is.”
“Your real friends are the people who like you for who you are, not what you have.”
“You know how when you find somebody who you know is in touch with the truth, how you want to be in the presence of that person?”
About Anger
“Finding constructive ways to express our anger, whether we’re parents or children, is one of life’s important jobs.”
“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.”
“If I’m angry with someone, and I say, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter, I don’t care,’ then I probably don’t know what I’m feeling. On the other hand, if we can allow ourselves to be gentle with ourselves no matter what our feelings may be, we have the chance of discovering the very deep roots of who we are.”
“We all have negative urges, but we don’t have to act out those urges.”
About Diversity
“We want to raise our children so that they can take a sense of pleasure in both their own heritage and the diversity of others.”
“They didn’t want Black people to come and swim in their swimming pools. That is absolutely ridiculous.”
— Fred Rogers, actor François Clemmons recalled, about the iconic Officer Clemmons wading pool scene in Mister Rogers Neighborhood, in the film Won’t You Be My Neighbor
“It’s you I like —
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings...”
— Fred Rogers, in a song
"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."
“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.”
“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.”
About Faith
“You know, when I decided to look for work in television, I couldn’t possibly have known how I would be used... I’ve simply tried to be open to the possibilities God has made available to me.”
“When I think about heaven, it is a state in which we are so greatly loved that there is no fear and doubt and disillusionment and anxiety. It is where people do look at you with those eyes of Jesus.”
“You see, I believe that Jesus gave us an eternal truth about the universality of feelings. Jesus was truthful about his feelings: Jesus wept; he got sad; Jesus got discouraged; he got scared; and he reveled in the things that pleased him. For Jesus, the greatest sin was hypocrisy. He always seemed to hold out much greater hope for a person who really knew the truth about himself or herself even though that person was a prostitute or a crooked tax collector. Jesus had much greater hope for someone like that than for someone who always pretended to be something he wasn’t.”
“The kingdom of God is for the broken hearted”
— Fred Rogers, to his hurting friend, author Tim Madigan
“I realize that it isn’t very fashionable to talk about some things as being holy; nevertheless, if we ever want to rid ourselves of personal and corporate emptiness, brokenness, loneliness, and fear we will have to allow ourselves room for that which we cannot see, hear, touch, or control.”
“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.”
About Love
“It’s a wonderful feeling when you know that people love you.”
“You can’t really love someone else unless you really love yourself first.”
“When your heart can cry another’s sadness,
Then your heart is full of love”
— Fred Rogers, from the song, “The Your Heart Is Full of Love”
“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, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember
“As you grow, I trust that you are finding many more ways to show and tell people that you love them. Those are the most important things that you’ll ever learn to do.”
"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."
“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.”
“In the disappointment of a defeat, a child may seem to find little comfort in our saying, ‘But you really tried hard, and I’m proud of you.’ It takes time to get over a disappointment. For those children who have learned to feel valued and loved by the people they love, these disappointments do pass. It’s the children who are less fortunate, those who feel they have to bank everything on their performance, who come to believe that losing in a competition means being one of life’s unloved ‘losers.’”
“It seems to me that the most essential element in the development of any creation must be love — a love the begins in the simple expressions of care for a little child and, once received, goes on to mature into responsible feelings about ourselves and others.”
“Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.”
“Love and success, always in that order. It’s that simple and that difficult.”
“Love and trust, in the space between what’s said and what’s heard in our life, can make all the difference in the world.”
"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."
“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.”
“May you seek out your own continuing life education and, over time, over your whole lifetime, may you grow in faith and reverence, uprightness in morals, knowledge of language and arts, forgiveness, honesty, commitment, maturity, and your capacity to love.”
“There isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.”
“What changes the world? The only thing that ever really changes the world is when somebody gets the idea that love can abound and be shared.”
“When we hear the word that we are not lovable, we are not hearing the Word of God. No matter how unlovely, how impure or weak or false we may feel ourselves to be, all through the ages God has still called us lovable.”
“Feeling good about ourselves is essential in our being able to love others.”
“You’re certainly somebody that people can love”
About the Media
“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 they’re generally not the ones being touted in the news.”
“I got into television because I saw people throwing pies at each other’s faces, and that to me was such demeaning behavior. And if there’s anything that bothers me, it’s one person demeaning another. That really makes me mad!”
— Fred Rogers, talking about why he got into television. He hated television and wanted to do all he could to elevate its content, especially for children who may be influenced by it.
“I’m so convinced that the space between the television set and the viewer is holy ground. And what we put on the television can, by the Holy Spirit, be translated into what this person needs to hear and see, and without that translation it’s all dross as far as I’m concerned.”
“What we see and hear on the screen is part of who we become.”
About Being a Good Neighbor & Helper
“I’m one of the adults in your life who cares about what you’re doing.”
— Fred Rogers, in an episode of Mister Rogers Neighborhood
“The purpose of life is to listen — to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world and to God and, when the time comes, to respond in as helpful a way as you can find... from within and without.”
“Real strength has to do with helping others.”
“All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors — in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.”
“All we’re ever asked to do in this life is to treat our neighbor — especially our neighbor who is in need — exactly as we would hope to be treated ourselves. That’s our ultimate responsibility.”
“Because deep down we know that what matters in this life is much 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.”
“I have tried to encourage children to love and care for themselves and to love the parents who care for them. That’s the way true neighborliness grows — loving others as we first loved ourselves.”
“Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person.”
"It's the people who feel strong and good about themselves who are best able to accept outside difference — their own and others!"
“It’s the people who feel strong and good about themselves who are best able to accept outside difference — their own and others!”
“The more I think about it, the more I wonder if God and neighbor are somehow One. ‘Loving God, Loving neighbor’ — the same thing? For me, coming to recognize that God loves every neighbor is the ultimate appreciation.”
“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.”
More Deep and Simple Mister Rogers Quotes
“This program is not for young children to watch alone. When children see and hear about frightening things it’s best for them to have an adult close by, somebody who loves them and can put their arm around them. So please get a grown-up that you love to watch this program with you because we’re going to talk about some sad and scary things. … Well, the people who are doing these terrible things are making a lot of other people sad and angry but when we get sad and angry, you and I, we know what to do with our feelings so we don’t have to hurt other people. When I was a boy and I would hear about something scary somebody getting badly hurt or something like that I’d ask my parents or my grandparents about it and they would usually tell me how they felt about it.”
— Fred Rogers, following the assassination of John Lennon, a series of murders in Atlanta, and the attempted assassination of President Reagan
“Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.”
“After you’ve heard someone play beautiful music, sometimes you just like to have a quiet time to remember it. Let’s just sit and think about what we’ve heard.”
“All I can do is be myself. I’ve had the grace to be able to do that. I walk into the studio and I think, ‘Let some word that is heard be Thine.’ Whatever doesn’t come from the eternal is just dross anyway. So I just pass on what’s been given to me.”
“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!”
“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.”
“It’s tempting to think ‘a little’ isn’t significant and that only ‘a lot’ matters. But most things that are important in life start very small and change very slowly, and they don’t come with fanfare and bright lights.”
“Frankly, I think that after we die, we have this wide understanding of what’s real. And we’ll probably say, ‘Ah, so that’s what it was all about.’”
“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.”
“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.”
“Little by little we human beings are confronted with situations that give us more and more clues that we are not perfect.”
“Are you able to believe in a loving presence who desires the best for you and the whole universe? With all the sadness and destruction, negativity and rage expressed throughout the world, it’s tough not to wonder where the loving presence is. Well, we don’t have to look very far. Deep within each of us is a spark of the divine just waiting to be used to light up a dark place. The only thing is — we have the free choice of using it or not. That’s part of the mysterious truth of who we human beings are”
— Fred Rogers
(Fred would often talk about the divine spark that exists in every human being.)
“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, an often used quote from Fred while speaking at graduation ceremonies
“The big thing about God is God’s faithfulness: not giving up on those with whom God has made covenant... not even giving up on them as they torture and kill each other.”
— Fred Rogers, reflecting on the Holocaust, in an email to writer Tom Junod
“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, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember
“By listening, you minister to me.”
— Fred Rogers, to writer Tim Madigan when he was interviewing Fred Rogers
“Many children have imaginary friends. I think that’s because when a young child wishes for something that he or she doesn’t have, that child will often create it by imagining it. That’s a normal part of childhood.”
“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.”
“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.”
“‘Sometimes People Are Good’ and ‘Good People Sometimes Do Bad Things’ are songs I sing to let children know that everyone does things that are naughty once in a while but that doing something bad doesn’t make you a bad person.”
“We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are.”
“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.”
“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.”
