Quotes from Fred Rogers

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.

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.

Peace means far more than the opposite of war.

Just because somebody wants to be alone sometimes, it doesn't mean they don't love you.

I wonder what memories of yours will persist as you go on in life. My hunch is that the most important will have to do with feelings of loving and being loved - whoever's been close to you. As you continue to grow, you'll find many ways of expressing your love and you'll discover more and more ways in which others express their love for you.

All of us have special ones who have loved us into being.

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.

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.

One of the most important gifts a parent can give a child is the gift of accepting that child's uniqueness.

Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work, but it's worth the effort.

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.

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.

Love isn't a perfect state of caring. It's an active noun, like 'struggle.'

Attitudes are caught, not taught.

You know, you don't have to look like everybody else to be acceptable and to feel acceptable.

The space between the television set and the viewer is holy ground.

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.

One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation.

Honesty is often very hard. The truth is often painful. But the freedom it can bring is worth the trying.

You make each day a special day. You know how, by just your being you.

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.

Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.

Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.