Quotes from Fred Rogers

The toughest thing is to love somebody who has done something mean to you–especially when that somebody is yourself. Look inside yourself and find that loving part of you. Take good care of that part because it helps you love your neighbor.

Love doesn't mean a state of perfect caring. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now—and to go on caring through joyful times and through times that may bring us pain.

It's true that we take a great deal of our own upbringing on into our adult lives and our lives as parents; but it's true, too, that we can change some of the things that we would like to change. It can be hard, but it can be done.

So maybe you'll...take some time to think about those who have cared so deeply for you that you're really nourished in this whole life because of knowing them.

how can I say how grateful I am for what I've been able to do and be. How can I ever express my gratitude enough?

I was walking this far off the ground,' Rogers said, smiling at the memory and holding his hand a foot above the floor. 'You know, there are special times and there are extra special times. I feel that the real drama of life is never center stage, it's always in the wings. It's never with the spotlight on, it's usually something that you don't expect at all.

There's mystery in raising children: As our children grow and develop their unique talents, we can't control every aspect of their lives. For example, we can offer children music lessons and do all we can to encourage them to appreciate music, but if making music isn't their way of expressing themselves, we have to trust they'll find their own ways.

Watching a baby grow with our help tells us other things we like to feel about ourselves: that we are competent and loving.

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.

That's what eternity is made of: invisible, imperishable good stuff.

Love Is People Love is people Love is people needing people Love is people caring for people That is love. Love's a little child Sharing with another. Love's a brave man Daring to liberate his brother. Love is people Love is people needing people Love is people caring for people That is love. And though some have costly treasure It never seems to measure up To people needing people Caring for people For that's love. Love is people People love.

Sometimes, though, I wonder if we confuse strength with other words—like aggression and even violence.

It always helps to have people we love beside us when we have to do difficult things in life.

One of my wise teachers, Dr. William F. Orr, told me, "There is only one thing evil cannot stand and that is forgiveness.

For Rogers, the very act of asking questions, and trying to answer them honestly, was the key to growing and learning: "We can't always know what's behind a child's question. But if we let a child know we respect the question, we're letting that child know that we respect him or her. What a powerful way to say, "I care about you!

You bring all you ever were and are to any relationship you have today.

When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes .. 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.

One of our chief jobs in life, it seems to me, is to realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is–that each of us has something which no one else has–or ever will have–something inside which is unique to all time.

When you're a parent you have a new chance to grow.

Later on, he brought that same sense of hard work and inner discipline to his work. Whether he was working on a script for the Neighborhood programs or on a speech, he fretted over the words, attempting to make the content meaningful. I can remember his saying over and over again, as he worked at the fourth or fifth draft of whatever he happened to be writing, "Simple is better.

Parenthood is not learned: Parenthood is an inner change.

I've learned what is most worth knowing through living each day as it is given to me. It cannot be 'taught' but it can be 'caught' from those who live their lives right along with us.

It's the people who feel strong and good about themselves inside who are best able to accept outside differences—their own or others'. We help children develop this ability every time we affirm how special they are to us for being themselves, and how special to us are all the things that make each person different from anyone else.

When she died, she went on teaching me—about loss and grief… and about the renewal of hope and joy.