Acceptance Quotes
“There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it behooves all of us not to talk about the rest of us.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson
“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.”
-Dalai Lama
“The price of the democratic way of life is a growing appreciation of people’s differences, not merely as tolerable, but as the essence of a rich and rewarding human experience.”
-Jerome Nathanson
“Tolerance comes with age. I see no fault committed that I myself could not have committed at some time or other.”
-Goethe
“I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird.”
-Paul McCartney
“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.”
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
“We need not think alike to love alike.”
-Francis David
“We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box.”
-Robert Fulghum
“We should not permit tolerance to degenerate into indifference.”
-Margaret Chase Smith
“I would never belong to a group that would accept someone like me as a member.”
-Groucho Marx
“Don’t stare.”
– Mom
“Tolerance is the positive and cordial effort to understand another’s beliefs, practices, and habits without necessarily sharing them.”
– Joshua L. Leibman
“Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.”
– Michael J. Fox
“Tolerance consists of seeing certain things with your heart instead of your eyes.”
-Orlando A. Battista
“Our similarities bring us to a common ground; our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.”
-Tom Robbins
“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
-Zen Shin
“The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety.”
-Felix Mendelssohn
“Acceptance is not love. You love a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you accept everybody just because they’re alive and human.”
-Albert Ellis
“The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.”
-Ralph W. Sockman
“Ultimately, America’s answer to the intolerant man is diversity, the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired.”
-Robert F. Kennedy
“Have a big enough heart to love unconditionally, and a broad enough mind to embrace the differences that make each of us unique.”
-D.B. Harrop
“I think tolerance and acceptance and love is something that feeds every community.”
– Lady Gaga
“We all came in on different ships, but we’re all in the same boat now.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr
“Inclusion works to the advantage of everyone. We all have things to learn and we all have something to teach.”
-Helen Henderson
How can you use Quotes?
- Start a discussion: Quotes can start a discussion about a character trait at the beginning of a meeting or the dinner table. You can ask questions about what it means, how they have seen the trait demonstrated in their own lives, or how they can develop it themselves.
- Provide a model: Quotes can provide a model of good character. When you read a quote from a famous person or historical figure, you show that people they admire also value the same character traits.
- Use quotes as writing/journal prompts: Ask them to write a short essay about a quote to help them think more deeply about its implications for their lives.
- Post quotes: You can post quotes where they will be seen/heard often – classroom, breakroom, lobby, dining room, email signatures, video bulletin boards, morning announcements, social media, etc.
- Read quotes aloud: You can read quotes aloud to your children during mealtimes, bedtime, or any other time you spend together.
- Make it fun: You can make it even more fun by incorporating games, activities, or crafts. Let children decorate signs with the quotes to hang in the classroom or a bedroom door. Record children saying it and post it on social media.