Kindness and Wonder Quotes

“Fred's question: 'Dr. Orr, what is one little word that would wipe out evil?'

'Fred, it's 'forgiveness,' ' his mentor said without hesitation. 'The only thing that evil cannot stand is forgiveness. It simply disintegrates in the presence of forgiveness.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“My mother used to say, a long time ago, whenever there would be any real catastrophe . . . she would say, ‘Always look for the helpers. There will always be helpers—just on the sidelines.’ That’s why I think if news programs could make a conscious effort of showing rescue teams, of showing medical people—anybody who is coming into a place where there’s a tragedy, to be sure that they include that. Because if you look for the helpers, you’ll know that there’s hope.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“FRED ROGERS ENTERED THE WORLD WITH A SERIOUS DISADVANTAGE, albeit a typical one: he was born a child.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“he always wanted to get as much done as possible with the least amount of froth.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“I have often said that Mister Rogers was a clear pool in which people could see themselves as they were, not muddied up by all the people who say you’re not good enough or there’s something wrong with you. He would reflect back their true value.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“I believe that this world is short-lived: we’re here for a minute and then we’re gone. What we leave behind is what matters. Fred came here on a mission, and when he was all done, he packed up and left. I’m hoping that one day somebody will remember their experience with me and do good work in the world of the future.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“Try your best to make goodness attractive. That’s one of the toughest assignments you’ll ever be given.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“Fred, it’s ‘forgiveness,’ ” his mentor said without hesitation. “The only thing that evil cannot stand is forgiveness. It simply disintegrates in the presence of forgiveness.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“What a difference one person can make in the life of others.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“Fred, you made this day a special day, just by being yourself. Always remember, there’s just one person in this whole world like you—and I like you just the way you are.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“Fred Rogers didn’t ask “Was I a good person?” or “Will I go to heaven?” He asked something more theologically specific: Did I offer succor to the lowliest members of society? Even after a lifetime dedicated to caring for the powerless, he doubted that he had done enough. “If anyone is a sheep, you are,” Joanne assured him.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“Their associations were what fascinated me,” he said. “After the first talk about certain things on television—the Incredible Hulk, Superman, and Robin, and all this—immediately they started to talk about [the nuclear reactor meltdown at] Three Mile Island, and the earthquakes in California, all kinds of things they had no control over. It gave me the greatest hint, really confirming what I already believed—that we put on the guise of being super in order to try to control things that we otherwise have no control over.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“This is my major work in life,” Mister Rogers said in the spring of 1967. “I don’t want to do anything else. I just hope I can make more programs for educational television.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“You can’t satisfy all the desires of those who ask, but you can translate some of the care you have inside of yourselves to action on the outside,” he told everyone one last time. “And that’s what really matters.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“The best teacher in the world is somebody who loves what he or she does and just loves it in front of you.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“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.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“The only thing that evil cannot stand is forgiveness. It simply disintegrates in the presence of forgiveness.” Orr”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“The best teacher in the world is somebody who loves what he or she does and just loves it in front of you.” When”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever

“There are adults who are terribly threatened by my manner, because there's something within them...I may evoke something within them that's very tender that they never knew about and that may be very frightening to them. I think that people who put me down and feel they cannot stand that presentation of gentle masculinity have not dealt with that within themselves.”
― Gavin Edwards, Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever