Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.
R. J. PalacioRead
Whenever there is a conflict between being right and being kind, if possible, choose being kind.
Interpretation
Prioritize kindness over being right in conflicts when you can.
This quote emphasizes the importance of compassion and kindness in our interactions with others, especially during disagreements. It reminds us that winning an argument or proving our point is less valuable than maintaining harmony and understanding in our relationships, advocating for a more empathetic approach when conflicts arise.
In practice
A teacher could use this quote during a discussion about how to handle disputes among students.
Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.
If every person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary - the world really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.
Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.
The best way to measure how much you've grown isn't by inches or the number of laps you can now run around the track or even your grade point average - though those things are important, to be sure. It's what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you have touched this year. That, to me, is the greatest measure of success.
Nothing is more sweet than harmony in marriage, and nothing more distressing than dissension.
If you wish to be brothers, drop your weapons.
Let's go hand in hand, not one before another.
Now we have black and white elected officials working together. Today, we have gone beyond just passing laws. Now we have to create a sense that we are one community, one family. Really, we are the American family.
I'm very fortunate to have a coach that I got to stay with all this time. Every year the bond gets stronger and better, and we understand each other more. And it's like she can tell if I walk into the gym what kind of mood I'm in, what she has to fix for the practice I need, or how I'm feeling.
Marriage is an adventure, like going to war.
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