Fred Rogers had a children's show called "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" that ran from 1968 to 2001. I was born in 1997, so I did not grow up watching him on television.
I discovered him online about a year ago, and I've come to appreciate his optimism and caring attitude towards society and life. It is easy to become pessimistic, especially because our political climate is so polarizing. His beliefs on morality are geared towards children in their simplicity, but they are useful across generations.
In honor of his 90th birthday, here are ten of my favorite quotes from Mister Rogers:
1. "The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self."
2. "There's no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are."
3. "There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind, the second way is to be kind, and the third way is to be kind."
4. "Feeling good about ourselves is essential in our being able to love others."
5. "I'm proud of you for the times you came in second, or third, or fourth, but what you did was the best you had ever done."
6. "Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work, but it's worth the effort."
7. "Often when you’re at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else."
8. “There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.”
9. “Often out of periods of losing come the greatest strivings toward a new winning streak.”
10. "As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has--or ever will have--something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression."
