25 Mr. Rogers Quotes That Are Words of Wisdom for All Ages

Mr. Rogers (in full Fred McFeely Rogers), was an American television host, producer, writer and minister, best known for his educational children’s show called Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Mister Rogers’ half-hour program was aimed initially at preschool ages 2 to 5, but after its debut, people of all ages would watch it since it brought so much joy to their homes.

Fred Rogers was just as nice,

friendly and empathetic in real life, as he appears onscreen. He was an

activist and an advocate for children from all backgrounds and during his show

he managed to equip them with the tools they needed to navigate life’s most

difficult moments.

The much-loved host understood that kids need to learn how to live in the real world, so he taught them everything he could about coping with emotions such as fear, anger and shame.

*If you’re curious to learn more about Mr. Rogers’ life, you should know that a beautifully written and wonderfully directed motion picture, starring Tom Hanks, was just released. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood has already conquered the hearts of many.

Here are 25 Mr. Rogers quotes that are words of wisdom for all ages:

One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self. I also believe that kids can spot a phony a mile away.

I don't think anyone can grow unless he's loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be.

It's really easy to fall into the trap of believing that what we do is more important than what we are. Of course, it's the opposite that's true: What we are ultimately determines what we do!

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.

All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we're giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world.

Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work, but it's worth the effort.

Love and success, always in that order. It's that simple AND that difficult.

If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

I hope you're proud of yourself for the times you've said ‘yes,’ when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to someone else.

Love is like infinity: You can't have more or less infinity, and you can't compare two things to see if they're 'equally infinite.' Infinity just is, and that's the way I think love is, too.

Real strength has to do with helping others.

There's a world of difference between insisting on someone's doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.

We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are.

You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.

Even though no human being is perfect, we always have the chance to bring what’s unique about us to live in a redeeming way.

The media shows the tiniest percentage of what people do. There are millions and millions of people doing wonderful things all over the world, and they're generally not the ones being touted in the news.

There are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.

Forgiveness is a strange thing. It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to forgive people we love. Like all of life's important coping skills, the ability to forgive and the capacity to let go of resentments most likely take root very early in our lives.

Peace means far more than the opposite of war.

The thing I remember best about successful people I've met all through the years is their obvious delight in what they're doing and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success. They just love what they're doing, and they love it in front of others.

Children’s play is not just kids’ stuff. Children’s play is rather the stuff of most future inventions.

There's a part of all of us that longs to know that even what's weakest about us is still redeemable and can ultimately count for something good.

One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation.

Mutual caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.

Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person.