Asked why he thought the neighborhood had stayed on the air so long, Fred attributed it to the fact that he was not actually concealing his secret self. People love honesty, he said. They like to be in touch with those who are honest and real. Don't you like to be with real people? People who aren't afraid to make mistakes and people who just know that life is a gift and relish in it.
When he gave his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Mr. Rogers made a request that was important to him. He wanted his listeners to think about the people who had helped them succeed.
“Who are the people who have helped you become who you are today”? he asked.
“Nobody gets to be a human adult without the investment of others all along the way. I'd like to give you a minute in the middle of this meeting to think of those who have trusted you and guided you and loved you into being. A minute of grateful silence.”
In the sprint of Mr. Rogers, I’ll watch the time
“Whomever you've been thinking about, whether they're here today or far away or even in heaven, imagine how grateful they would be to know how you feel about them here and now.”
Book - Kindness & Wonder
