“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or dehumanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749–1832, German poet, dramatist, novelist, philosopher and scientist
3 comments:
I really enjoyed this quotation from von Goethe's excerpt. In fact, I put the last two sentences of it on the board as the "Thought for the Day."
Several students commented on it:One shared that it gave her a new perspective on dealing with her son. Another man who volunteers at a prison said it really applies to his volunteering objective.
Thanks, Mel!
Barb
Glad it was useful for you, Barb. I can definitely see how the quote could apply to both of those situations. (And your job, too!)
I love that. It's so true that the way a situation turns out completely depends on the way that you look at it. A day at work, for example, can either be terribly frustrating or really rewarding depending on your attitude when you get there.
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