Quotations about Tolerance

Travel teaches tolerance. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

It is thus tolerance that is the source of peace, and intolerance that is the source of disorder and squabbling. ~ Pierre Bayle

Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.~ John F. Kennedy

Tolerance should, strictly speaking, be only a passing mood; it ought to lead to acknowledgment and appreciation. To tolerate a person is to affront him. ~ Goethe

The responsibility of tolerance lies with those who have the wider vision. ~ George Eliot

Tolerance always has limits – it cannot tolerate what is itself actively intolerant. ~ Sidney Hook

What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly – that is the first law of nature. ~ Voltaire

Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil. ~ Thomas Mann

Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population. ~ Albert Einstein

Without tolerance, our world turns into hell. ~ Friedrich Durrenmatt

Tolerance is another word for indifference. ~ W. Somerset Maugham

Humor brings insight and tolerance. Irony brings a deeper and less friendly understanding. ~ Agnes Repplier

Toleration is good for all, or it is good for none. ~ Edmund Burke

Tolerance, openness to argument, openness to self-doubt, willingness to see other people’s points of view . ~ Sam Harris

In a multi-racial society, trust, understanding and tolerance are the cornerstones of peace and order. ~ Kamisese Mara

Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons. ~ Jessica Lange

We don’t need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity. ~ Arlen Specter

Always try to maintain complete tolerance and always make an effort to give people more than they expect. ~ Scott Hamilton

I learned that very often the most intolerant and narrow-minded people are the ones who congratulate themselves on their tolerance and open-mindedness. ~ Christopher Hitchens

Tolerance is held to be a condition of mind which is encouraged by, and is necessary for, civilization. ~ Arthur Keith

Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

Religious tolerance is something we should all practice; however, there have been more persecution and atrocities committed in the name of religion and religious freedom than anything else. ~ Walter Koenig

Persecution was at least a sign of personal interest. Tolerance is composed of nine parts of apathy to one of brotherly love. ~ Frank Moore Colby

When tolerance is not afforded to those so well-deserved, it speaks ill of the one who feels he cannot afford to give it. ~ Author Unknown

Tolerance is the price we pay for living in a free, pluralistic society. ~ Robert Casey

Tolerance is a tremendous virtue, but the immediate neighbors of tolerance are apathy and weakness. ~ Sir James Goldsmith

More and more people care about religious tolerance as fewer and fewer care about religion. ~ Alexander Chase

Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself. ~ Robert Green Ingersoll

Tolerance, compromise, understanding, acceptance, patience – I want those all to be very sharp tools in my shed. ~ Cee Lo Green

Political correctness does not legislate tolerance; it only organizes hatred. ~ Jacques Barzun

I think tolerance and acceptance and love is something that feeds every community. ~ Lady Gaga

Since others have to tolerate my weaknesses, it is only fair that I should tolerate theirs. ~ William Allen White

Be entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the evil one. To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than you possess. ~ Heinrich Heine

To tolerate everything is to teach nothing. ~ F. J. Kinsman

I suspect that even today, with all the progress we have made in liberal thought, the quality of true tolerance is as rare as the quality of mercy. ~ Frank Knox

Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle. ~ Helen Keller

I think tolerance is something everybody needs to be reminded of, especially in a reactionary political world. ~ Bruce Davison

Those wearing tolerance for a label call other views intolerable. ~ Phyllis McGinley

Tolerance and celebration of individual differences is the fire that fuels lasting love. ~ Tom Hannah

Tolerance is only another name for indifference. ~ W. Somerset Maugham

Tolerance – the function of an extinguished ardor – tolerance cannot seduce the young. ~ Emile M. Cioran

In Europe, the big word is tolerance. You tolerate everything. ~ Pat Robertson

Tolerance is the value that was selected to put on here, and tolerance is as American as apple pie. ~ Jay Inslee

It is easy to be tolerant of the principles of other people if you have none of your own. ~ Herbert Samuel

No human trait deserves less tolerance in everyday life, and gets less, than intolerance. ~ Giacomo Leopardi

The novelist teaches the reader to comprehend the world as a question. There is wisdom and tolerance in that attitude. In a world built on sacrosanct certainties the novel is dead. ~ Milan Kundera

It is necessary to be tolerant, in order to be tolerated. ~ Norman Macdonald

I believe with all my heart that civilization has produced nothing finer than a man or woman who thinks and practices true tolerance. ~ Frank Knox

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority. ~ Ralph W. Sockman

We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant. ~ Karl Popper

I have seen great intolerance shown in support of tolerance. ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I think more tolerance, more people having more access to a chance to be literate, and a chance to stay healthy makes for a more peaceful planet. ~ Henry Rollins

Tolerance is the only real test of civilization. ~ Arthur Helps

Tolerance is a very dull virtue. It is boring. Unlike love, it has always had a bad press. It is negative. It merely means putting up with people, being able to stand things. ~ Edward M. Forster

In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher. ~ Dalai Lama

The focus of tolerance education is to deal with the concept of equality and fairness. We need to establish confidence with children that there is more goodness than horror in this world. ~ Morris Dees

Few businessmen are capable of being in politics, they don’t understand the democratic process, they have neither the tolerance or the depth it takes. Democracy isn’t a business. ~ Malcolm Forbes

Tolerance: Between Forbearance and Acceptance. ~ Book preview