James Forman Jr. Quotes

Knowledge of other people's beliefs and ways of thinking must be used to build bridges, not to create conflicts.

To achieve progress in the face of adversity, we need a genuine commitment to gaining a deeper understanding of humanity. I'd like to see a world with more leaders who are familiar with the depths of the views of those they deeply disagree with, so that they can understand the nuances of everyone they're representing.

We live in a highly polarized society. We need to try to understand each other in respectful ways. To that end, I believe that we should make room for both spiritual atheists and thinking believers.

If you come out of the gate with a finger pointed, then you really aren't opening the door to any sort of resolution to whatever the problem may be. Whether it's about race or sexual orientation or religion, if you can't empathize with the opposing party, then you can't really meet in the middle.

At a person-to-person level, I think that there's always something to be said for having some empathy for the folks who really, really disagree with you about a given topic.

We need to understand the other side to impact the other side. We become much more effective as humans and leaders when we engage in hearty conversations with those who are different from us, not necessarily to change our opinions, but to build the empathy muscle.

When people express opinions that differ from yours, take it as a chance to grow. Seek to understand over being understood. Be curious, not defensive. The only way to disarm another human being is by listening.

Talk to your enemies; sometimes ignorance comes from a lack of understanding.

And rather than judging and alienating others, I do think there's an opportunity that no one is taking, myself included, to actually understand why somebody is coming from a certain place.

Different people have different opinions, and it's okay to respect all of them.

No matter how much we disagree with people, demonising them doesn't get us anywhere; it merely indicates a closed mind.

Hear the other side.

When you boil war down or all conflict down to two people, it's a great advert for humanity sometimes. People can find connections with each other, regardless of the bigger picture.

Because trying to see all sides, such an instinct is particularly Jewish.

Real tolerance means respecting other people even when they baffle you and you have no idea why they think what they think.

It’s important for me to hear others position and understand them.

We must learn that we can disagree with each other without becoming deadly enemies.

We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another

You treat everyone with respect even though you don’t know them and even though you do not agree with them.

Understanding the other person's viewpoint is the beginning of polical wisdom,

I'm not asking you to be tolerant of each other. Tolerance is for cowards. Understand each other.

In life and in politics, it's helpful to try to perceive the other person through the most generous lens.

Once you have dialogue starting, you know you can break down prejudice.

We should start off with the premise that people that we're disagreeing with are like ourselves. Try and work out why they think what they think.

I don't mind have an uncomfortable conversation if those uncomfortable conversations can lead to a bigger dialogue and help us get to a better understanding of whatever it is we are discussing.