Jonathan Franzen Quotes

Whether you're an opera singer, a legislator or customer service operator, there is a way that we can find common ground with our audience - be they young or old, Democrats or Republicans, rich or poor, religious or secular.

I would say get to know somebody who isn't exactly like you and doesn't come from the same background as you, educate yourself and then just keep showing up. Finding ways to show up for people and your voice will come out of that relationship and out of your pursuit to seeing people who aren't exactly like you.

It is through accepting other people in our own countries that we shall come to respect our neighbours and be respected in our turn.

Our minds do understand that people of all races find genuine love in many places. We dig that the world is full of amazing options.

I remember while I was at school some of my Muslim friends talked about a handful of people spoiling things in every culture. Hatred or hurt or pain isn't specific to a religion. I think it's a matter of acceptance. The one thing the world has to accept is everybody is different. What is normal to us is different and unusual to somebody else.

I love to work with performers that are very different to me.

I came from battling, knowing about the lyrics. All that's cool, but if you want people to love you, you have to talk to them about what they go through.

Our uniqueness, our individuality, and our life experience molds us into fascinating beings. I hope we can embrace that. I pray we may all challenge ourselves to delve into the deepest resources of our hearts to cultivate an atmosphere of understanding, acceptance, tolerance, and compassion. We are all in this life together.

There's drama in everything. That's why I love movies. Like 'Welcome to the Dollhouse.' I'm a 350-pound black man, and I could understand what it was like to be a little white girl.

It is my goal to love everyone. I hate no one. Regardless of their race, religion, their proclivities, the desire of their heart and how they want to live their life and the decisions that they make. I can even respect people's decisions and lifestyle choices just as I hope they have the courtesy to respect my decisions and my choices.

Trying to imagine what it's like to be someone else is never a substitute for actually living that way, for acknowledging the respect that we need to have for each other's experiences.

I feel like the world would be a better place if more people experienced a little bit of someone else's experience.

If people looked at me like I was a little different, I would maybe sit next to them, and I would draw.

You don't have to read the Quran to love me... love the actions, love the things that I do. Look at those, and that will help people get beyond whatever fear or stereotypical thing that they might be thinking about.

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.

Just for the hell of it, try to love someone as unlike you as possible.

I think I'm relatable.

I refuse to do shows that are narrowly constructed, that appeal to only one sentiment. I do a lot of Jewish material in front of non-Jews and a lot of non-Jewish material in front of Jews on the simple theory that the non-Jews are entitled to a glimpse of a Jewish world and the Jews are entitled to a glimpse of the world.

The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.

If you fall in love with a country and its people, that makes any country warm to you.

My experience of living with people of diverse religions and cultures taught me that one will never be at peace with the other if one is at war with oneself.

For me, religious festivals and celebrations have become an important way to teach my children about how we can transform living with diversity from the superficial 'I eat ethnic food', to something dignified, mutually respectful and worthwhile.

I think what's important is to give space to the range of human experience.

I love the fact that so many of my readers are intelligent, exceptional, accomplished people with an open-minded love of diversity.

Diversity really means becoming complete as human beings - all of us. We learn from each other. If you're missing on that stage, we learn less. We all need to be on that stage.