Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes

I guess the older I get, the more understanding and forgiving I've become.

One needs only to get old to become milder; I don't see anyone make a mistake I hadn't also made.

Tolerance comes of age. I see no fault committed that I myself could not have committed at some time or other.

The longer I live, the larger allowances I make for human infirmities. I exact more from myself and less from others.

Nothing will make us so charitable and tender to the faults of others, as, by self-examination, thoroughly to know our own.

The more you know yourself, the more patience you have for what you see in others.

I'll tell you what I did need to learn was tolerance, and I think I've been actually given a daily opportunity to practice that, and it's - it's - and I know that that sounds almost like a backhanded slap, and it is in a way because I haven't been successful at it every day.

Compromise and tolerance are magic words. It took me 40 years to become philosophical.

I don't know whether your heart ever necessarily changes, but time changes the way that you perceive the world. And you just hope it gives you more empathy and all those other things.

As far as my mindset changing, I see myself having more empathy in my older age.

If we had no faults of our own, we should not take so much pleasure in noticing those in others.

Growing older has helped me become empathetic to other people and their reasons for making choices. I used to think there was a definitive right and wrong and that only I knew what they were and so I should be dictator of the world.

I've learned a lot. Being more compassionate.

For me, everyone has good and bad qualities. I feel you must not always look at the bad qualities but also focus on the good ones, because we all have flaws.

We all have weaknesses. But I have figured that others have put up with mine so tolerably that I would be much less than fair not to make a reasonable discount for theirs.

Age, that acquaints us with infirmities in ourselves, should make us tender in our reprehension of weakness elsewhere.

I think we ought to give ourselves more time. We should be more patient with ourselves and with each other.

You have to see through one's faults before you see their need.

I'm very judgmental person. It's one of my faults.

Keep up a humble sense of your own faults, and that will make you compassionate to others

Endeavor to be always patient of the faults and imperfections of others; for thou hast many faults and imperfections of thine own that require forbearance. If thou art not able to make thyself that which thou wishest, how canst thou expect to mold another in conformity to thy will?

With a little time, and a little more insight, we begin to see both ourselves and our enemies in humbler profiles. We are not really as innocent as we felt when we were first hurt. And we do not usually have a gigantic monster to forgive; we have a weak, needy, and somewhat stupid human being. When you see your enemy and yourself in the weakness and silliness of the humanity you share, you will make the miracle of forgiving a little easier.

I think that with everything I've done, in the end, whoever the central character is, they would find a way to forgive, because that's really important to me.

The older I get, the more open-minded I get, the less judgmental I get.

When we believe the best of people, we let go of each thing they do that is hurtful to us. And we choose to think things like, 'I don't believe they meant to hurt me.' 'Maybe they're having a bad day or don't feel well.' 'They probably don't even realize how they sound.'