William Saroyan Quotes

You cannot laugh and be unkind at the same time

If you're right, than be right. There's no need to hurt others.

I don't want to be mean. I try not to be.

Never, never is it possible to reach someone if you become angry or bitter only love and gentleness can do it. Maybe not this time but maybe the next or the hundredth time.

People are mean to each other.

You can either practice being right or practice being kind.

Then gently scan your brother man, Still gentler sister woman; Though they may gang a kennin' wrang, To step aside is human.

What the world most needs today are negative virtues - not minding people, not being huffy, touchy, irritable or revengeful.

There is nothing to be gained by being unnecessarily nasty. Violence begets violence.

When you have a choice whether to be be right or to be kind, choose to be kind.

There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind.

Be as nice as possible and as nasty as necessary.

He can kill anything for need but he could not even hurt a feeling for pleasure.

Have charity; have patience; have mercy. Never bring a human being, however silly, ignorant, or weak--above all, any little child--to shame and confusion of face. Never by petulance, by suspicion, by ridicule, even by selfish and silly haste--never, above all, by indulging in the devilish pleasure of a sneer--crush what is finest and rouse up what is coarsest in the heart of any fellow-creature.

The Tin Woodman knew very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.

I don't want to hurt people.

My grandfather taught me that it is harder to be kind than it is to be clever.

To exult over the miseries of an unhappy creature is inhuman.

As a person, I have never been discourteous or nasty to anybody. I may have stood my ground a bit too directly, a bit too firmly, and I believe I have, over a number of years, learned to be a little less direct.

Be of love a little more careful than of anything.

You can have a certain arrogance, and I think that's fine, but what you should never lose is the respect for the others.

Tenderness is a virtue.

Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.

I learned that it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is to be expected only from the strong.

I do not like to be unkind.