--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember one of my seminary professors…" description: "\"“I remember one of my seminary professors saying people who were able to appreciate others—who looked for what was good and healthy and kind—were about..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f00/fred-rogers-1272_evil_i-remember-one-of-my-seminary-professors_226978.png" --- # I remember one of my seminary professors saying people who… ![“I remember one of my seminary professors saying people who were able to appreciate others—who looked for what was good and healthy and kind—were about as close as you could get to God—to the eternal good. And those people who were always looking for what was bad about themselves and others were…” quote by Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f00/fred-rogers-1272_evil_i-remember-one-of-my-seminary-professors_226978.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f00/fred-rogers-1272_evil_i-remember-one-of-my-seminary-professors_226978.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f00/fred-rogers-1272_evil_i-remember-one-of-my-seminary-professors_226978.png) > ““I remember one of my seminary professors saying people who were able to appreciate others—who looked for what was good and healthy and kind—were about as close as you could get to God—to the eternal good. And those people who were always looking for what was bad about themselves and others were really on the side of evil. “That’s what evil wants,” he would say. “Evil wants us to feel so terrible about who we are and who we know, that we’ll look with condemning eyes on anybody who happens to be with us at the moment.” I encourage you to look for the good where you are and embrace it.”” [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker urges focusing on others’ good qualities to align with goodness, warning that dwelling on negativity fuels evil. **In simple terms:** Look for good in people to stay moral; negativity feeds evil. Key Takeaway Seek and nurture positivity in yourself and others. Themes empathy morality positivity self‑reflection spirituality Mood warm inspirational reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - parenting - counseling - community building - personal development Key Concepts ethical philosophy psychology social influence Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance personal goodness with addressing societal problems? - What practices help maintain focus on positivity? A Different Perspective The advice may ignore systemic issues that also shape behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eternal Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-good-1897054/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-evil/) [Evil Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-wants-2307330/) [Say Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-evil-857447/) ## Related quotes > [What is new, however, is always evil, being that which wants to conquer and overthrow the old boundary markers and the old pieties; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-new-however-is-always-evil-being-that-which-wants-to-conquer/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Evil wants you to think that its power is absolute, endless. It wants to so make you quake and quiver that all you'll do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/evil-wants-you-to-think-that-its-power-is-absolute-endless-it-wants/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-orlov/they-say-evil-prevails-when-good-men-fail-to-act-what-they-ought-to/) [Yuri Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-orlov/) > [It is impious to say that evil has its origin from God, because naught contrary is produced by the contrary. Life does not generate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/it-is-impious-to-say-that-evil-has-its-origin-from-god-because-naught/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [The purpose of God is the sovereign cause of all that good that is in man, and of all that external, internal and eternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/the-purpose-of-god-is-the-sovereign-cause-of-all-that-good-that-is-in/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [If God has given you but a small portion of the world, yet if you are godly He has promised never to forsake you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flavel/if-god-has-given-you-but-a-small-portion-of-the-world-yet-if-you-are/) [John Flavel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flavel/) > [“Am I desiring and seeking the temporal and eternal good of my neighbor with the same zeal, ingenuity and perseverance that I seek my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-perman/am-i-desiring-and-seeking-the-temporal-and-eternal-good-of-my/) [Matt Perman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-perman/) > [That infinite and indescribable good which is there above races as swiftly to love as a ray of light to a bright body.It gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/that-infinite-and-indescribable-good-which-is-there-above-races-as/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [There is a deep and undeniable sadness in all this: whenever we see the dawn of an eternal good that will never be overcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/there-is-a-deep-and-undeniable-sadness-in-all-this-whenever-we-see/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [“It’s no secret that we all live within a damning illusion called denial. We are doomed by our own far-reaching imaginations and beliefs that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hawke/it-s-no-secret-that-we-all-live-within-a-damning-illusion-called/) [Christopher Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hawke/) > [There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/there-is-no-safety-for-honest-men-except-by-believing-all-possible/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Evil, as evil, can never be chosen; and though evil is often the effect of our own choice, yet we never desire it but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/evil-as-evil-can-never-be-chosen-and-though-evil-is-often-the-effect/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Those to whom evil is done, do evil in return”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/those-to-whom-evil-is-done-do-evil-in-return/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I'd have to say, and I think that most Christians would hold the view, that there is such a thing as evil, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hollingworth/i-d-have-to-say-and-i-think-that-most-christians-would-hold-the-view/) [Peter Hollingworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hollingworth/) > [“He was not Evil, for even Evil has a certain vitality — Bel-Shamharoth was the flip side of the coin of which Good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-was-not-evil-for-even-evil-has-a-certain-vitality-bel-shamharoth/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Fred Rogers > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Children who have learned to be comfortably dependent can become not only comfortably independent but also comfortable with having people depend on them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/children-who-have-learned-to-be-comfortably-dependent-can-become-not/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [As different as we are from one another, as unique as each one of us is, we are much more the same than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/as-different-as-we-are-from-one-another-as-unique-as-each-one-of-us/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [This evening is as brief as the twinkling of an eye yet such twinklings is what eternity is made of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/this-evening-is-as-brief-as-the-twinkling-of-an-eye-yet-such/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [The underlying message of the Neighborhood is that if somebody cares about you, it's possible that you'll care about others. 'You are special, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-underlying-message-of-the-neighborhood-is-that-if-somebody-cares/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Play is really the work of childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/play-is-really-the-work-of-childhood/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Love isn't a perfect state of caring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/love-isn-t-a-perfect-state-of-caring/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Real strength has to do with helping others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/real-strength-has-to-do-with-helping-others/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [The greatest gift that you can give another person is to gracefully receive whatever it is that they want to give us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-greatest-gift-that-you-can-give-another-person-is-to-gracefully/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [The values we care about the deepest, and the movements within society that support those values, command our love. When those things that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-values-we-care-about-the-deepest-and-the-movements-within-society/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [“Everyone longs to be loved. And the greatest thing we can do is to let people know that they are loved and capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/everyone-longs-to-be-loved-and-the-greatest-thing-we-can-do-is-to-let/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Attitudes are caught, not taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/attitudes-are-caught-not-taught/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Forgiveness is a strange thing. It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/forgiveness-is-a-strange-thing-it-can-sometimes-be-easier-to-forgive/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [If the grain of wheat could know fear, it would be paralyzed with anxiety at the thought of being dropped in the ground, covered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/if-the-grain-of-wheat-could-know-fear-it-would-be-paralyzed-with/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [What's been important in my understanding of myself and others is the fact that each one of us is so much more than any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/what-s-been-important-in-my-understanding-of-myself-and-others-is-the/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) [Explore all 263 Fred Rogers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) ## More Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) [Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I remember one of my seminary professors saying people who were able to appreciate others—who looked for what was good and healthy and kind—were about as close as you could get to God—to the eternal good. 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