---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anyone can be tolerant of those who are…"
description: "\"Anyone can be tolerant of those who are tolerant.\" — Terry Eagleton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/terry-eagleton-1660_anyone_anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are_2489797.png"
---

#  Anyone can be tolerant of those who are tolerant.

![“Anyone can be tolerant of those who are tolerant.” quote by Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/terry-eagleton-1660_anyone_anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are_2489797.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/terry-eagleton-1660_anyone_anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are_2489797.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/terry-eagleton-1660_anyone_anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are_2489797.png)

> “Anyone can be tolerant of those who are tolerant.”

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Tolerance is reciprocal; you can only accept what you yourself practice.

**In simple terms:** You can only tolerate what you are tolerant of.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate personal tolerance.

Themes

tolerance reciprocity social harmony

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- community building
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

ethical behavior empathy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you model tolerance in daily life?
- What limits your ability to be tolerant?

A Different Perspective

If you lack tolerance, you cannot accept others' tolerance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Tolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance/)

## Related quotes

> [...what a surprise (we all know how tolerant the tolerant are)-...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/what-a-surprise-we-all-know-how-tolerant-the-tolerant-are/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [Even tolerant people have a limit, so be careful how far you push them for you may not realize it until its too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-tolerant-people-have-a-limit-so-be-careful-how-far-you-push-them/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“We are not an assimilative, homogeneous society, but a facilitative, pluralistic one, in which we must be willing to abide someone else's unfamiliar or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-not-an-assimilative-homogeneous-society-but-a-facilitative/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/the-politically-correct-crowd-is-tolerant-of-all-viewpoints-except/)

[Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/)

> [It's not enough to be tolerant...now we're finally moving towards the idea of acceptance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-gruwell/it-s-not-enough-to-be-tolerant-now-we-re-finally-moving-towards-the/)

[Erin Gruwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-gruwell/)

> [“A person must find the courage to live a complete and full life. We learn to live when we stop being afraid and by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-person-must-find-the-courage-to-live-a-complete-and-full-life-we/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [Those who only tolerate people they agree with or like aren't actually tolerant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-rubin/those-who-only-tolerate-people-they-agree-with-or-like-aren-t/)

[Dave Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-rubin/)

> [Being tolerant does not mean acquiescing to the intolerable; it does not mean covering up disrespect; it does not mean coddling the aggressor or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-acquiescing-to-the-intolerable-it-does/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [Sometimes too much tolerance can kill you. If you are tolerant of people poisoning themselves to death they will drag you down. They will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/sometimes-too-much-tolerance-can-kill-you-if-you-are-tolerant-of/)

[Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/)

> [We've become more tolerant because we're tired of the debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-fields/we-ve-become-more-tolerant-because-we-re-tired-of-the-debate/)

[Suzanne Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-fields/)

> [I hear the word 'tolerance'-tha t some people are trying to teach people to be tolerant of gays. I'm not satisfied with that word.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chely-wright/i-hear-the-word-tolerance-tha-t-some-people-are-trying-to-teach/)

[Chely Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chely-wright/)

> [Be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, always offering respect onto others and never expecting any in return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaitanya-mahaprabhu/be-more-humble-than-a-blade-of-grass-more-tolerant-than-a-tree-always/)

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

> [If tolerance is the best we can do in this moment, then by all means let's be tolerant. But by stopping there, by merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-shipp/if-tolerance-is-the-best-we-can-do-in-this-moment-then-by-all-means/)

[John Wesley Shipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-shipp/)

> [I could say analogously that tolerance is the affable appreciation of qualities, views, and actions of other individuals which are foreign to one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-could-say-analogously-that-tolerance-is-the-affable-appreciation-of/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/)

[Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/)

## More by Terry Eagleton

> [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The study of history and philosophy, accompanied by some acquaintance with art and literature, should be for lawyers and engineers as well as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-study-of-history-and-philosophy-accompanied-by-some-acquaintance/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [To claim that science and religion pose different questions to the world is not to suggest that if the bones of Jesus were discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/to-claim-that-science-and-religion-pose-different-questions-to-the/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“Evil may be 'unscientific' but so is a song or a smile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/evil-may-be-unscientific-but-so-is-a-song-or-a-smile/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [Virtue is something you have to get good at, like playing the trombone or tolerating bores at parties. Being a virtuous human being takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/virtue-is-something-you-have-to-get-good-at-like-playing-the-trombone/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [All propaganda or popularization involves a putting of the complex into the simple, but such a move is instantly not constructive. For if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/all-propaganda-or-popularization-involves-a-putting-of-the-complex/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [God chose what is weakest in the world to shame the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/god-chose-what-is-weakest-in-the-world-to-shame-the-strong/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [Reading is not a straightforward linear movement, a merely cumulative affair: our initial speculations generate a frame of reference within which to interpret what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/reading-is-not-a-straightforward-linear-movement-a-merely-cumulative/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“What it means to be a ‘better person’, then, must be concrete and practical — that is to say, concerned with people’s political situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-it-means-to-be-a-better-person-then-must-be-concrete-and/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“What we consume now is not objects or events, but our experience of them. Just as we never need to leave our cars, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-consume-now-is-not-objects-or-events-but-our-experience-of/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“The theatre can teach us some truth, but it is the truth of the illusory nature of our existence. It can alert us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-theatre-can-teach-us-some-truth-but-it-is-the-truth-of-the/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“What we have witnessed in our own time is the death of universities as centres of critique. Since Margaret Thatcher, the role of academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-have-witnessed-in-our-own-time-is-the-death-of-universities/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [In the deep night of metaphysics, all cats look black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/in-the-deep-night-of-metaphysics-all-cats-look-black/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [We face a conflict between civilisation and culture, which used to be on the same side. Civilisation means rational reflection, material wellbeing, individual autonomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/we-face-a-conflict-between-civilisation-and-culture-which-used-to-be/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

[Explore all 215 Terry Eagleton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

## More Anyone quotes

> [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/)

[Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/)

> [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/)

[Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/)

> [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [I don't think I've met anyone with a stronger work ethic than Ray Charles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-don-t-think-i-ve-met-anyone-with-a-stronger-work-ethic-than-ray/)

[Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/)

> [As a new mother, you're so vulnerable and make mistakes all the time. I guess there's more pressure when you're in the public eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-marais/as-a-new-mother-you-re-so-vulnerable-and-make-mistakes-all-the-time-i/)

[Jessica Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-marais/)

> [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/)

[Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/)

> [I don't have any regrets or hold any grudge against anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cooper-kupp/i-don-t-have-any-regrets-or-hold-any-grudge-against-anyone/)

[Cooper Kupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cooper-kupp/)

> [When you rely on incentives, you undermine virtues. Then when you discover that you actually need people who want to do the right thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/when-you-rely-on-incentives-you-undermine-virtues-then-when-you/)

[Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/)

> [We cannot stop anyone from criticising us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/we-cannot-stop-anyone-from-criticising-us/)

[Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/)

> [Don't compare your career to anyone else's. It's tough when you're in a business that's competitive. I was having a difficult time with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-brooks/don-t-compare-your-career-to-anyone-else-s-it-s-tough-when-you-re-in/)

[Danielle Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-brooks/)

> [The Syrians are better suited to sort out their internal divisions than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/the-syrians-are-better-suited-to-sort-out-their-internal-divisions/)

[Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/)

> [I haven't talked to any young artists for a long time. But if we did sit down, I'd definitely tell them my viewpoint. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/i-haven-t-talked-to-any-young-artists-for-a-long-time-but-if-we-did/)

[Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/)

> [Don't take anyone for granted, just because they texts you first doesn't mean they're going to chase you around and be your last choice..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-take-anyone-for-granted-just-because-they-texts-you-first-doesn/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm talking to anyone who has been dumped - have not gotten the job you really wanted or have received those horrible rejection letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/i-m-talking-to-anyone-who-has-been-dumped-have-not-gotten-the-job-you/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [The theme of the party was Neverland Ranch, so guests were asked to come as anyone or anything associated with Michael Jackson. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-winchell/the-theme-of-the-party-was-neverland-ranch-so-guests-were-asked-to/)

[April Winchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-winchell/)

Browse all 2,049 Anyone quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Anyone can be tolerant of those who are tolerant.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Eagleton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are-tolerant/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anyone"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are-tolerant/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/terry-eagleton-1660_anyone_anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are_2489797.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/terry-eagleton-1660_anyone_anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are_2489797.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/terry-eagleton-1660_anyone_anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are_2489797.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Anyone can be tolerant of those who are tolerant.” — Terry Eagleton",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Terry Eagleton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Anyone can be tolerant of those...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are-tolerant/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/anyone-can-be-tolerant-of-those-who-are-tolerant/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```