The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember

by Fred Rogers

Words of Wisdom from Mr Rogers. Kind and uplifting for any age reader.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Self Help, Inspirational, Biography, Parenting, Audiobook

193 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Fred McFeely Rogers was an American educator, minister, songwriter, and television host. Rogers was the host of the television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, in production from 1968 to 2001. Rogers was also an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Reviews

[Mary Tuley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think the world will ever recuperate from losing Mr. Rogers.

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: A timeless collection of wisdom on love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty from the man who has been a friend to generations of Americans There are few personalities who evoke such universal feelings of warmth as Fred Rogers. An enduring presence in American homes for over 30 years, his plainspoken wisdom continues to guide and comfort many. The World According to Mister Rogers distills the legacy and singular worldview of this beloved American figure. An inspiring collection of stories, anecdotes, and insights--with sections devoted to love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty, The World According to Mister Rogers reminds us that there is much more in life that unites us than divides us. Culled from Fred Rogers' speeches, program transcripts, books, letters, and interviews, along with some of his never-before-published writings, The World According to Mister Rogers is a testament to the legacy of a man who served and continues to serve as a role model to millions.

My Review: By the time Fred Rogers hit the screens of American educational TV, I was too old (in my own opinion) for the baby stuff. Silly child, eh what? When I rediscovered him I was in my teens, going through a nasty depression that I wouldn't admit WAS a depression, and Fred Rogers soothed me like no one else could. Calm, cool, collected; reflective, curious, engaged; ideal company for my heavy, angry mood.

Years drifted by, events in the world took me away from the problem-solving peacefulness of being Fred Rogers' neighbor until somewhere around 1992. Another very bad time drove me (accidentally) to the neighborhood, welcomed as always by Fred Rogers' earnest, gentle lessons. All unknowing a life was in the balance, Fred Rogers let me be his neighbor until I was ready for meatier, grittier, less safe life experiences again.

This quote book offers the meat of the Rogers Experience to an older audience than he served in life. It's a wonderful grazer's delight sort of book, designed to emphasize the wisdom of its offerings by positioning one per page. It's never a good idea to gobble a quote book the one can with novels and suchlike. In this collection's case, it is a worse idea than usual: Remember that Fred Rogers was a childrens' show host, and inclined to hone, polish, and deliver information and lessons simply and directly. It's not always exciting, but it is always informative and soothing.

I treasure Mister Rogers. I miss the gentle voice and the comforting sameness of new shows. With this collection of wisdom and guidance, though, I can still feel the warm long-distance hand-holding love that was this great man's gift.

[Tom Emanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just reread this beautiful little book, and I include this on my spirituality shelf because I sincerely believe Fred Rogers is one of the best theologians of the 20th century. He was an ordained Presbyterian minister, and he understood what he did with Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as his ministry, his gentle, loving service to his neighbor and thereby to his God. And he lived that service in every aspect of his life. This collection of quotations from possibly the nicest man to have ever lived lives up to its title as a treasury of "important things to remember": beautifully simple yet astonishingly profound answers to the questions of meaning we all ask, child and adult alike. And if that isn't spirituality, I don't know what is.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. When I told my husband what I was reading, he snickered a little bit. What am I supposed to learn from a children's television show host? Surprisingly, quite a bit. I saved several quotes from his books and was amazed at what he had discovered in his lifetime. I actually feel as though I learned a few things from reading this, and that really helps make a book worth reading to me.

This was one of my favorite quotes from this book {which can be found on page 25}:

"Part of the problem with word disabilities is that it immediately suggests an inability to see or hear or walk or do other things that many of us take for granted. But what of people who can’t feel? Or talk about their feelings? Or manage their feelings in constructive ways? What of people aren’t able to form close and strong relationships? And people who cannot find fulfillment in their lives, or those who have lost hope, who live in disappointment and bitterness and find in life no joy, no love? These, it seems to me, are the real disabilities."

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can anyone not enjoy this book? Such a lovely man.

The introduction by his wife,Joanne, gave a nice background to this icon of kindness. It sounds like the perfect marriage.

Chapters sectioned off into The Courage to Be Yourself, Understanding Love, The Challenges of Inner Discipline, and We Are All Neighbors. All contain quotes, excerpts, poems/songs pertinent to the theme. All evoke warm fuzzies.

I have numerous pages bookmarked for repeat infusion.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book just didn't work for me and I'm a long time fan of Rogers.

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet jewel of a book with anecdotes and quotes by Fred Roger. This was published after his death in 2003. He was a remarkable man who cared deeply for all children. There is so much in this little book that needs deeper thought and contemplation and I wanted to put these quotes down. They were arranged under 4 chapters which neatly sum up major themes of Mr Rogers' life: Courage to be Yourself, Love, Inner Discipline, and Neighbors.

Quotes to remember:

Chapter 1: Courage to be Yourself

I believe it's a fact of life that what we have is less important than what we make out of what we have. The same holds true for families: It's not how many people there are in a family that counts, but rather the feelings among the people who are there.

I'm proud of you for the times you came in second, or third, or fourth, but what you did was the best you had ever done.

Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else. I've felt that many times. My hope of all of us is that "the miles we go before we sleep" will be filled with all the feelings that come from deep caring - delight, sadness, joy, wisdom - and that in all the endings of our life, we will be able to see the new beginnings.

Chapter 2: Understanding Love

Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.

Each generation, in its turn, is a link between all that has gone before and all that comes after. That is true genetically, and it is equally true in the transmission of identity. Our parents gave us what they were able to give, and we took what we could of it and made it part of ourselves. If we knew our grandparents, and even great-grandparents, we will have taken from them what they could offer us, too. All that helped to make us who we are. We, in our turn, will offer what we can of ourselves to our children and their offspring.

It always helps to have people we love beside us when we have to do difficult things in life.

The gifts we treasure most over the years are often small and simple. In easy times and in tough times, what seems to matter most is the way we show those nearest to us that we've been listening to their needs, to their joys, and to their challenges.

In the giving of help, a parent experiences one of the best feelings that any of us can have: that life has meaning because we are needed by someone else.

It's not always easy for a father to understand the interests and ways of his son. It seems the songs of our children may be in keys we've never tried. The melody of each generation emerges from all that's gone before. Each one of us contributes in some unique way to the composition of life.

You bring all you ever were and are to any relationship you have today.

In the external scheme of thins, shining moments are as brief as the twinkling of an eye, yet such twinklings are what eternity is made of - moments when we human beings can say "I love you," "I'm proud of you," "I forgive you," "I'm grateful for you." That's what eternity is made of: invisible, imperishable good stuff.

Love is like infinity: You can't have more or less infinity, and you can't compare two things to see if they're "equally infinite." Infinity just is, and that's the way I think love is, too.

Chapter 3: The Challenges of Inner Discipline

Out of periods of losing come the greatest strivings toward a new winning streak.

Chapter 4: We Are All Neighbors

As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has - or ever will have - something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.

So, those are some of my heroes now...They're the kind of people who help all of us come to realize that "biggest" doesn't necessarily mean "best," that the most important things of life are inside things like feelings and wonder and love - and that the ultimate happiness is being able sometimes, somehow to help our neighbor become a hero, too.

What marvelous mysteries we're privileged to be part of!...Slender threads like that weave this complex fabric of our life together.

If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

Whether we're a preschooler or a young teen, a graduating college senior or a retired person, we human beings all want to know that we're acceptable, that our being alive somehow makes a difference in the lives of others.

As different as we are from one another, as unique as each one of us is, we are much more the same than we are different. That may be the most essential message of all, as we help our children grow toward being caring, compassionate, and charitable adults.

Sometimes, all it takes is one kind word to nourish another person. Think of the ripple effect that can be created when we nourish someone. One kind empathetic word has a wonderful way of turning into many.

One of the mysteries is that as unalike as we are, one human being from another, we also share much in common. Our lives begin the same way, by birth. The love and interdependence of parents and children is universal, and so are the many difficulties parents and children have in becoming separate from one another. As we grow, we laugh and cry at many of the same things and fear many of the same things. At the end, we all leave the same way - by death. Yet no two threads - no two lives - in that vast tapestry of existence have ever been, or ever will be, the same.

You don't ever have to do anything sensational for people to love you. When I say, "It's you I like," I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch . . . that deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive: love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.
So in all that you do in all of your life, I wish you the strength and the grace to make those choices which will allow you and your neighbor to become the best of whoever you are.

[Andrea Fleury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet books. Quotes from Fred himself. I loved it .But then again anything about or from him I adore.

[Shauntel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book of quotes. Although I liked Mister Roger's messages I learned that I just don't like this type of book very much. They aren't the type of book that is best enjoyed by sitting and reading the whole thing, which I like to do. It would be better enjoyed reading one quotation a day until finished.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, enjoyable read, which took me down Memory Lane over lunch! I enjoyed the stories, quotes, and lyrics shared in this book, as well as the forward written by his wife, and the short biography of Fred Rogers in the back.

[Jessica✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr Rogers was truly to good for this world.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Mr. Rogers from my childhood. This gem for people raising children or needing to be reminded why that Dr. Fred Rogers made people feel better about themselves. This is the book that should be required reading in public & private schools while children are growing up and also a book for the home to help in making good children.

The fact that new Disney has raised a generation of selfish tweens to twenty-some makes me sad and I wonder why that Mr. Rogers was pulled off the air. PBS and public education need to be reminded to bring back this children's classic on how to be a child and be civilized as a child as well. This is one of the books that shows how to be a compassionate person to others.

While there has been complains that its helped raise a generation of whiners and pathetic people, I remember that what I learned from Mr. Rogers was how to be a "good" person, even if others weren't. While I'm a smart-ass person nowadays, that comes from 20 years of being in the service and still I do remember that I was probably a lot nicer to people then they deserved or should have gotten had I been any less of a person.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I have read all year.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fabulous quote book from the wonderful Mister Fred Rogers. He is such an inspiring man. If you love the work he did on the television show “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” then you are sure to enjoy his quote book. He is an inspiration to me.

[Molly McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really sweet & a great tribute to Fred Rogers’s legacy. This will live on my bookshelf for a long time so I can reference it when I need a little nugget of wisdom

[Unbridled · Rating 4 out of 5]

I breezed through 'The World According to Mister Rogers' by the late, great Fred Rogers. I loved it so much I also read 'Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers.' Both are books of maxims, aphorisms, and (a few) lyrics to the songs from his show. A saint, if we ever had one, in this modern age. All my life, all my books, all my searching, all my conclusions, mostly here, in some form or another – his conclusions I may differ from, but his fundamentals are inviolable. His essential goodness hums, like a tuning fork, from the pages of his aphorisms. As aphorisms, they suffer the 'problem' of aphorisms – there is no such thing as a leak-proof aphorism. Aphorisms, their beautiful simplicity and ease, being the source of their logical weaknesses – and always, dangerously, dancing along the cliff of cliche. Still, we enjoy them, as we might enjoy a good cup of coffee. A cup of coffee is not the equal of eating at The French Laundry, but it's a damn fine thing. Finally, in what will likely be the most cynical response to the awe-shucks goodness of Fred Rogers, the key in that term I use, awe-shucks, is the word awe – we should all be so lucky. Writing about the most profound things in life condemns one to cliche. I was going to leave with a quote, or two, but I found I could not pick just one. If you look at particles of sand under a microscope, you would be astounded at the individual beauty and (bio) diversity of each grain of sand – and that alone is reason enough to look. But if you pull back out into the macroscopic world, you also get to see the whole, beautiful beach – so enjoy both.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quote: "What matters isn't how a person's inner
life finally puts together the alphabet and numbers of his outer
life. What really matters is whether he uses the alphabet for the
declaration of a war or the description of a sunrise---his numbers
for the final count at Buchenwald or the specifics of a brand-new
bridge."

"Love is like infinity. You can't have more or less infinity, and you
can't compare two things to see if they're 'equally infinite.'
Infinity just is, and that's the way I think love is, too."

"I hope you're proud of yourself for the times you've said 'yes,'
when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful
only to somebody else."

"A high school student wrote to ask" 'What was
the greatest event in American history?' I can't say. However, I
suspect that like so many 'great' events, it was something very
simple and very quiet with little or no fanfare...."

"One of my wise teachers, Dr. William F. Orr, told me, 'There is only
one thing evil cannot stand and that is forgiveness.'"

[April Thompson Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that one (maybe more if you're lucky) person that has made such an impression on you in your life that you want to change yourself for the better and strive to live your life differently with a much more open mind or better outlook on life? For me, I do have that person. Actually I'm lucky enough to have two people. My Aunt Mary and Nanna (Aunt Judy) have shown me that life is about making mistakes and learning from them, loving life as best as you can and being optimistic in a sea of angry people that you're surrounded by daily. I've thankful always that I was allowed to learn so much from them and hope to spread their kind words, knowledge and love.

After reading Mister Rogers' book, I totally got it. His family and friends probably feel the same way I do about my two aunts. He was a great man that was able to spread advice, knowledge and much love, while making many differences in people's lives.

It definitely is a great day in the neighborhood.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

My in-laws gave me this book for Christmas, and I love it. For whatever reason, I did not watch Mr. Rogers when I was little, so I only learned how wonderful he was as an older adult. So I was delighted with this gift, and feel sure I will reread this book -- since it is a short volume of short quotes, it will be easy to dip in from time to time or read the whole thing again, whenever I feel like a bit of uplift. Here's page 34:

All life events are formative. All contribute to what we become, year by year, as we go on growing. As my friend the poet Kenneth Koch once said, "You aren't just the age you are. You are all the ages you ever have been!"

Maybe not the most representative quote, but I liked it. Happy New Year!

[Neil Pasricha · Rating 2 out of 5]

My wife, Leslie, and I absolutely loved the Mister Rogers documentary. Have you seen it? You should! But don’t do what I did and immediately go to the bookstore afterwards to buy this not-very-good book. I was thirsty for more Mister Rogers gems but the book is kinda sloppily put together, filled with clichés that feel straight off 70s-era bumper stickers, and just doesn’t have the heart and soul of his personality. The "why" behind Mister Rogers isn't here and so we end up with a fairly plain jane book of quotes.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopsis: This book is made up of short quotes and anecdotes taken from the life of Mister Rogers and his television show. The quotes are grouped into four topics: The courage to be yourself, Understanding love, The challenges of inner discipline and We are all neighbors.

My Review: Not much to say about this one, other than the sayings all give a nice outlook on life and my respect for Mister Rogers has increased since reading it.

[Ashley FL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short quotes from Mr. Rogers. He was a very wise man. Nothing exciting or earth-shattering, but a good, quiet reminder of the right way to live.

[Allison Anderson Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

👌🏼this guy was a special person.

[Garrison Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the host of the longest running PBS show in history, Fred Rogers inspired entire generations of viewers with messages of love and wisdom. He didn’t have one mean bone in his body. He wasn’t judgmental. He knew that every child had importance, every child had potential, and every child was deserving of love. Love didn’t always mean being one hundred percent agreeable all the time, but it was always an unconditional feeling that every person should experience in their lifetime. Fred Rogers passed away the year this book was published, but his legacy of love is immortal and multi-generational even to this day.

One of the most important messages you can receive from this book is to know that your emotions are completely natural and shouldn’t be feared or balked at. If someone wants to smile, let them smile. If someone wants to cry, let them cry. If someone is angry, help them use their anger in a constructive way. I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle with my emotions from time to time. I belittle myself for the times I feel sad, I don’t allow myself to cry in front of others, and I don’t want to admit to anyone else what I’m feeling at that moment. Reading these quotes has helped me lower my defenses somewhat, but it’s a process that takes time as Fred Rogers will be the first to tell you. I’ll also admit that I hate watching other people cry because it makes me vicariously sad as well. That’s not from a place of discomfort. It’s from a place of love. Love is one of Mister Rogers’s most important themes.

Another important thing to remember is the effect we have on other people. Whether you do a big or small favor for someone, the feeling of gratitude is a powerful thing that will make it all worthwhile. By the same token, every hurtful thing we do to another person will be remembered as well. Be careful with your words and actions. Be a positive influence on a child’s life. We take all of these experiences when we grow up and they help us develop our adult personalities, for better or worse. Everything you do matters more than you think. It may not seem like a big deal, but to another human being, it means the world. Don’t be hateful. Don’t be bitter. Be the best possible example of yourself you can be.

And finally, another favorite part of this book is the fable Mister Rogers tells of the carpenter who refused to hire an apprentice because he won’t admit to making mistakes and therefore won’t know how to fix them when he does. Making mistakes is a natural part of the human experience, no matter how good of a person you may be. Even Mister Rogers made mistakes in his life that he ended up turning into valuable life lessons. Strength doesn’t come from perfect muscles or superhero abilities. It comes from being able to admit your weaknesses and working to make them into strengths. Egomania never did the world any good.

Everything you read in this book may seem like practical commonsense, but the truth is, these things don’t get said enough. Too many times we’ve strayed from our happiness and used our negativity to do awful things to each other. It could be a microcosmic relationship between two people or a macrocosmic political blunder heard around the world. We need Mister Rogers’s wisdom now more than ever. If everybody would pick up a copy of this book and study it until the end of time, we’d be much better off as a human race. An extra credit grade will go to this beautifully-crafted piece of nonfiction.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It’s just a compilation of many of Mr. Roger’s quotes on life, children, discipline, love, self-love and courage. You can just pick it up and read a quote or two and ponder, or you can read a whole section and get a more full picture of his feelings on a topic. There are many things to admire about Mr. Rogers, but one of the things I admire most is that he is proof of the struggle we all feel throughout our lives. On the outside it seems he’s got it all together, but underneath that is all of the thoughts, experience, witnesses, education that made him so, or helped him choose to be so. He’s lived it, and that’s why people love him. He exudes empathy. And that makes us feel understood and loved.

Some favorite quotes:
“The purpose of life is to listen - to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world and to God, and when the time comes, to respond in as helpful a way as you can find . . . From within and without.”

“I often think of what Will Durant wrote in The Story of Civilization: “Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting, and doing things historians usually record - while, on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry, whittle statues. The story of civilization is the story of what happens on the banks.”

“Some days, doing “the best we can” may still fall short of what we would like to be ale to do, but life isn’t perfect - on any front - and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else.”

“All life events are formative. All contribute to what we become, year by year, as we go on growing. As my friend and poet Kenneth Koch once said, “You aren’t just the age you are. You are all the ages you ever have been!”

“When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong along with the fearful, the true mixed in with the facade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way.”

“There are times all during life when we need the inner resources to keep ourselves busy and productive all by ourselves.”

“No matter how old we are, we need to know that the people who are important to us really do care about us. But feeling good about who we are doesn’t come just from people telling us they like us. It comes from inside of us: knowing when we’ve done something helpful or when we’ve worked hard to learn something difficult or when we’ve “stopped” just when we were about to do something we shouldn’t, or when we’ve been especially kind to someone else. Along with the times we’re feeling good about who we are, we can experience times when we’re feeling bad about who we are. That’s just part of being human.”

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a graduation gift from my choir teacher. He left a really awesome note on the first page, and I almost started crying because it was super touching and sweet. This book followed suit.

Fred Rogers seems like such a phenomenal person. His musings on discipline, love, and courage are simple but have so much power to them. Here are a few from my favorite section on love.

"Understanding love is one of the hardest things in the world."

"Deep within us-no matter who we are-there lives a feeling of wanting to be lovable, of wanting to be the kind of person that others like to be with. And the greatest thing we can do is to let people know that they are loved and capable of loving."

"Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like 'struggle.' To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here are now."

"It always helps to have people we love beside us when we have to do difficult things in life."

"One of the strongest things we have to wrestle with in our lives is the significance of the longing for perfection in ourselves and in the people bound to us by friendship or parenthood or childhood."

"When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong along with he fearful, the true mixed in with the facade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way."

These are all such beautiful nuggets, and there are plenty more to be had within the pages of this book. I did feel like the foreword was bragging a bit and I think some of the pieces of advice got repeated to fill page space (there was at least one, as far as I'm concerned), but still, this makes an excellent coffee table addition. Someone can flip to a random page and find something so true and opulent and eloquent. Rogers had a kind soul and believed everyone deserved to be loved and treated equally. It's a shame he passed away, but we shall never forget his legacy.

I should probably get to theaters to see that documentary movie about him.

I'd also like to thank my choir teacher for this book because I really needed this.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will there ever again be a man as lovely as Mr. Rogers? I doubt it.

This man makes me look like an absolute monster. He, however, would have disagreed with that sentiment and said that he likes me exactly as I am. And he would have meant it.

There is a lot to be learned about love, being a good "neighbor", family, self-worth, and perseverance in this little book. Mr. Rogers is never preachy but instead is always sweet and sincere and encouraging. I will admit I was openly weeping as I read through half a dozen pages in the "Understanding Love" section.

Some of my favorites (it is incredibly difficult to narrow it down to a small sampling):

People have said, "Don't cry" to other people for years and years, and all it has ever meant is, "I'm too uncomfortable when you show your feelings. Don't cry." I'd rather have them say, "Go ahead and cry. I'm here to be with you."

When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong along with the fearful, the true mixed in with the facade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way.

You bring all you ever were and are to any relationship you have today.

If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

I read this in a few sittings to not overwhelm myself and have one message blur into the next into the next into the next.

4.5 Rounded to 5 Stars

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the Mr. Rogers movie coming out next month, I decided to brush up on the person who was likely my first hero. I grew up on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and was truly baffled when my sons didn't also love Mr. Rogers. Luckily my daughter in law does love Mr. Rogers. We are going to go see the movie together. The son is welcome, IF he is respectful of Mr. Rogers, or I'll make him watch several episodes in a row!

What I liked about this book was that it was Mr. Rogers to the core: earnest, sweet and absolutely simple in his philosophy: put the kids first, and get them off to an emotionally strong start in life. Unlike many such books, nothing in here was trite. I may have to go through and copy a few of his quotes that made me nod and think, yes, he is right, that is the important thing to remember. This is definitely a book meant for adults, not for the kids. I don't know if he would have been ok with this book or not. It was put together as a joint effort of love by Family Communications, Inc. an organization that Mr. Rogers started.

Recommended for new parents, new grandparents and people who just want to find their philosophy of life.

[Ricky McConnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great inspirational book. It is broken down into four sections, The courage to be yourself, understanding love, the challenges of Inner discipline, we are all neighbors. This book will give you hope and encouragement when you need it. Maybe make you a little more patient with your kids or grandkids, and give you guidance in everyday affairs. I highly recommend that you get a hard copy, or electronic copy, instead of listening to it on audio. It is something that needs to be read over and over to fully benefit from the words. You might mark certain pages for situations that it fits best. Not everything that is said in this book will apply to the things that happen most in your life, but I believe the vast majority of the things he says will have great meaning to you. I liked to think I was listening to these things as a child, because our hearts are more open to advice when we are little and not set in our ways. If you grew up with Mister Rogers as I did, you will truly enjoy this, even if you are new to him , I think you will find the book interesting.

[Sharen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would make a lovely gift. Just as Mister Rogers did on his show, this timeless collection warms the soul and makes you think/ponder/wonder about your own life and the lives of others. These short quotes and mini stories remind us that we need to try and understand one another better, how to deal with emotions and that love and acceptance are paramount every single day. I enjoyed the short forward by his wife and all four sections: The Courage to Be Yourself, Understanding Love, The Challenges of Inner Discipline and We Are All Neighbors. Mister Rogers may no longer be with us but his thoughtful and loving words can continue to reach out to us through books like this. 5+ stars