Fred Rogers

thumb|When I was a child and my mother and I would read about such events in the newspapers or see them in newsreels, she used to tell me, “Always look for the helpers. There’s always someone who is trying to help.” thumb|This is what I give. I give an expression of care every day to each child, to help him realize that he is unique. I end the program by saying, 'You've made this day a special day, by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you; and I like you just the way you are.' And I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health. thumb|Both Joanne and I can recall many times when we wish we'd said or done something different. But we didn't, and we've learned not to feel too guilty about that. What gives me my good feelings is that we always cared and always tried to do our best. thumb|You've made this day a very special day, by just you're being you. Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), also known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001. Quotes thumb|I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you. Very frankly, I am opposed to people being programmed by others. My whole approach in broadcasting has always been 'You are an important person just the way you are. You can make healthy decisions.' Maybe I'm going on too long, but I just feel that anything that allows a person to be more active in the control of his or her life, in a healthy way, is important. U.S. District Court testimony September 1979. When I was a child and my mother and I would read about such events in the newspapers or see them in newsreels, she used to tell me, “Always look for the helpers. There’s always someone who is trying to help.” 1983 Mister Rogers Talks with Parents 177 Television Fred Rogers Barry Head Berkley Books New York City, New York, United States 0-425-05883-2 203 Of Risk to Boys The Little Boy Book: A Guide to the First Eight Years Sheila Moore Roon Frost 1987 9780345344663 Random House Publishing Group 104 Chapter 7: Difficult Situations You Are Special: Neighborly Words of Wisdom from Mister Rogers Fred Rogers 1995-05 9781101161685 Penguin Publishing Group https://slate.com/culture/2013/04/look-for-the-helpers-mister-rogers-quote-a-brief-history.html The History of Mister Rogers’ Powerful Message Aisha Harris 2013-04-16 2025-09-06 Slate (magazine) Slate 1091-2339 728292344 There was something else my mother did that I've always remembered: "Always look for the helpers," she'd tell me. "There's always someone who is trying to help." https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/look-for-the-helpers/ 1986 Fred Rogers -- 'Look for the Helpers' Isn’t it amazing how much human beings are able to take? I wonder what the breaking point is. But I always look for the faithful remnant. You think that everything is lost and nobody believes in anything that is healthy anymore and all of a sudden you find this faithful remnant of hope. It’s like my mother said, always look for the helpers. At the edge of any disaster, you will find them. 49 The Strand of Friendship Web of Life: Weaving the Values That Sustain Us Richard Louv 1998-09 9781573241403 Red Wheel Weiser This is what I give. I give an expression of care every day to each child, to help him realize that he is unique. I end the program by saying, 'You've made this day a special day, by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you; and I like you just the way you are.' And I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health. Testimony before U.S. Senate committee, May 1, 1969. Featured in Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor (television documentary), 2003. You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And, consequently, the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they're loved and capable of loving. Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor (television documentary), 2003. Yes, when I was here the first word of the alma mater was 'Men…Men of Dartmouth, give a rouse…' Well, now the first word is 'Dear.' Some things change for the better. Commencement Address at Dartmouth College June 9th, 2002 Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of that jewel. A facet of that jewel. And in the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal. Commencement Address at Dartmouth College June 9th, 2002 Well, what is essential about you? And who are those who have helped you become the person that you are? Anyone who has ever graduated from a college, anyone who has ever been able to sustain a good work, has had at least one person and often many who have believed in him or her. We just don't get to be competent human beings without a lot of different investments from others. Commencement Address at Dartmouth College June 9th, 2002 and Commencement Address at Middlebury College May, 2001 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. Source Commencement Address at Dartmouth College June 9th, 2002 I believe that appreciation is a holy thing, that when we look for what's best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does; so in appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something truly sacred. Commencement Address at Middlebury College May, 2001 Vermont is a small state which makes an enormous difference. Commencement Address at Middlebury College May, 2001 It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff. Commencement Address at Middlebury College May, 2001 It's our insides that make us who we are, that allow us to dream and wonder and feel for others. That's what's essential. That's what will always make the biggest difference in our world. Commencement Address at Middlebury College May, 2001 Little by little we human beings are confronted with situations that give us more and more clues that we aren't perfect. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Thoughts For All Ages If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Thoughts For All Ages 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. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Thoughts For All Ages Fame is a four letter word and like tape, or zoom, or face, or pain, or life, or love, what ultimately matters is what we do with it. When introduced to the TV Hall of Fame Both Joanne and I can recall many times when we wish we'd said or done something different.  But we didn't, and we've learned not to feel too guilty about that.  What gives me my good feelings is that we always cared and always tried to do our best. Foreword of Many Ways to Say I Love You Children are to be respected and I respect them deeply. They've taught me an awful lot. Interviewed by Joan Rivers on The Tonight Show (1983) External links Category:1928 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Television personalities Category:Actors from Pennsylvania Category:Singers from the United States Category:Composers from the United States Category:Musicians from the United States Category:Producers from the United States Category:Educators from the United States Category:Non-fiction authors from the United States Category:Presbyterians from the United States Category:Vegetarians Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners