Thursday, December 02, 2010

Decisive Element

Happiness Project blog

I have this Goethe quote I find myself going back to:

"I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I LOVE this quote! I used to have it posted by my computer in my classroom when I taught, but I haven't thought of it much in relation to the home. What a great concept! I AM THE DECISIVE ELEMENT! My home can be a happy place. Thanks for posting!

~Carla