tolerance essay in english with quotations

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Essay on “Tolerance” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

The world needs more Tolerance

“Tolerance is the only real test of civilization”. It was Arthur Kelps who thus extolled the virtue of tolerance. Man in the 21 st century believes he is more civilized than his ancestors. But is he also more tolerant than them? Unfortunately, the virtue of tolerance is not abundant in the world of today and the world is in dire need of it.

          Tolerance can be defined as the possession of  a fair and objective perspective and attitude towards those people who are of different races, religions, nations or have a set of opinions, beliefs and ideas the differ from our own.

          The importance of tolerance lies in its ability to make a human being broad enough in mind to be receptive to all  kinds of ideas. This, in turn , enables on e to widen one’s knowledge and exercise more freedom of choice and jugement for oneself. At the same time it creates a deeper understanding of other’s views and beliefs.

          Today, tolerance seems to be at a discount at all levels. At the most trivial sign of disagreement hot words are exchanged, almost immediately escalating into a fight and sometimes even murder. Family members find it difficult to put up with one another’s shortcomings – after all which human being is perfect? Communities, social groups, facial groups and nations- at all levels, there appears to be an acute lack of tolerance. Trivial misunderstandings, even rumors, give rise to riots with the accompanying bloodshed and permanent acres on relationship ; at the national level, there is civil war and border wars. So often a personal matter such as religion has been distorted to create hatred amongst peoples. If people learnt to tolerate one another’s views , perhaps such sad occurrences could be reduced if not totally removed from this world!  

          Why has tolerance level come down? Or, indeed, has it come down at all? Human beings all through the ages have shown intolerance of views and beliefs and customs alien to their own. Wars such as the Crusades have been fought because of religious intolerance. Racial tension has grown due to intolerance. So long as human beings give in to envy, malice, jealousy and greed, tolerance will suffer. In rent times several longstanding and accepted social institution have shown signs of crumbling. Family values, social values are all being eroded. An increasing materialistic and consumer culture has not helped to nurture essential values. The individual has assumed such importance that anything that militates against that individual’s own ideas is not collated.

          Enlightenment of individual is necessary. Universal values of liberalism, the willingness to listen to others, at most agree to disagree and not enter into fights of domination – these qualities have to be bred at every level of society. Democracy, after all, means tolerance of dissent; if this tolerance is not imbibed and nurtured, it will only give rise to another Bosnia, Chechnya or Kashmir.

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Tolerance Quotes

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Tolerance is the only thing that will enable persons belonging to different religions to live as good neighbours and friends.

Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.

Tolerance isn't about not having beliefs. It's about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you.

Don't get so tolerant that you tolerate intolerance.

There is nothing more important in life than giving. Tolerance is forged when people look beyond their own desires

Our only hope lies in the power of our love, generosity, tolerance and understanding and our commitment to making the world a better place for all.

If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.

Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant.

Mutual tolerance is a necessity for all time and for all races.

The highest result of education is tolerance.

What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature.

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.

Tolerance is the positive and cordial effort to understand another's beliefs, practices, and habits without necessarily sharing or accepting them.

Men are respectable only as they respect.

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today.

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.

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 habits, beliefs, and tastes. Thus being tolerant does not mean being indifferent towards the actions and feelings of others. Understanding and empathy must also be present.

Your neighbor's vision is as true for him as your own vision is true for you.

Tolerance comes of age. I see no fault committed that I myself could not have committed at some time or other.

Be modest, be respectful of others, try to understand.

Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil.

Since others have to tolerate my weaknesses, it is only fair that I should tolerate theirs.

Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.

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Tolerance quotes by:

• Helen Keller Author
• John F. Kennedy 35th U.S. President
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Writer
• W. Somerset Maugham Playwright
• Voltaire Writer
• E. M. Forster Novelist
• Karl Popper Philosopher
• Albert Einstein Theoretical Physicist
• Agnes Repplier Essayist
• Muhammad Ali Professional Boxer
• George Eliot Novelist
• Benjamin Franklin Founding Father of the United States
• Mahatma Gandhi Civil rights leader
• Barack Obama 44th U.S. President
• Kofi Annan Diplomat
• Bertrand Russell Philosopher
• Barbara Jordan American Politician
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali Activist
• Frank Knox Publisher

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103 Tolerance Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Looking for tolerance essay topics? Writing about tolerance is easy with us! Find here top writing prompts and examples, together with topics on tolerance and respect.

🏆 Best Tolerance Essay Examples

📌 interesting tolerance essay topics, 👍 hot topics about tolerance, ❓ tolerance essay questions.

The concept of tolerance is crucial nowadays. Tolerance makes it possible for people of various races, nationalities, ages, and cultural backgrounds to peacefully coexist. In your tolerance essay, you might want to talk about why it is so important in society. Another option is to compare the levels of tolerance in various countries in the world. One more idea is to focus on the ways to promote tolerance and respect in schools, offices, and in everyday life.

• Importance of Religious Tolerance Essay The Hindu pattern is again evidence of the fact that all religions are depictions of the experiences of the people involved and the conceptual systems that they deduced from them.
• Religious Tolerance in Ottoman Empire Religious tolerance in the Ottoman Empire could not be compared to religious tolerance in the Roman Empire because diversity was not allowed in the Roman Empire.
• Tolerance and Respect for Cultural Differences The author concludes the essay in the third section by revisiting the thesis statement and highlighting the various approaches used to develop attitudes that promote respect and tolerance.
• Abrahamic, East Asian and South Asian Religions and Concept of Religious Tolerance It is indeed true that religious tolerance and the problem of religious diversity present a major danger to individuals, societies and the world at large.
• Risk Tolerance and Business Ethics In this case, basic critical thinking is reflected in considering the former type of risks while it is not applied to evaluating the latter one.
• Linguistics: Bilingualism, Multilingualism and Tolerance In my opinion, a person with some understanding of a local language is likely to find some of the social and cultural things in a foreign country awkward or abnormal.
• Religious Tolerance in Different Systems of Beliefs The purpose of this paper is to explore the subject of religious tolerance and its usefulness in the academic approach to the religious phenomenon.
• Exploring Glucose Tolerance and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus In the case of a glucose tolerance test for the purpose of diagnosing GDM type, the interpretation of the test results is carried out according to the norms for the overall population.
• Undiscovered Killers: The Ineffectiveness of Zero-Tolerance Policies The ineffectiveness of zero-tolerance policies is the social aspect that enables and empowers serial killers to kill and remain unidentified for a long time.
• The Mongol Empire: Cruelty and Tolerance One of the apparent pieces of evidence of the barbarism and cruelty of the Mongol army can be the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire.
• Possibility of Improving Gluten Tolerance Using Necator Americanus The next phase, which is the introduction of the hookworm larvae, improves the gluten tolerance levels. The disease that the introduction of hookworm is expected to treat is celiac disease.
• Measuring the Salt Tolerance of Plants The variety of crops grown and the need for agricultural measures for soil moisture and irrigation depend on the arable land belonging to a particular category.
• Fault Tolerance of an Information System In a soft fault tolerance focus is on data security incase an eventuality that hinder general functioning of the system is witnessed.
• A Visit to the Museum of Tolerance The location is an ideal place for those interested in learning about the traditional culture and history of ancient people, giving a wide view of what happened in the past and the effect and the […]
• White Women, Black Men: History and Tolerance The reasons for such changes and fluctuations may have varied from social to political and economic; and in her book White Women, Black Men: Illicit Sex in the Nineteenth-Century South Martha Hodes undertakes the task […]
• Tolerance with Other Beliefs and Values People should live according to some rules and should value the moral rules according to which other people live. I am inclined to think that moral rules and values are mostly presented by our religion […]
• Netflix: Solving the Problem of Increasing People’s Stress Tolerance Currently, an obvious fact is the increase in the number of psychosomatic diseases, in the origin and course of which the leading role belongs to the influence of traumatic factors.
• Zero-Tolerance Policies and Student Rights One of the main arguments for the idea that ZTPs violate students’ rights is connected to instances of discrimination. In particular, they may result in students from disadvantaged groups being more likely to partake in […]
• Museum of Tolerance and Cultural Diversity Issues The description of the exhibit devoted to the Holocaust at the Museum of Tolerance is provided hereafter. I have recently visited the exhibit devoted to the Holocaust at the Museum of Tolerance, and I am […]
• Chimamanda Adichie: The Issue of Equality and Tolerance After centuries of discrimination and alienation between the communities of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, after hundreds of years of wars based on religion and nationality, modern society has slowly started coming to senses and […]
• Zero-Tolerance Policing Style The findings obtained from this study may be used in improving the efficiency of zero tolerance policing or in deciding whether to abolish the policing style.
• A Visit to the Museum of Tolerance in LA The museum is a storehouse of the relics of racism to the xenophobia that has led man to commit heinous crimes in the name of faith and belief.
• Ethical Issues: Risk Tolerance It might be possible to state that when it comes to issues related to risk tolerance, the ethical dimension of these issues is similar to other their dimensions in some ways, but different in others.
• European Framework National Statute for Tolerance Promotion Besides, the article with the Statute helps to clarify the main points intolerant relations between people, the development of national relations, and even the respect to migrants and other social minorities.
• Religious Pluralism and Tolerance Therefore, it is possible to state that all religions have the same goal though they may have different tools to achieve it but people should embrace the idea of religious pluralism, as it will enable […]
• Religious Tolerance and Theology Therefore, tolerance can be defined as the aspect of respecting people in their different nature and not demanding any same action from their beliefs From the Jewish perspective, extending their laws to encompass other religions […]
• Tolerance and Equal Attitude to People With this in mind, it is possible to say that it is a kind of segregation which is now officially promoted. That is why, it is clear for me that some actions are needed to […]
• Show Boat: Encouraging Tolerance In the beginning of the musical play, the fight between the characters and the disagreements that seize by the end illustrates a sense of acceptance as well as tolerance amongst the different groups by all […]
• The Goddess: The Cry for Female Tolerance Feminism echoes throughout the plot of the movie through the life of the main character and through the reactions of the people around her.
• Major Religions: Contribution to Religious Tolerance In spite of the constant existence of religious fanaticism and prejudice experienced in most parts of the word, there has been a notable growth in religious tolerance.
• Tolerance and Truth in America During the founding of the United States of America, the Catholic faith seemed to be the predominant religion in the country.
• Freedom of Speech, Religion and Religious Tolerance As stipulated in Article 19 of the Universal Human Rights Declaration, the pastor has the right to share ideas and information of all kinds regardless of the periphery involved and in this case, he should […]
• Tolerance and Pluralism in a Civil Society This is because the society is built by all kinds of people because everyone has a role to play in the society.
• The Acceptance and Tolerance Towards Gay Rights
• Tolerance, Cooperation, and Equilibrium Restoration in Repeated Games
• Understanding Compassion and Tolerance in Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill Mockingbird
• Three Different Perspectives on Tolerance, Equality and Freedom
• The Impact of Acceptance, Tolerance, and Forgiveness in Frankenstein, a Novel by Mary Shelley
• The Zero Tolerance Policy: Justified or Unreasonable
• Use and Application of the Zero Tolerance Policy in American Schools
• Schools Should Eliminate the Use of Zero-Tolerance Policies
• The Role of Lactose Tolerance in Pre-Colonial Development
• The Rise of Religious Tolerance in Protestant England in the Mid to Late 17th Century
• The Demoralizing Treatment of Students as Criminals Due to the Zero Tolerance Policies in American Schools
• The True Meaning of Tolerance and Its Importance for the Modern Society
• The Tolerance Approach to Sensitivity Analysis in Linear Programming
• Socio-Bioethics of Migration. The Deconstruction of Tolerance and Reinvention of Terror
• Tutorial on Religious Tolerance and the Film The Passion of the Christ
• Postmodernism Multiculturalism Tolerance and Political Correctness
• Tolerance, Empathy and Respect and Diversity Programming
• The Correlation Between Drug Tolerance and the Environment
• The Importance of the Concept of Tolerance in the LGBTQ Society
• Tolerance and Diversity for a Health Care Provider
• Vygotsky’s Theory of Social Learning & Tolerance Introduction Prejudices
• The Benefits of Religious Tolerance in American Society
• Tolerance for Uncertainty and the Growth of Informationally Opaque Industries
• Teaching and Modeling Homosexual Tolerance in the Public School System
• Waiting Tolerance: Ramp Delay vs. Freeway Congestion
• Tolerance and Kindness in the Novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Why Religious Tolerance Increased in the American Colonies
• The Relevance of Tolerance and Persecution ”The Crucible” by Arthur Miller
• White and Ety Uses Stereotypes to Promote Cross-Cultural Tolerance
• The Sign of the Cross, Tolerance and Indifference
• Sexuality and Public Policy Regarding Sexual Tolerance
• The Relationship Between Religious Tolerance and Ethnic Relation Practices Among MultiEthnic Youth in Malaysia
• Using Variable Reduction Techniques and Tolerance Intervals to Summarise a Fitness Testing Battery in Soccer
• The Impact of Tolerance as a Component of Organizational Culture on Individual Stress
• Stereotypes Used in White and Ety Promotes Cross-Cultural Tolerance
• The Effect of Visual Stimuli on Pain Threshold and Tolerance
• Social Problems Are Due to Society’s Tolerance of Immorality
• The Tolerance of Violence in America Review of Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage
• The Problem of Zero Tolerance Policies in the United States
• The Challenge of Tolerance Within a Multicultural Society
• Why Is Tolerance Important in Our Daily Life?
• What Is the Value of Tolerance?
• Why Is Tolerance Important for a Peaceful Society?
• How Can You Show Tolerance?
• What Is the Importance of Tolerance in Islam?
• How Can We Promote Tolerance in Our Society?
• Why Is It Important to Teach Tolerance?
• How Do You Show Tolerance in School?
• What Is an Idea of Religious Tolerance?
• How Can I Improve My Patience and Tolerance?
• What Does the Bible Say About Tolerance?
• How Do You Explain Tolerance to a Child?
• What Is the Benefit of Tolerance in Diversity?
• What Is Education Tolerance?
• How Does Tolerance Develop?
• What Is Cellular Tolerance?
• How Can Tolerance Help Prevent a Conflict?
• Why Tolerance Is Important in the Workplace?
• Is Tolerance Enough for Preventing Conflict in Society?
• How Does Tolerance Shift Your Attitude Towards Others?
• Why Is Tolerance Important in a Relationship?
• What Is the Most Serious Effect of Tolerance?
• What Does Developing a Tolerance Mean?
• Are Tolerance and Respect the Same Thing in the Workplace?
• What Is Tolerance Answer in One Sentence?
• What Is Tolerance and How It Affects Us?
• Does Tolerance Mean Acceptance?
• What Is Chronic Tolerance?
• What Does Love and Tolerance Mean?
• How Many Types of Tolerance Are There?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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62 Tolerance Quotes To Inspire Harmony

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page .

One fatal mistake I made when I was younger:

not being tolerant.

Put another way, I was judgmental about other people’s behaviors.

In a sense, I thought I was superior and I was the one doing the right thing.

But then I learned a vital lesson:

Everybody’s doing their best.

But most of all, I’m NOT perfect either .

And judging people only leads to a false sense of superiority.

It also leads to division instead of unity.

So, why should you read these tolerance quotes?

• You’ll have more understanding (of others and yourself)
• You’ll be more patient and inclusive with others
• You’ll make the world a better place

The highest result of education is tolerance. Helen Keller

Everybody is somewhat neurotic, …we must practice tolerance. Carl Jung

Tolerance and compassion are qualities of fearless people. Paulo Coelho

Live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just. Marcus Aurelius

Winter, summer, happiness, and pain; Giving, appearing, disappearing; Non-permanent, all of them; Just try to tolerate. Bhagavad Gita

Do not tolerate brilliant jerks. The cost to teamwork is too high. Reed Hastings (Netflix)

Be modest, be respectful of others, try to understand. Lakhdar Brahimi

Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. Marcus Aurelius

Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. 14th Dalai Lama

I think tolerance and acceptance and love is something that feeds every community. Lady Gaga

The first step to tolerance is self-tolerance. Maxime Lagacé

If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace. Franklin D. Roosevelt

There is nothing more important in life than giving. Tolerance is forged when people look beyond their own desires. Nelson Mandela

Show intuitive sympathy for friends , tolerance to amateurs and sloppy thinkers. Marcus Aurelius

Give to every human being every right that you claim for yourself. Robert Green Ingersoll

Tolerance is the only real test of civilization. Arthur Helps

It is not for me to judge another man’s life. I must judge, I must choose, I must spurn, purely for myself. For myself, alone. Herman Hesse

It’s an universal law – intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility . Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

Tolerance comes of age. I see no fault committed that I myself could not have committed at some time or other. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these. George Washington Carver

We don’t need holy wars. What we need is tolerance and brotherhood and simple humanity. Arlen Specter

Be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, always offering respect onto others and never expecting any in return. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Men build too many walls and not enough bridges. Joseph Fort Newton

Since others have to tolerate my weaknesses, it is only fair that I should tolerate theirs. William Allen White

Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness , those are life-altering lessons. Jessica Lange

All men are made one for another: either then teach them better or bear with them. Marcus Aurelius

Tolerance is the mindful capacity to love, respect, accept the differences that make people unique. Byron R. Pulsifer

Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd. Bertrand Russell

The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves. The self-respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his neighbor’s shortcomings as he is of his own. Eric Hoffer

The price of the democratic way of life is a growing appreciation of people’s differences, not merely as tolerable, but as the essence of a rich and rewarding human experience. Jerome Nathanson

Discord is the great ill of mankind; and tolerance is the only remedy for it. Voltaire

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Without tolerance, our world turns into hell. Friedrich Durrenmatt

Tolerance is the positive and cordial effort to understand another’s beliefs, practices, and habits without necessarily sharing or accepting them. Joshua Loth Liebman

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. Mark Twain

I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird. Paul McCartney

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority. Ralph W. Sockman

Tolerance is nothing more than patience with boundaries. Shannon L. Alder

Your neighbor’s vision is as true for him as your own vision is true for you. Miguel de Unamuno

Men are respectable only as they respect. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Accepting all the good and bad about someone. It’s a great thing to aspire to. The hard part is actually doing it. Sarah Dessen

Monsieur l’abbe, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write. Voltaire

Let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly – that is the first law of nature. Voltaire

Be nice. And if you can’t do that, just don’t be mean. Richelle E. Goodrich

It is thus tolerance that is the source of peace , and intolerance that is the source of disorder and squabbling. Pierre Bayle

A man who cannot tolerate small misfortunes can never accomplish great things. Chinese proverb

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment. Lao Tzu

Good-humor makes all things tolerable. Henry Ward Beecher

By staying on top of your reactions you will be able to develop patience and tolerance; two distinct traits required for achieving long-term success. Annabelle Higgins

In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher. 14th Dalai Lama

The responsibility of tolerance lies with those who have the wider vision. George Eliot

More Deep Quotes About Tolerance

Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil. Thomas Mann

The successful are not tolerated. Aeschylus

The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius. Oscar Wilde

O Lord, help me not to despise or oppose what I do not understand. William Penn

We should not permit tolerance to degenerate into indifference. Margaret Chase Smith

Human diversity makes tolerance more than a virtue; it makes it a requirement for survival. René Dubos

Tolerance cannot seduce the young. Emil Cioran

A sign of inner peace: you accept reality as it is. Maxime Lagacé

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. Mahatma Gandhi

The man who is most aggressive in teaching tolerance is the most intolerant of all: he wants a world full of people too timid and ashamed to really disagree with anything. Criss Jami

Tolerance is a virtue of people who don’t believe in anything anymore. Gilbert K. Chesterton

When you are tolerant, you are allowing every individual whom you meet to follow the dictates of their own reason and conscience. Marilyn J. Awtry

Tolerance is a virtue, but tolerance coupled with passivity is a vice. Chris Hedges

Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society. Aristotle

Visual For Tolerance

Key Takeaways

• One simple way to improve the world? Be more tolerant of others. Accept others as they are.
• One simple way to improve your world? Be more strict with yourself (yet loving).
• Tolerance leads to peace. Intolerance leads to friction.
• Don’t build walls . Build bridges .
• Final insight: Not speaking when you see injustice should not be tolerated.

Further Readings

• Topic: Relationships
• 100 Attitude Quotes To Improve Your State Of Mind
• 83 Listening Quotes To Help You Be A Better Listener
• 8 Tips to Build Tolerance & Patience in Your Life (chopra.com)
• 70 Kindness Quotes To Make The World Better

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"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." -Aristotle

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International Day of Tolerance could not come at a more powerful time.

Brutal attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad left hundreds dead at the hands of extremists bent on the opposite of tolerance, determined to suppress any idea or lifestyle that falls out of step with their ideology. 

In a world of such violence, it is easy for tensions between communities to fester.  But it’s at times like this that societies can choose how to respond. Religious, racial, cultural and political differences will always exist - this diversity is what makes life rich and exciting, but also difficult. It’s our choice to decide how to overcome this challenge by uniting around the values we share. Even though it may not always be easy, I don’t believe this is simply a utopian ideal, and I’m not the only one (oops, I didn’t quite mean to quote John Lennon there).  Here are 10 quotes on tolerance from some of the world’s greatest minds that can help us all build a stronger, more united world: 

“In order to have faith in his own path, he does not need to prove that someone else's path is wrong.”  ― Paulo Coelho

“tolerance isn't about not having beliefs. it's about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you.”, ― timothy keller, “in the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.”  ― dalai lama xiv.

“ Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.” ― John F. Kennedy  

"the only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with." ― eleanor holmes norton , “i do not like what you say but i will defend to the death your right to say it.” ― attributed to voltaire .

"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace."

― franklin d. roosevelt, "if a profound gulf separates my neighbor's belief from mine, there is always the golden bridge of tolerance.", ―  anon., “no one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. people must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” ―  nelson mandela , and last but not least: , ― copper and tod, the fox and the hound.

Tolerance is not easy, but it’s infinitely better than hatred. Democratic values tread a fine line--is a tolerant society necessarily intolerant to intolerance? While there are no simple answers to the tough questions the world faces, democratic nations cannot afford to lose sight of the fundamental freedoms they are fighting for. In the wake of last weekend’s violence, it’s time to reassert the values that make us human.

You can show your appreciation for tolerance by going to TAKE ACTION NOW to spread awareness of the Global Goals. 

Demand Equity

10 Quotes About Tolerance for International Day of Tolerance

Nov. 16, 2015

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Essay on Tolerance | Meaning, Purpose & Importance in Life

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Tolerance is not about everyone agreeing with you, tolerating others even if they don’t agree. Tolerance is understanding that while two people may disagree they are both entitled to their own opinion. Read the following well written essay on tolerance, meaning, purpose & importance of having tolerance in life, its uses and ways to develop tolerance for children & students.

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Essay on Tolerance | Meaning, Purpose & Importance of having Tolerance in Life

Tolerance is the ability to accept the fact that there are things in life you cannot change. It is the ability to shrug the shoulders and keep moving forward. It’s about who you are, not what you want others to be or to do. Tolerance is giving everyone the same chance you would give yourself. You can think for yourself and have your own opinion, but you must allow others to do the same.

Importance of Tolerance in Life

Tolerance in education is about acceptance and understanding. Education will be enjoyable if you accept and understand that not everyone thinks and sees things in the same way as you. Education is not about learning to agree with others, it’s understanding that everyone has their own opinions and ways of thinking.

>>>>>> Related Post:     Essay on Ethics, Role & Importance in Life

The tolerance is not about being right or wrong, it’s about being able to understand different points of view. It is not about being a doormat, it’s about being able to listen and understand without allowing someone else to walk all over you.

Benefits of Tolerance

Tolerance is freedom of expression. It’s the freedom to be who you are without fear or judgement. It will allow you to take part in social activities without feeling like you are not good enough or that you don’t fit in. Tolerance will give you the understanding to know how to accept another’s choice and make your own informed decision.

Tolerance will give you the ability to show empathy for others and understand that not everything is black and white. Tolerance will give you understanding that there are reasons for things to happen, it will teach you patience. Tolerance is not about being right or wrong, it’s about being open minded and understanding other people have a different point of view.

Tolerance will let you realize that your life is full so you don’t have time to be cruel or unkind. Tolerance will give you the ability to let go of anger and live life to the full.

Tolerance is not about giving up on people, it’s understanding that you can’t change them but you can change how you react to them. Tolerance will give you the ability to make your own mind up about people without pressure from others.

Developing tolerance in Life

Tolerance in life isn’t something that is developed overnight. It takes a lifetime to learn how to practice tolerance in your daily life. Remember, tolerance is understanding and having an open mind, it is staying away from judgements and opinions.

The first step to tolerance is knowing that you can’t change how other people think and understand that you can’t force someone to be who you want them to be.

The second step is understanding that people will say and do things that you may not agree with, but it’s what they think is right. It’s a different point of view from your own. Remember, everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and opinions.

The third step is realizing that people will say things to get a reaction from you. It’s not about what they say it is about how you receive it and use your tolerance to either react or move forward. This can be a useful step toward self-development and growth and it will also give you the opportunity to practice your tolerance skills.

Tolerance will give you the ability to help others, it will give you courage and strength. Tolerance is about being able to have patience with people and understanding that even if you don’t agree with someone that does not mean you can not like them.

Tolerance will give your life purpose, it will give you the opportunity to teach, a skill of a lifetime. Tolerance is about being able to see people for who they are and accepting them for who they are.

Short Essay on Tolerance:

Tolerance is the ability to accept and respect different beliefs, opinions, customs, and cultures. In today’s world where diversity is everywhere, it is essential for people to be tolerant towards others. Tolerance promotes unity, peace, and harmony among individuals and communities.

Being tolerant means being open-minded and willing to learn from others. It also means being patient with those who have different views and understanding that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Tolerance helps us to see things from different perspectives and broadens our horizons.

Unfortunately, in recent times, we have seen a rise in intolerance towards minority groups, immigrants, and people with differing beliefs. This leads to discrimination, hate crimes, and even violence. As responsible citizens of the world, we must actively promote tolerance and speak out against any form of intolerance.

Tolerance is not about agreeing with others or compromising our own beliefs. It is about respecting the rights and freedoms of others, even if we don’t share their views. Let us strive to be more tolerant and embrace diversity in all its forms. Only then can we build a world that is truly inclusive and accepting. So, let us all pledge to be more tolerant and spread the message of peace and understanding.

Tolerance is a virtue that is often overlooked in society today. In a world where differences are constantly highlighted and emphasized, it is easy for people to become intolerant towards others. However, we must remember that tolerance is not about blindly accepting everything or everyone, but about understanding and respecting others.

One of the key benefits of tolerance is that it promotes unity and eliminates conflicts. When we are tolerant towards each other, there is less room for misunderstandings and disagreements. Instead, we learn to coexist peacefully and appreciate our differences.

Tolerance also plays a crucial role in fostering creativity and innovation. By being open to new ideas and perspectives, we can learn from others and come up with new and innovative solutions to problems. This is especially important in a globalized world where diversity is becoming the norm.

Moreover, tolerance helps to create a sense of belonging and inclusivity. When we are accepting of others, no matter their background or beliefs, everyone feels valued and respected. This leads to a more cohesive society where individuals are free to express themselves without fear of judgment or discrimination.

In conclusion, tolerance is a vital attribute that we must cultivate in ourselves and promote in our communities. It allows us to embrace diversity, avoid conflicts, and create a more harmonious world. Let us strive to be more tolerant and spread this message of acceptance and understanding to make the world a better place for everyone.

Tolerance Short Story:

Once upon a time, in the small town of Maple Creek, there lived two neighbors – Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Smith. Both of them were good friends and would often spend their evenings chatting on Mr. Johnson’s porch.

One day, while they were discussing various topics, Mrs. Smith brought up the subject of tolerance. She insisted that it was an important quality to possess in today’s society. Mr. Johnson, who was known for his short temper, scoffed at the idea and said that he didn’t believe in tolerating anyone who didn’t share his beliefs or values.

Mrs. Smith was taken aback by this response and decided to put Mr. Johnson’s tolerance to test. She invited her friend, Mrs. Patel, who was from a different cultural background, over for dinner the next day. Mrs. Patel had recently moved to Maple Creek and didn’t know anyone in the town.

As soon as Mr. Johnson saw Mrs. Patel, he felt uncomfortable and wanted her to leave immediately. However, Mrs. Smith insisted that she stay for dinner and get to know each other better.

Throughout the evening, Mr. Johnson was rude and made insensitive comments about Mrs. Patel’s cultural practices. But to his surprise, Mrs. Patel remained calm and didn’t take offense to any of his remarks. Instead, she patiently explained the significance behind her traditions and even shared some delicious traditional dishes with them.

By the end of the night, Mr. Johnson realized that he had been quick to judge and that his actions were not in line with the idea of tolerance. He apologized to Mrs. Patel for his behavior and thanked her for opening his eyes.

From that day on, Mr. Johnson became more open-minded and accepting towards people from different backgrounds. He learned that tolerance was not just about tolerating differences but also about embracing them and learning from them. Mrs. Smith was glad that her friend had a change of heart and they both laughed at the irony of the situation – Mr. Johnson, who didn’t believe in tolerance, ended up learning one of life’s most valuable lessons from someone he initially couldn’t tolerate.

This short story is a reminder that in today’s diverse world, it is important to practice tolerance towards others, even if their beliefs or values may differ from our own. By doing so, we not only create a more harmonious society but also grow as individuals by learning from each other’s perspectives and experiences.

Essay on Importance of Tolerance in Daily Life:

Tolerance is a virtue that has been emphasized by human societies for centuries. It refers to the ability to accept and respect differences in beliefs, opinions, and cultures without any hostility or discrimination. In today’s world filled with diversity, tolerance is more important than ever before. It plays a crucial role in maintaining social harmony and promoting peaceful coexistence.

One of the primary reasons why tolerance is essential in daily life is that it allows individuals to live together peacefully despite having differences. It helps people to understand and appreciate each other’s unique backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives without feeling threatened or judged. This, in turn, leads to a more inclusive and diverse community where everyone can feel accepted and valued.

Moreover, tolerance also enables open-mindedness and critical thinking. When individuals are tolerant, they are more likely to listen and consider different viewpoints instead of immediately dismissing them. This not only promotes healthy discussions but also encourages personal growth and development by challenging preconceived notions and biases.

In addition to promoting social cohesion, tolerance also contributes to personal well-being. By being tolerant towards others, individuals can reduce stress and avoid unnecessary conflicts. It allows them to focus on positive interactions and relationships, leading to a more fulfilling and satisfying life.

Furthermore, tolerance is crucial for building a peaceful and sustainable world. In today’s interconnected globalized society, it is essential to have mutual understanding and respect between people from different nations, cultures, and backgrounds. Tolerance helps bridge the gaps between individuals and promotes peace and cooperation.

However, despite its importance, tolerance is not always easy to practice. It requires patience, empathy, and a willingness to learn and understand others. In today’s world where divisiveness and intolerance seem prevalent, it is important for individuals to cultivate tolerance in their daily lives.

There are several ways individuals can incorporate tolerance into their everyday routine. One of the most effective ways is by educating oneself and others about different cultures, beliefs, and perspectives. This can be done through reading, attending cultural events, or engaging in conversations with people from diverse backgrounds.

Furthermore, practicing empathy and actively listening to others without judgment also promotes tolerance. It allows individuals to understand the feelings and experiences of others and encourages mutual respect and understanding.

In conclusion, tolerance is a crucial virtue that should be embraced in our daily lives. It promotes peace, inclusivity, personal growth, and a better understanding of the world around us. By practicing tolerance, we can create a more harmonious society and build a better future for generations to come.

So let us all strive towards becoming more tolerant individuals and make the world a better place for everyone. As human beings, it is our responsibility to promote and practice tolerance in our daily lives, for a better and more harmonious world. Let us learn from each other’s differences and embrace diversity with open arms, for that is where true beauty lies.

How to Promote Tolerance in Society:

In today’s world, where diversity is the norm and people from different backgrounds live and work together, tolerance has become an essential value. It refers to the ability to accept and respect differences in beliefs, cultures, and behaviors without judgment or discrimination.

Tolerance plays a crucial role in promoting harmony, peace, and understanding among individuals and communities. Here are some ways we can promote tolerance in society:

1. Education

Education is one of the most powerful tools to promote tolerance in society. It helps people understand different perspectives, cultures, and beliefs, paving the way for acceptance and respect. Schools should include lessons on diversity, human rights, and inclusion in their curriculum. Moreover, educational institutions should encourage students to participate in cultural exchange programs and engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

2. Encourage Dialogue

Effective communication is key to promoting tolerance. It allows people to share their views and understand others’ perspectives without judgment. We should encourage open and respectful dialogue, especially on contentious issues, which can help bridge the gap between different groups and promote understanding.

3. Lead by Example

As individuals, we have the power to promote tolerance in our communities by setting an example through our actions and words. We can lead by accepting and respecting diversity in our daily interactions with others, whether it’s at work or in our neighborhoods.

4. Address Biases and Stereotypes

We all have biases, conscious or unconscious, that can lead to stereotypes and discrimination. It’s crucial to recognize and address these biases within ourselves and educate others about their harmful effects. We should also challenge stereotypes and misinformation whenever we encounter them.

5. Support Inclusive Policies

Policies that promote equality, diversity, and inclusion are essential for building a tolerant society. Governments, organizations, and institutions should develop and implement inclusive policies that address issues of discrimination, promote diversity, and provide equal opportunities for all.

6. Engage in Community Service

Volunteering and community service are great ways to promote tolerance in society. It allows individuals from different backgrounds to work together towards a common goal, fostering understanding and respect. Additionally, it gives us the opportunity to learn about other cultures and experiences, breaking down barriers and promoting acceptance.

7. Utilize Social Media

Social media has become a powerful tool for promoting tolerance in society. It allows us to connect with people from different backgrounds, share stories and experiences, and educate others about diversity and inclusion. We should use social media platforms responsibly to spread positivity and promote tolerance.

8. Celebrate Diversity

Instead of seeing diversity as a source of division, we should celebrate it. Every culture and individual brings something unique to the table, and embracing these differences can help build more tolerant communities. We can organize cultural events and festivals that showcase different traditions and encourage people to learn from one another.

>>>>>>>> Related Post:    Paragraph on Moral Values For Students

In conclusion, promoting tolerance in society is an ongoing process that requires effort and commitment from all of us. By educating ourselves and others, fostering dialogue, and embracing diversity, we can create a more tolerant world where everyone feels accepted and respected. Let’s work towards building a society where differences are celebrated rather than discriminated against.

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Tolerance is more than putting up with things – it’s a moral virtue

Honarary Research Fellow in Psychology , Australian Catholic University

Disclosure statement

Rivka T. Witenberg received funding from Large ARC SPIRT Grant; Department of Psychology Research Support Scheme, University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic University; Centre for Education for Human Values and Tolerance, Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The University of Melbourne Collaborative research Grant.

Australian Catholic University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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We hear a lot about tolerance these days.

Tolerance is a moral virtue best placed within the moral domain – but unfortunately it is often confounded with prejudice. Much of the psychological research about tolerance generally and about the development of children’s understanding of tolerance of others who are different from them has been examined through research about prejudice – and not through the moral domain. The assumption made is that absence of prejudice by default means a person is tolerant.

Prejudice and tolerance are actually theoretically different concepts – and not the opposite of each other. In fact, they coexist in most of us.

Tolerance is difficult to define, which may have led to limiting the study of tolerance in psychology in favour of studying prejudice. But, unlike prejudice, tolerance can be grounded in the moral domain which offers a positive approach to examining relationships between groups of people who are different from each other.

Based on its Latin origin, tolerance, or toleration as philosophers often refer to it, is most commonly viewed negatively as “putting up with” something we dislike or even hate. If a person is prepared to “put up with” something – along the lines of, I do not like the colour of your skin but I will still serve you not to lose your custom – that person is someone who does not discriminate but remains intolerant in thoughts and beliefs.

Besides, who wants to be tolerated or be “put up with”?

At the same time tolerance cannot be indiscriminate. Indiscriminate acceptance in its most extreme form could lead to recognition of questionable practice and human rights violations – for instance, child marriages and neo-Nazi propaganda.

Tolerance as a moral virtue

An alternative way for us to think of tolerance is to place it within the moral domain and recognise that it is what it is, a moral virtue.

Many recent philosophers have linked tolerance with respect, equality and liberty. Those such as Michael Dusche , John Rawls and Michael Walzer among others, argue that we should regard tolerance as a positive civic and moral duty between individuals, irrespective of colour, creed or culture.

In other words, it is a moral obligation or duty which involves respect for the individual as well as mutual respect and consideration between people. Tolerance between people makes it possible for conflicting claims of beliefs, values and ideas to coexistence as long as they fit within acceptable moral values.

So while different marriage practices fit in within acceptable moral values, sexual abuse of children is immoral and cannot be tolerated. I believe tolerance is an essential component in social unity and a remedy to intolerance and prejudice.

The idea that tolerance is a moral duty had been acknowledged by earlier civil libertarians, such as John Locke, Baruch Spinoza, John Stuart Mill and others. They argue that tolerant people value the individual, his or her independence and freedom of choice.

When tolerance is placed within the moral domain relating to fairness, justice and respect and avoiding causing harm to others, it can only be viewed as a positive moral virtue.

Psychological research supports the idea that tolerance is better placed within the moral domain. My own research with my students shows the best indicators and predictors of tolerance to human diversity are fairness and empathy.

Fairness and empathy are also very closely connected to moral development and reasoning. They are fundamental to any coherent moral philosophy.

Empathy and morality

Psychologists such as Johnathan Haidt believe empathy is the most important motivator for moral behaviour. Others such as Martin Hoffman argue empathy is a motivator of prosocial and altruistic or unselfish behaviour.

Empathic people are sensitive to the thoughts, feelings and experiences of others. They are able to place themselves in someone else’s shoes or understand how it would feel to be treated badly. Placing oneself in someone else’s shoes is the essence of tolerance.

My research shows that people of all ages including children have a strong sense of fairness and empathy towards others different from them in colour, creed or culture. They reject prejudice and intolerance between 70% and 80% of the time affirming tolerance based on fairness and empathy.

Moral values such as fairness, justice, empathy, tolerance and respect are shared, if not universal, values relevant to dealing with human diversity

Tolerance examined as separate concept could have unique implications for education and social policy. Education aimed at promoting a harmonious society could do well to focus more on the relationship between morality and tolerance. Grounding tolerance in theories of morality allows for an alternative educational approach to promote harmonious intergroup relationships.

Part of this education would involve developing a strong sense of fairness and justice and the ability to empathise with the plight of others who are different in racial characteristics, ethnicity or nationality.

This article is part of a series on public morality in 21st-century Australia.

• Morality series

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The Hyper-Polarization Challenge to the Conflict Resolution Field: A Joint BI/CRQ Discussion BI and the Conflict Resolution Quarterly invite you to participate in an online exploration of what those with conflict and peacebuilding expertise can do to help defend liberal democracies and encourage them live up to their ideals.

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By Sarah Peterson

Originally published in July 2003, Current Implications added by Heidi Burgess in December, 2019

Current Implications

When Sarah wrote this essay in 2003, social media existed, but it hadn't yet become popular or widespread.  Facebook and Twitter hadn't started yet (Facebook started in 2004, Twitter in 2006.)  More .... 

What is Tolerance?

Tolerance is the appreciation of diversity and the ability to live and let others live. It is the ability to exercise a fair and objective attitude towards those whose opinions, practices, religion, nationality, and so on differ from one's own.[1] As William Ury notes, "tolerance is not just agreeing with one another or remaining indifferent in the face of injustice, but rather showing respect for the essential humanity in every person."[2]

Intolerance is the failure to appreciate and respect the practices, opinions and beliefs of another group. For instance, there is a high degree of intolerance between Israeli Jews and Palestinians who are at odds over issues of identity , security , self-determination , statehood, the right of return for refugees, the status of Jerusalem and many other issues. The result is continuing intergroup conflict and violence .

Why Does Tolerance Matter?

At a post-9/11 conference on multiculturalism in the United States, participants asked, "How can we be tolerant of those who are intolerant of us?"[3] For many, tolerating intolerance is neither acceptable nor possible.

Though tolerance may seem an impossible exercise in certain situations -- as illustrated by Hobbes in the inset box on the right -- being tolerant, nonetheless, remains key to easing hostile tensions between groups and to helping communities move past intractable conflict. That is because tolerance is integral to different groups relating to one another in a respectful and understanding way. In cases where communities have been deeply entrenched in violent conflict, being tolerant helps the affected groups endure the pain of the past and resolve their differences. In Rwanda, the Hutus and the Tutsis have tolerated a reconciliation process , which has helped them to work through their anger and resentment towards one another.

The Origins of Intolerance

In situations where conditions are economically depressed and politically charged, groups and individuals may find it hard to tolerate those that are different from them or have caused them harm. In such cases, discrimination, dehumanization, repression, and violence may occur. This can be seen in the context of Kosovo, where Kosovar Alabanians, grappling with poverty and unemployment, needed a scapegoat, and supported an aggressive Serbian attack against neighboring Bosnian Muslim and Croatian neighbors.

The Consequences of Intolerance

Intolerance will drive groups apart, creating a sense of permanent separation between them. For example, though the laws of apartheid in South Africa were abolished nine years ago, there still exists a noticeable level of personal separation between black and white South Africans, as evidenced in studies on the levels of perceived social distance between the two groups.[4] This continued racial division perpetuates the problems of intergroup resentment and hostility.

How is Intolerance Perpetuated?

Between Individuals: In the absence of their own experiences, individuals base their impressions and opinions of one another on assumptions. These assumptions can be influenced by the positive or negative beliefs of those who are either closest or most influential in their lives, including parents or other family members, colleagues, educators, and/or role models. 

In the Media: Individual attitudes are influenced by the images of other groups in the media, and the press. For instance, many Serbian communities believed that the western media portrayed a negative image of the Serbian people during the NATO bombing in Kosovo and Serbia.[5] This de-humanization may have contributed to the West's willingness to bomb Serbia. However, there are studies that suggest media images may not influence individuals in all cases. For example, a study conducted on stereotypes discovered people of specific towns in southeastern Australia did not agree with the negative stereotypes of Muslims presented in the media.[6]

In Education: There exists school curriculum and educational literature that provide biased and/or negative historical accounts of world cultures. Education or schooling based on myths can demonize and dehumanize other cultures rather than promote cultural understanding and a tolerance for diversity and differences.

What Can Be Done to Deal with Intolerance?

To encourage tolerance, parties to a conflict and third parties must remind themselves and others that tolerating tolerance is preferable to tolerating intolerance. Following are some useful strategies that may be used as tools to promote tolerance.

Intergroup Contact: There is evidence that casual intergroup contact does not necessarily reduce intergroup tensions, and may in fact exacerbate existing animosities. However, through intimate intergroup contact, groups will base their opinions of one another on personal experiences, which can reduce prejudices . Intimate intergroup contact should be sustained over a week or longer in order for it to be effective.[7]

In Dialogue: To enhance communication between both sides, dialogue mechanisms such as dialogue groups or problem solving workshops  provide opportunities for both sides to express their needs and interests. In such cases, actors engaged in the workshops or similar forums feel their concerns have been heard and recognized. Restorative justice programs such as victim-offender mediation provide this kind of opportunity as well. For instance, through victim-offender mediation, victims can ask for an apology from the offender and the offender can make restitution and ask for forgiveness.[8]

What Individuals Can Do

Individuals should continually focus on being tolerant of others in their daily lives. This involves consciously challenging the stereotypes and assumptions that they typically encounter in making decisions about others and/or working with others either in a social or a professional environment.

What the Media Can Do

The media should use positive images to promote understanding and cultural sensitivity. The more groups and individuals are exposed to positive media messages about other cultures, the less they are likely to find faults with one another -- particularly those communities who have little access to the outside world and are susceptible to what the media tells them. See the section on stereotypes  to learn more about how the media perpetuate negative images of different groups.

What the Educational System Can Do

Educators are instrumental in promoting tolerance and peaceful coexistence . For instance, schools that create a tolerant environment help young people respect and understand different cultures. In Israel, an Arab and Israeli community called Neve Shalom or Wahat Al-Salam ("Oasis of Peace") created a school designed to support inter-cultural understanding by providing children between the first and sixth grades the opportunity to learn and grow together in a tolerant environment.[9]

What Other Third Parties Can Do

Conflict transformation NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and other actors in the field of peacebuilding can offer mechanisms such as trainings to help parties to a conflict communicate better with one another. For instance, several organizations have launched a series of projects in Macedonia that aim to reduce tensions between the country's Albanian, Romani and Macedonian populations, including activities that promote democracy, ethnic tolerance, and respect for human rights.[10]

International organizations need to find ways to enshrine the principles of tolerance in policy. For instance, the United Nations has already created The Declaration of Moral Principles on Tolerance, adopted and signed in Paris by UNESCO's 185 member states on Nov. 16, 1995, which qualifies tolerance as a moral, political, and legal requirement for individuals, groups, and states.[11]

Governments also should aim to institutionalize policies of tolerance. For example, in South Africa, the Education Ministry has advocated the integration of a public school tolerance curriculum into the classroom; the curriculum promotes a holistic approach to learning . The United States government has recognized one week a year as international education week, encouraging schools, organizations, institutions, and individuals to engage in projects and exchanges to heighten global awareness of cultural differences.

The Diaspora community can also play an important role in promoting and sustaining tolerance. They can provide resources to ease tensions and affect institutional policies in a positive way. For example, Jewish, Irish, and Islamic communities have contributed to the peacebuilding effort within their places of origin from their places of residence in the United States. [12]

When Sarah wrote this essay in 2003, social media existed, but it hadn't yet become popular or widespread.  Facebook and Twitter hadn't started yet (Facebook started in 2004, Twitter in 2006.) 

In addition, while the conflict between the right and the left and the different races certainly existed in the United States, it was not nearly as escalated or polarized as it is now in 2019.  For those reasons (and others), the original version of this essay didn't discuss political or racial tolerance or intolerance in the United States.  Rather than re-writing the original essay, all of which is still valid, I have chosen to update it with these "Current Implications." 

In 2019, the intolerance between the Left and the Right in the United States has gotten extreme. Neither side is willing to accept the legitimacy of the values, beliefs, or actions of the other side, and they are not willing to tolerate those values, beliefs or actions whatsoever. That means, in essence, that they will not tolerate the people who hold those views, and are doing everything they can to disempower, delegitimize, and in some cases, dehumanize the other side.

Further, while intolerance is not new, efforts to spread and strengthen it have been greatly enhanced with the current day traditional media and social media environments: the proliferation of cable channels that allow narrowcasting to particular audiences, and Facebook and Twitter (among many others) that serve people only information that corresponds to (or even strengthens) their already biased views. The availability of such information channels both helps spread intolerance; it also makes the effects of that intolerance more harmful.

Intolerance and its correlaries (disempowerment, delegitimization, and dehumanization) are perhaps clearest on the right, as the right currently holds the U.S. presidency and controls the statehouses in many states.  This gives them more power to assert their views and disempower, delegitimize and dehumanize the other.  (Consider the growing restrictions on minority voting rights, the delegitimization of transgendered people and supporters, and the dehumanizing treatment of would-be immigrants at the southern border.) 

But the left is doing the same thing when it can.  By accusing the right of being "haters," the left delegitimizes the right's values and beliefs, many of which are not borne of animus, but rather a combination of bad information being spewed by fake news in social and regular media, and natural neurobiological tendencies which cause half of the population to be biologically more fearful, more reluctant to change, and more accepting of (and needing) a strong leader. 

Put together, such attitudes feed upon one another, causing an apparently never-ending escalation and polarization spiral of intolerance.  Efforts to build understanding and tolerance, just as described in the original article, are still much needed today both in the United States and across the world. 

The good news is that many such efforts exist.  The Bridge Alliance , for instance, is an organization of almost 100 member organizations which are working to bridge the right-left divide in the U.S.  While the Bridge Alliance doesn't use the term "tolerance" or "coexistence" in its framing " Four Principles ," they do call for U.S. leaders and the population to "work together" to meet our challenges.  "Working together" requires not only "tolerance for " and "coexistence with" the other side; it also requires respect for other people's views. That is something that many of the member organizations are trying to establish with red-blue dialogues, public fora, and other bridge-building activities.  We need much, much more of that now in 2019 if we are to be able to strengthen tolerance against the current intolerance onslaught.

One other thing we'd like to mention that was touched upon in the original article, but not explored much, is what can and should be done when the views or actions taken by the other side are so abhorent that they cannot and should not be tolerated? A subset of that question is one Sarah did pose above '"How can we be tolerant of those who are intolerant of us?"[3] For many, tolerating intolerance is neither acceptable nor possible." Sarah answers that by arguing that tolerance is beneficial--by implication, even in those situations. 

What she doesn't explicitly consider, however, is the context of the intolerance.  If one is considering the beliefs or behavior of another that doesn't affect anyone else--a personal decision to live in a particular way (such as following a particular religion for example), we would agree that tolerance is almost always beneficial, as it is more likely to lead to interpersonal trust and further understanding. 

However, if one is considering beliefs or actions of another that does affect other people--particularly actions that affect large numbers of people, then that is a different situation.  We do not tolerate policies that allow the widespread dissemination of fake news and allow foreign governments to manipulate our minds such that they can manipulate our elections.  That, in our minds is intolerable.  So too are actions that destroy the rule of law in this country; actions that threaten our democratic system.

But that doesn't mean that we should respond to intolerance in kind.  Rather, we would argue, one should respond to intolerance with respectful dissent--explaining why the intolerance is unfairly stereotyping an entire group of people; explaining why such stereotyping is both untrue and harmful; why a particular action is unacceptable because it threatens the integrity of our democratic system, explaining alternative ways of getting one's needs met. 

This can be done without attacking the people who are guilty of intolerance with direct personal attacks--calling them "haters," or shaming them for having voted a particular way.  That just hardens the other sides' intolerance. 

Still, reason-based arguments probably won't be accepted right away.  Much neuroscience research explains that emotions trump facts and that people won't change their minds when presented with alternative facts--they will just reject those facts.  But if people are presented with facts in the form of respectful discussion instead of personal attacks, that is both a factual and an emotional approach that can help de-escalate tensions and eventually allow for the development of tolerance.  Personal attacks on the intolerant will not do that.  So when Sarah asked whether one should tolerate intolerance, I would say "no, one should not." But that doesn't mean that you have to treat the intolerant person disrespectfully or "intolerantly."  Rather, model good, respectful behavior.  Model the behavior you would like them to adopt.  And use that to try to fight the intolerance, rather than simply "tolerating it." 

-- Heidi and Guy Burgess. December, 2019.

Back to Essay Top

---------------------------------------------------------

[1] The American Heritage Dictionary (New York: Dell Publishing, 1994).

[2] William Ury, Getting To Peace (New York: The Penguin Group, 1999), 127.

[3] As identified by Serge Schmemann, a New York Times columnist noted in his piece of Dec. 29, 2002, in The New York Times entitled "The Burden of Tolerance in a World of Division" that tolerance is a burden rather than a blessing in today's society.

[4] Jannie Malan, "From Exclusive Aversion to Inclusive Coexistence," Short Paper, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), Conference on Coexistence Community Consultations, Durban, South Africa, January 2003, 6.

[5] As noted by Susan Sachs, a New York Times columnist in her piece of Dec. 16, 2001, in The New York Times entitled "In One Muslim Land, an Effort to Enforce Lessons of Tolerance."

[6] Amber Hague, "Attitudes of high school students and teachers towards Muslims and Islam in a southeaster Australian community," Intercultural Education 2 (2001): 185-196.

[7] Yehuda Amir, "Contact Hypothesis in Ethnic Relations," in Weiner, Eugene, eds. The Handbook of Interethnic Coexistence (New York: The Continuing Publishing Company, 2000), 162-181.

[8] The Ukrainian Centre for Common Ground has launched a successful restorative justice project. Information available on-line at www.sfcg.org .

[9] Neve Shalom homepage [on-line]; available at www.nswas.com ; Internet.

[10] Lessons in Tolerance after Conflict.  http://www.beyondintractability.org/library/external-resource?biblio=9997

[11] "A Global Quest for Tolerance" [article on-line] (UNESCO, 1995, accessed 11 February 2003); available at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/fight-against-discrimination/promoting-tolerance/ ; Internet.

[12] Louis Kriesberg, "Coexistence and the Reconciliation of Communal Conflicts." In Weiner, Eugene, eds. The Handbook of Interethnic Coexistence (New York: The Continuing Publishing Company, 2000), 182-198.

Use the following to cite this article: Peterson, Sarah. "Tolerance." Beyond Intractability . Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: July 2003 < http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/tolerance >.

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Tolerance Quotes Curator

Copied the quote:, tolerance quotes + their meanings/explanations.

The quote "Tolerance Quotes" refers to a collection of sayings or statements that promote the value of tolerance. Tolerance is the ability to accept and respect the beliefs, opinions, and behaviors of others, even if they differ from our own. Tolerance is an important value in promoting unity, harmony, and understanding in a diverse society.

Tolerance quotes may be used to inspire people to be more tolerant in their interactions with others, to promote empathy and compassion, and to encourage people to value the differences that make us unique. Such quotes can be found in literature, speeches, and other forms of media, and can serve as a reminder of the importance of living a life of acceptance and understanding.

Below are various tolerance quotes with their meanings/explanations;

“Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil.”  – Thomas Mann, ‘The Magic Mountain’

Tolerance has always been a cornerstone of democracy. But when tolerance is used to condone evil, it becomes a crime. In fact, tolerance can become so dangerous that it can even lead to fascism. Tolerance of evil is not only wrong, but it can also be dangerous and destructive.

“When you are tolerant, you are allowing every individual whom you meet to follow the dictates of their own reason and conscience.”  – Marilyn J. Awtry, River of Life

Tolerance is a virtue that we should all strive for. It allows every individual whom we meet to follow the dictates of their own reason and conscience. When we are tolerant, we are allowing everyone to be themselves. This is why it is important to be tolerant of others, especially in today's society.

“Broad-mindedness is related to tolerance; open-mindedness is the sibling of peace.”  – Salman Rushdie

Broad-mindedness and tolerance are related concepts. Broad-mindedness is the ability to be accepting of other people, beliefs, and points of view. Tolerance is the willingness to allow others to differ from one's own point of view. Open-mindedness is the second aspect of these two concepts. Open-mindedness is the willingness to consider new information and ideas.

“Tolerance is a tremendous virtue, but the immediate neighbors of tolerance are apathy and weakness.”  – James Goldsmith

Tolerance is a tremendous virtue, but the immediate neighbors of tolerance are apathy and weakness. With apathy, people become indifferent to the intolerance that surrounds them. Weakness leads to inaction and cedes ground to intolerance. Tolerance can only thrive in an environment where it is backed up by strength, both self-imposed and externally enforced.

“Toleration is a distinctively modern response to disagreement and difference, and its ills are variations on modernity’s own. ”  – John R. Bowlin, ‘Tolerance Among the Virtues’

Tolerance is a distinctly modern response to disagreement and difference, and its ills are variations on modernity's own. The Enlightenment ideal of tolerating different opinions in order to achieve a free and open society has failed, not only because intolerance breeds violence, but also because it overlooks the fundamental differences between people. To be tolerant is to accept the other person as they are, with their strengths and weaknesses.

“Tolerance is a virtue, but tolerance coupled with passivity is a vice.”  – Chris Hedges

Tolerance is a virtue, but tolerance coupled with passivity is a vice. We must be tolerant of others, but we must also be proactive in defending our rights. Toleration is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.

“Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance…”  – Oren Arnold

A gift of forgiveness. As we all know, sometimes the easiest thing to do is forgive and move on. Maybe your enemy has done something that you can't forget, but it's worth letting go.

“I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.”  – Kahlil Gibran, ‘The Prophet and Other Writings’

We are taught tolerance, kindness, and silence from the intolerant. Strangely, we are ungrateful to these teachers. We forget that these things were once difficult for us to learn and accept. We forget that our ancestors had to fight for these values.

“All I require of a religion is that it be tolerant of those who do not agree with it.”  – Roger Ebert, ‘Life Itself’

As a human, one of the most important things that we require of any religion is that it be tolerant of those who do not agree with it. However, this is not always the case. In fact, some religions can be intolerant of those who do not adhere to their beliefs and customs. This intolerance has caused many people to leave those religions in search of something more tolerant and inclusive.

“If tolerance is the best we can do at this moment, then by all means let’s be tolerant. But by stopping there, by merely tolerating each other, we miss so much.”  – John Wesley Shipp

Although some may argue that tolerance is the best we can do at this moment, there are ways that we can go beyond simply tolerating one another. Tolerance doesn’t encompass understanding, empathy or even care. We must strive to be more than tolerant if we want to create a more inclusive society. If we continue to tolerate things that violate our core values, then we will never be able to move forward.

“Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance.”  – Stan Lee

Tolerance is the key to unlocking our potential. It is the bridge that leads us to a better tomorrow. If we are to be truly successful, we must learn how to tolerate different beliefs and lifestyles. We must be accepting of others, even if we don't agree with them. Tolerance opens the door to understanding, and understanding is the key to progress.

“It’s as though the adult world is intolerant of hopes and dreams that seem too fanciful, or too hopeful.”  – Simeon Lindstrom, Intentional Living Hope

Many adults feel that it is inappropriate to have dreams or hope for anything because they feel that these things are unrealistic and not possible. However, children have a natural inclination to hope and dream, as this is what drives them to explore their world and find new possibilities. This intolerance of hopes and dreams in adults can have negative consequences on the development of young people, who may lose interest in pursuing their dreams or be discouraged from believing in their own potential.

“It’s a universal law– intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.”  – Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

It is a universal law that intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility. True understanding begins with learning to recognize and respect the views of others, no matter how different from our own they may be. This is precisely why a good education provides opportunities for students to interact with people from all walks of life and to gain a greater understanding of the world around them.

“Everyone on Earth, they’d tell us, was carrying around an unseen history, and that alone deserved some tolerance.”  – Michelle Obama, ‘Becoming’

Everything we take for granted is the result of a long and often unseen history. From the clothes on our backs to the buildings we live in, the world around us is the product of generations of human interaction. It's easy to forget that, and to demand that everyone just be tolerant of one another. But it's important to remember that everyone has a story, and that story deserves to be heard.

“Broad tolerance in the matter of beliefs is necessarily a part of the new ethics.”  – Lafcadio Hearn

Tolerance is a key principle of the new ethics. It is believed that broad tolerance in the matter of beliefs is necessary for an open society. This tolerance allows people to be themselves and to express their own beliefs without fear of discrimination or persecution. It also allows for differences in opinion to be aired and for new ideas to be tested. In a way, tolerance is the cornerstone upon which the new ethics are built.

“Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle.”  – Helen Keller

Tolerance is the greatest gift of the mind. It requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle. Tolerance is a quality that allows one to tolerate different viewpoints without getting angry or upset. It is also the ability to understand and accept others, even if they do not share your view. Tolerance is important because it allows for peaceful coexistence. It enables people to live together in harmony, despite having different beliefs or opinions.

“Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society.”  – Aristotle

A society that is tolerant and apathetic towards its own demise is a society that is doomed to fail. Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society, and without them, societies will crumble. Tolerance allows for different opinions to be expressed, but without respect for others, these opinions cannot be considered constructive. Apathy shuts down critical thinking and leads to complacency.

“If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges that each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance and care.”  – Marvin Ashton

We all face unique challenges and it's important that we understand and support each other through them. If we could look into each other's hearts and understand the unique challenges that each of us faces, we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance and care.

“We should acknowledge differences, we should greet differences until difference makes no difference anymore.”  – Dr. Adela A. Allen

There are so many things we can learn from other cultures and societies. We should acknowledge differences, we should greet differences until difference makes no difference anymore. However, there is one thing that we should not do- try to erase our cultural and societal differences.

“He who would practice the art of tolerance must guard well against an attitude of superiority, smugness, indifference and coldness.”  – Wilfred Peterson

The ability to tolerate others is a skill that can be learned. It takes time, patience and a certain level of humility. However, it's important to remember that tolerance isn't always easy to practice. Those who practice the art of tolerance must guard well against an attitude of superiority, smugness, indifference and coldness.

“As if reading his mind, Jamal-al-Din said, ‘To get what you love, you must first be patient with what you hate.”  – Leila Aboulela, ‘The Kindness of Enemies’

Jamal-al-Din, a retired scientist, once said that to get what you love, you must first be patient with what you hate. His quote is one that many people can relate to because it is something we all have to go through in life. It may be difficult at times, but if we are persistent and keep working hard, eventually we will get what we want.

“Tolerance is the mindful capacity to love, respect, accept the differences that make people unique.”  – Byron R. Pulsifer

Tolerance is a key ingredient in the recipe for a successful and inclusive society. It is the mindful capacity to love, respect, and accept the differences that make people unique. Tolerance allows for diversity and encourages everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin. It fosters open communication and understanding between people, which is necessary for building a strong community. Tolerance is not easy to achieve, but it is worth it when we see the positive impacts it has on our lives.

“Human diversity makes tolerance more than a virtue; it makes it a requirement for survival.”  – Rene Dubos

Tolerance is a character trait that is essential for humans to live in a diverse society. However, tolerance is not always easy to come by. In fact, it can be difficult for some people to tolerate others who are different from them. This is because tolerance requires a sense of understanding and acceptance of others.

“Tolerance of intolerance is cowardice.”  – Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Tolerance of intolerance is cowardice. It means that the person tolerant is too afraid to stand up to those who are intolerant. It's a sign of weakness and shows that the person isn't sure how to deal with difficult situations. Tolerating intolerance only makes it easier for the intolerant people to control the situation. It's important to stand up to people who are intolerant, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

“Tolerance is the oil which takes the friction out of life.”  – Wilbert E. Scheer

Tolerance is the oil that takes the friction out of life. It is the ability to put up with something unpleasant in order to maintain a relationship or remain tolerant of others. It is what allows us to get through difficult times and it is one of the most important qualities we can have. Tolerance is also essential when it comes to dealing with other people, as it helps us understand and appreciate them.

“Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.”  – Dalai Lama XIV

Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. This is something that we should all remember, especially in today's world. In fact, these qualities are essential to our overall well-being. They allow us to empathize with others and to understand their feelings. This makes us more tolerant and understanding, which in turn allows us to coexist peacefully and respectfully with others.

“Tolerance is the positive and cordial effort to understand another’s beliefs, practices, and habits without necessarily sharing or accepting them.”  – Joshua Loth Liebman

Tolerance is a positive and cordial effort to understand another person's beliefs, practices, and habits without necessarily sharing or accepting them. Tolerance is essential for any community to function harmoniously. It allows for different opinions to be shared and for people to cooperate without feeling threatened or attacked. Tolerance also allows people to learn from one another and build relationships based on mutual respect.

“Discord is the great ill of mankind; and tolerance is the only remedy for it.”  – Voltaire, ‘Philosophical Dictionary’

Discord is the great ill of mankind, and tolerance is the only remedy for it. Discord causes misunderstandings, which lead to aggression and violence. Tolerance is the antidote to discord, and it is the key to preventing future conflicts.

“Tolerance is nothing more than patience with boundaries.”  – Shannon L. Alder

Tolerance is nothing more than patience with boundaries. When we tolerate someone or something, we show that we are willing to let them have their space and not react in a way that will push them away. We have to be willing to let people be different and unique, and not try to make them fit into a certain mould. Tolerance is a critical virtue for any community to have, as it allows everyone to feel comfortable and respected.

“Tolerance isn’t about not having beliefs. It’s about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you.”  – Timothy Keller, Twitter, 2018

Tolerance is not about not having beliefs. It's about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you. Tolerance is about understanding that different people have different perspectives and that we should be respectful of those perspectives. We shouldn't try to change others, but we should try to understand and accept them. This is why tolerance is important, because it helps us build relationships and learn from each other.

“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.”  – Mahatma Gandhi

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. When either emotion is allowed to dominate our thinking, we are less likely to be able to come to accurate conclusions. This is because anger clouds our judgment, while intolerance shuts down dialogue and undermines the possibility of finding common ground. Both emotions can lead us to make errors in our thinking, which can ultimately lead to poor decisions.

“All of the world’s religions have important things to teach us, and they are not as different from each other as some would have you believe.”  – Kent Allan Rees, ‘Molly Withers and the Golden Tree’

Religion is a source of inspiration, comfort, and guidance for people of all cultures and religions. All of the world's religions have important things to teach us, and they are not as different from each other as some would have you believe. For example, most religions emphasize the importance of compassion and charity. They also stress the need to respect others and to live by moral values. In spite of these similarities, each religion has its own unique doctrines and practices.

“Tolerance is a virtue that depends upon peace and strength.”  – Charles Lindbergh

Tolerance is a virtue that depends upon peace and strength. It can only be practiced in an environment of safety and security. When people are intolerant, they are less likely to thrive and be successful because they are unable to work together harmoniously. Tolerance is also a sign of strength, because it allows people to overcome their differences and live together peacefully.

“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.”  – John F. Kennedy

Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather, tolerance condemns the oppression or persecution of others. This is a cornerstone of tolerance and is necessary for any form of peaceful coexistence. Tolerance requires that we allow others the right to their own beliefs even if those beliefs differ from our own. We must also be willing to listen to others and consider their points of view, even if we don't agree with them.

“What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly, and that is the first law of nature.”  – Voltaire

Tolerance is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly, and that is the first law of nature. We must be tolerant because no one is perfect, and we can learn from our mistakes. Tolerance allows us to move forward in a constructive manner.

“A man who cannot tolerate small misfortunes can never accomplish great things.”  – Chinese Proverb

If you're like most people, you don't like to experience small misfortunes. This is because they remind us of our weaknesses and make us feel uncomfortable. But this is also why some people are able to accomplish great things. They can tolerate small setbacks because they know that they can always bounce back.

“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.”  – Gilbert K. Chesterton

Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions. It is the ability to tolerate different opinions and lifestyles. It is the willingness to let people be who they are, even if you don't agree with them. Tolerance is a strong character trait, and it's something that we should all strive for.

“Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself”  – Robert Green Ingersoll

Tolerance is a virtue that is often given to others, but not always practiced by ourselves. We should strive to be tolerant of others, as this will create a more peaceful and harmonious society. Tolerance allows for different opinions and lifestyles to coexist without violence or hatred. It allows people to be themselves and not feel judged or persecuted. Tolerance is essential for a healthy society, and we should all strive to be more tolerant of one another.

“Tolerance should, strictly speaking, be only a passing mood; it ought to lead to acknowledgment and appreciation. To tolerate a person is to affront him.”  – Goethe

Tolerance should be strictly speaking a passing mood. It ought to lead to acknowledgment and appreciation. To tolerate a person is to affront him: he deserves our respect but not our pity. Tolerance is a noble ideal, but it's often met with cynicism in the real world. People often feel that tolerating others is too easy, or that it's just a way to avoid conflict. But tolerance can also be a powerful tool, if used correctly.

“Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.”  – Jessica Lange

Tolerance is the capacity to enjoy and respect other people's differences while still holding onto your own beliefs. It's the ability to have an open heart and mind towards others, no matter how different they may seem. Acceptance is a mindset that allows you to see yourself in others, even when you don't agree with them. And finally, forgiveness is the ability to let go of anger and resentment, and move on from past wounds.

“Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.”  – Albert Einstein

To ensure freedom of expression in a society, laws alone are not sufficient. Tolerance and the spirit of tolerance must be present throughout the population in order to prevent citizens from facing punishment for expressing their views. Laws must be enforced fairly and with integrity in order to protect speech rights. Societies that lack these qualities will face difficulty in upholding free speech rights.

“The highest result of education is tolerance.”  – Helen Keller

The results of education vary from person to person, and that is okay. In fact, it’s a testament to the diversity of our world that we can all learn from one another. The highest result of an education is tolerance. It is the ability to accept others for who they are and not judge them for their differences. This is why an education should teach students how to dialogue and listen, not argue or judge.

“Tolerance, openness to argument, openness to self-doubt, willingness to see other people’s points of view.”  – Sam Harris

Tolerance is a valuable trait to have. It allows for open discussion and allows for others to be heard. Openness to argument allows for better understanding and can lead to new ideas. Openness to self-doubt allows for growth and improvement. Willingness to see other people's points of view is important so that everyone can understand each other.

“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.”  – Dalai Lama XIV

When it comes to tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher. That is because when you are tolerant of others, you are more likely to be tolerant of yourself. Tolerance allows us to see the world from other people's perspectives, which can help us better understand them. Additionally, tolerance fosters cooperation and peace. When we tolerate different viewpoints, we reduce the chances of conflict and violence.

“If people but knew their own religion, how tolerant they would become, and how free from any grudge against the religion of others.”  – Hazrat Inayat Khan, ‘The Bowl of Saki: Thoughts for Daily Contemplation from the Sayings and Teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan’

If people only knew their own religion, they would be more tolerant and free of any grudges against other religions. Religion is a very personal thing, and unless someone is closely observing their own religion, they may not recognize the commonalities between different faiths. This ignorance often leads to animosity and intolerance. However, if people knew their own religion better, they would be able to see the shared values between different denominations and be more understanding and tolerant of others.

“The only way to be tolerant of others is to be able to see the world through their eyes.”  – Tohon, Landscape of a Mind

Tolerance is a key virtue, and one that is often difficult to display. It is essential to be able to see the world through the eyes of others in order to be tolerant of them. In order to be tolerant, we must first be able to see the world as they do. To do this, we must embrace empathy and curiosity. We must also be willing to learn about other cultures and religions. Only then can we hope to build a society that is tolerant of all people?

“In a multi-racial society, trust, understanding and tolerance are the cornerstones of peace and order.”  – Kamisese Mara

Multi-racial societies are often characterised by a high degree of trust, understanding and tolerance. These are the cornerstones of peace and order, and it is essential that they are nurtured if society is to function smoothly. Ethnic and religious segregation can cause tension and conflict, but if these communities can develop a sense of shared identity, they can prosper together.

“Discomfort levels in our societies are rising, or so it would seem. In theory, we invoke diversity and tolerance. But in real life, we raise our hackles and withdraw into ourselves.”  – Tariq Ramadan

It would seem that discomfort levels in our societies are rising. This is evidenced by the increase in xenophobic and racist rhetoric, as well as the rise in hate crimes and incidents. In theory, we invoke diversity and tolerance. But in real life, we raise our hackles and withdraw into ourselves. We become intolerant of those who differ from us, and we discriminate against them. All of this leads to a diminishment of our sense of community and a disconnection from one another.

“Tolerance and celebration of individual differences is the fire that fuels lasting love.”  – Tom Hannah

Individuals who are tolerant of differences are more likely to have lasting relationships. This is because they celebrate the uniqueness of their partners, which ultimately leads to a stronger bond. Those who do not tolerate differences often find it difficult to form lasting bonds with others because they may become frustrated with how different their partner is.

“It is thus tolerance that is the source of peace, and intolerance that is the source of disorder and squabbling.”  – Pierre Bayle

Tolerance is the foundation of peace and harmony. It is the ability to tolerate differences and to accept others for who they are. Intolerance, on the other hand, is the opposite of tolerance. It is the refusal to tolerate differences or to accept others for who they are. Intolerance can lead to conflict and squabbling.

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Tolerance By E.M. Forster – Point Summary and Model Question Answers

Table of Contents

Tolerance By E.M. Forster

A Brief Introduction to the Author

Edward Morgan (E.M.) Forster (1879-1970) is a well-known twentieth-century novelist and critic. From among his several novels, A Passage to India (1924) has attracted particular attention in this country because of its Indian locale. Aspects of the Novel is a valuable introductory guide to the critical study of the novel.

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Forster, as member of the influential Bloomsbury group of writers and intellectuals, helped shape the literary intellectual canons of his age. He was honoured with the Order of Merit in 1969, just one year before his death in 1970.

Main Points / Summary

This essay was published soon after the end of World War II in 1945. The war had caused great destruction and every nation suffered the consequence. Everybody was talking about reconstruction. Forster felt that nothing enduring could be constructed or reconstructed without a sound state of mind. Diplomacy, economics or trade conferences could not function without fulfilling this basic requirement.

Forster does not agree with those people who believe that love is needed to rebuild civilization. While admitting that love is a great force in private life, Forster puts forward the view that it does not work in public affairs. One can only love what one knows personally, says Forster, and one cannot know much. It is, therefore, absurd to expect nations or business concerns or marketing boards to love one another.

According to Forster, in public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, what is needed is not something so dramatic and emotional as love but tolerance. By ‘tolerance’ Forster means to be able to put up with people, to stand things. In the post-war situation, one may not be able to love but one can tolerate. Tolerance is very dull and boring and negative but it is the sound state of mind needed after the war.

Forster is of the opinion that in the present-day world, there are only two ways of dealing with people and nations. One is the Nazi way. The Nazis killed the people they didn’t like. The other is the democratic way. One may not like some people, but one can put up with them. Forster prefers the democratic way.

Forster admits that tolerance is not as divine a principle as love. But in an overcrowded and overheated world, it is the only workable substitute. One cannot love total strangers. Therefore love generally gives out as soon as one moves away from one’s home and friends. However, tolerance can carry on even when one cannot love.

Question And Answers

The proper spirit cannot be love although most people will say so. Forster explains that love is a great force in private life but it does not work in public affairs. It has been tried again and again. It has always failed. It has failed because we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. He says that tolerance is the quality most needed for building a new world after the war. This is the sound state of mind which will enable different races and classes who may not love each other to settle down to the work of reconstruction.

Q.2. How does Forster draw a comparison between ‘love’ and ‘tolerance’ as a desirable state of mind? What arguments does he put forth?

Ans. Love, according to E.M. Forster, is a great force in private life. It is the greatest of all things. But it does not work in public affairs. It has been tried again and again and it has always failed. He is of the opinion that it is absurd, unreal, even dangerous to suggest that nations, business concerns or marketing boards or people of whom one has never even heard may love one another. It is indulging in vague sentimentalism to expect Germans and the British, who had been fighting during the war, to love each other. But, in the post-war world, they have to live with each other. They must learn to tolerate each other because one cannot exterminate the other. Forster further says that one can only love what one knows personally. The world is full of people. And one cannot know much.

Tolerance, in Forster’s opinion, is ideal in public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization. It is much less dramatic and emotional. It may be called very dull, even boring. It merely means putting up with people, being able to stand things. But this, says Forster, is the quality most needed after the war, for it will enable different races, classes and interests to settle down together to the work of reconstruction.

Q.3. What are the two solutions to the problem of living with people one doesn’t like? Is there a third solution? If so, Why doesn’t the author accept it?

Ans. One solution is to segregate people one doesn’t like and to kill them. The other solution is to put up with such people as well as one can. The first is what the Nazis did and the second is the way of the democracies.

Forster’s own preference is for the second solution. He sees no other foundation for the post-war world. Most people will say that men and nations must start to love one another. Forster, however, strongly disagrees with this solution simply because it is not possible. It has been tried again and again and it has always failed. One can only love what one knows. And one cannot love what one knows and does not like.

Q.4. What kind of negative virtues are desirable? What positive phrases does the author find disgusting? Why?

Ans. Tolerance is a very dull, boring and negative virtue according to Forster. Yet this is the quality most needed after the war. The post-war world needs negative virtues like not being huffy, touchy, irritable, revengeful. Forster finds positive militant phrases like ‘I will purge this nation’, ‘I will clean up this city,’ terrifying and disgusting. He explains that when there were fewer people in this world, these phrases might not have mattered. However, when one nation is mixed up with another, when one city cannot be organically separated from its neighbours, they have become horrifying. Today, if such militant ideals are sought to be put in practice, there will be tremendous damage both in terms of life and material.

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25 Quotes On Tolerance

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by Guest | Apr 28, 2019 | Theology and Christian Apologetics | 0 comments

By Luke Nix

• “Most of what passes for tolerance today is not tolerance at all but actually intellectual cowardice. Those who hide behind that word are often afraid of intelligent engagement and don’t engage or even consider contrary opinions. It’s easier to hurl an insult than to confront the idea and either refute it or be changed by it.” Greg Koukl, Relativism
• “Proponents of [this] cultural tolerance will point out that when you fail to endorse a person’s beliefs and behavior, you are, in effect, rejecting the person. [For example], many claim that homosexuality is not merely a sexual act or a natural orientation; it is a state of being—an identity. Many assert that people are born gay, and when you condemn homosexuality, it’s an affront to their personhood and a direct condemnation and discrimination against them as human beings.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “[Ironically], Some of the most vocal advocates for tolerance are completely intolerant of those who express their belief in a biblical morality, especially if they do so in the public arena.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “Cultural tolerance does not simply require that we give others the freedom to believe or live differently than we do. It has evolved into a demand that we accept, respect, and affirm the rightness of others’ views and behavior–or be labeled intolerant, bigoted, and even hateful.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “While we all may have a sense of what is evil and what is good under the philosophy of cultural tolerance, evil and good can only be  relative ideals. Without an objective truth—a set of universal moral values—good and evil are defined by the individual, community, or society. Therefore, we have no moral basis by which to judge another person, community, or nation for what they do or don’t do.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “We are asked to be tolerant of what everyone else believes, so why aren’t we tolerant of terrorists?…Unless there are objective universal moral values, like those that reside in the character of God, no one really has the right to judge even the worst atrocities of terrorists.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “If man is the ultimate authority, then human beings are perfectly justified in defining morals and ethics that fit their own desires, even if those ethics are the ones espoused by Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and the Chinese government—murder, torture, and abuse.” Frank Turek and Norm Geisler, Legislating Morality
• “To say we’re intolerant of the person because we disagree with her idea is confused. On this view of tolerance, no idea or behavior can be opposed, regardless of how graciously, without inviting the charge of incivility.” Greg Koukl, Relativism
• “Having been influenced to believe it’s up to the individual to  create  his or her own truth, our young people are naturally uncomfortable with any suggestion that one particular viewpoint is true for everyone.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “The height of intolerance is not disagreement, but rather removing from the public square an opportunity for people to disagree.” Jonathan Morrow, Questioning The Bible
• “ Traditional tolerance values, respects, and accepts the individual  without necessarily  approving of or participating in that person’ beliefs or behavior.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “Like the physical universe, the moral universe is governed by unforgiving laws that we do not have the power to alter.” Frank Turek and Norm Geisler, Legislating Morality
• “When we contrast the cultural narrative of truth with the biblical narrative of truth, we can see that cultural tolerance does not actually show respect for others or even demonstrate care for them—it does the opposite.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “Truth and traditional tolerance are the necessary balancing ingredients to genuinely love and accept others unconditionally.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “By understanding how truth and traditional tolerance work together, we unlock the key to making our children feel loved even when we can’t approve of what they choose and what they do.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “To argue that some views are false, immoral, or just plain silly does not violate any meaningful standard of tolerance.” Greg Koukl, Relativism
• “True tolerance involves loving people and suffering while they do something we think is absolutely wrong, which is exactly what Christ does for us.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “What distinguishes God’s unconditional acceptance from that of our culture is authentic love. His love is intended to make the security, happiness, and welfare of another as important as his own. It is other-focused, not performance-focused. God knows the real truth about us—that we were created in his image—and that truth allows him to separate the person from performance. God unconditionally values us for who we are without always approving of what we do because he separates the value of the person from the acts of the person.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “Real love isn’t an unlimited endorsement of just any behavior a person chooses to engage in. Many of those behaviors are inherently and inevitably harmful, and to endorse, approve, and encourage them is not loving; it is cold and uncaring. If we care about another person, we won’t approve behavior that is damaging and destructive to that person’s life.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “Truth is our best friend, and it is an inseparable part of what real love is. While cultural tolerance may disguise itself as caring, understanding, and loving, it lacks the moral authority of an authentic love that looks out for the best interest of others. That is another quality of authentic, real love—it is always other-focused.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “Our young people need to understand that the reason we have this concept that some things are morally right and others are wrong is not because a church propagates it or even that it is written in a book called the Bible. The moral authority of the Bible isn’t found in its commands and rules. The authority of scripture is derived directly from and founded in the very character and nature of God and represented in the flesh through Jesus Christ. All moral truth resides in and comes from God.” Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance
• “It is important to note that even though the Founders believed the Rights of the people came from God, they did not insist that every citizen believes in God; they simply saw no way to justify  those natural moral Rights unless there was a God.” Frank Turek and Norman Geisler, Legislating Morality
• “All moral positions impose values. Even the moral position that you should not impose values on others does just that: it imposes values on others. For if we are not to restrain people legally from doing wrong, then we impose on others the effects of the wrongdoing.” Frank Turek and Norman Geisler,  Legislating Morality
• “We’re living in a society in which people feel no obligation to control their own actions. Instead, we rationalize and justify every aberrant behavior under the umbrella of freedom granted by the First Amendment, never admitting that freedom without reasonable and responsible limits destroys individual lives and ultimately destroys the fabric of a civilized society.” Frank Turek and Norman Geisler, Legislating Morality
• “If you find yourself being defensive when we criticize ideas, maybe you’ve bought into the cultural view of tolerance more than you realize…The highest degree of respect you can show somebody is to take their ideas seriously and graciously critique them.” Sean McDowell, The Beauty of Intolerance

All these quotes can be found in the following books by the cited authors:

• The Beauty of Intolerance: Setting A Generation Free to Know Truth and Love – Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell
• Relativism: Feet Planted In Mid-Air – Greg Koukl and Frank Beckwith
• Legislating Morality: Is It Wise, Is It Legal, Is It Possible – Norm Geisler and Frank Turek
• Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges To The Bible’s Authority – Jonathan Morrow

Luke Nix holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and works as a Desktop Support Manager for a local precious metal exchange company in Oklahoma.

Original Blog Source: http://bit.ly/2vmjRQ5

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Essay On Tolerance

Introduction: Tolerance can be defined as a fair and aim attitude towards those whose lifestyle differs from ours. It is a noble virtue. It is wanted everywhere. It is the virtue that helps us put up with those who have different ways and opinions, and outlooks in life. It also enables us to judge the other sides of things with patience, without losing temper.

In the past, the difference in religion led to prosecution, the difference in politics led to bad-blood and difference in opinions ended in blows. Tolerance is a virtue much needed in our turbulent world. But we must recognize that there is a difference between tolerance and tolerate.

A Social Virtue of Tolerance: Tolerance is the reflection of one’s own behavior and character. The level of tolerance varies from person to person and as per the situation. People have zero tolerance for injustice and violation of the rights. If we want humanity to flourish, then we need to practice tolerance from all walks of life. As tolerance is the spirit of humanity.

Tolerance is not only an abstract virtue but also considerable influence in the current affairs of life. Man, being a social being, has to live in a spirit of harmony and co-operation with others in society. In such a process, give and take is a necessary capacity for compromise.

We cannot persuade others unless we ourselves are at the same time ready to be persuaded by practicing sweet and reasonableness. It is thus seen that tolerance is a social virtue that is opposed to dogmatism, and dictatorship in society compromise time anus is seen. It is impossible to be tolerant if one is hide-bound and rigid in views of full of prejudices.

Real Meaning of Tolerance: Tolerance does not mean to come up against any fundamental principle. Our best self goes down if we tolerate evil. In matters relating to deeper questions and principles of life, it is our duty to stand up for them and refuse an easy compromise. But tolerance does not mean to bear up moral degradation, public nuisance acts, anti-social activities, moral corruption, wrong-doing, exploitation, and deception.

Tolerance involves both humility and meekness, engaging them to say, “I am not perfect, and I am not going to try to make this imperfect soul’s walk harder through my imperfection.”

A tolerant person does not tolerate political and financial dishonesty. But in our personal life and daily dealings, we shall have to belong bearing. Tolerance does not mean to encourage a weak-kneed attitude to life. It has a limit and beyond that, it may become a social crime. Tolerance is a virtue in the simple affairs of life.

Intolerance: Intolerance is quite opposite to it. Thousands of men and women were burnt for the difference in religion. Even today, purges of political opinions have not yet been banished from society. Intolerance comes from bigotry, narrowness, prejudice, and blind self-concept.

The Necessity of Tolerance: The world has not been set to one pattern nor have men been shaped in a single mold. It is essential to pull together with all in society. It helps a man win people’s minds and earn popularity with people. The difference in the environment or condition of life causes a difference in temperament and opinion. A historical revolution has to lead diversities in outlook. Heredity is a factor not to be overlooked.

Each distinctive overlook has its own background. A cultured person takes this into account, makes allowance for them and is ready to make concessions and compromise. Without this broad-mindedness, energy may get wasted in the futile argument. In this long run, mere passion never tends to any good nor solves any problem; passion has to be controlled and disciplined by reason and tolerance.

But as education has spread, the spirit of reason has tended to prevail and the vice of intolerance has fairly diminished. With the passage of time, we are becoming more ready to recognize the possibility of views than our own. We also look upon tolerance as a mark of education and superior culture of ethics of the polite society. All great men were tolerant. They learned it from their boyhood and practical life. The Holy Scripture says, “God loves him who is tolerant.”

Unfortunately, anarchism and intolerance seem to be on the upgrade of late. Extremists with the help of sophisticated military weapons are seeking to destabilize a country, taking a heavy toll of innocent lives. Angry young man, challenging all established norms, now parades the walks of life. Tolerance has been cast to the wilds by them. Our aim should be to tackle them with a strong hand and then, of permissible, bring them to the conference table.

Our duty of Tolerance: John Stuart Mill wrote: “If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”

Tolerance is entertained everywhere. It is not a question that we should either be tolerant or intolerant after we have considered every pro and cons of anything. We know that more tolerant means a fool or a block-headed person. Tolerance does not mean to bear with any violence, injustice, unlawful acts with patience or silence. It means to watch and observe anything out of great patience. It aims or points at keeping politeness before having a clearance of anything.

Conclusion: Tolerance in true sense is to give consideration to others. Tolerance is a reflection of one’s own behavior and character. The consequence of tolerance is good for a tolerant. It is supported by every intellectual whole-heartedly.

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Essay Samples on Tolerance

Being open minded or staying close minded in the cultural conflict.

Be open-minded and educated in order to enhance the understanding of cultures and to address cultural conflict. Cultural conflict as stated in the Merriam Webster dictionary is the conflict of behavior patterns and values that results when different cultures are incompletely assimilated. To resolve this,...

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Hatred is One of the Biggest Threats to Humanity

Maya Angelou once said, 'Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.' Unquestionably hate is easy to come by, people can hate themselves, even hate others, especially if that person has a different perspective. One...

Concepts of Tolerance in Unconventional Ideas in Faust

At the beginning of Goethe's Faust, how do the Dedication, the Prelude in the Theater, and the Prologue in Heaven set in motion a series of dialectical opposites--that is, furiously opposed opposites that create important, unresolvable (perhaps) tensions in the creative and philosophical life? The...

Advantages, Disadvantages, and effects of Studying Abroad

Studying abroad is the act of going to another country to study the same material but in a completely new and different environment. Some people ask what the purpose is of studying abroad and what are the benefits of it. Well, studying abroad has many...

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Zero Tolerance Policy with Students of Minority

School safety concerns have been on the rise in recent years. In 1990 a new rule was implemented into public school systems. This rule is called the zero tolerance policy and means schools must use consistent harsh punishment for the breaking of a set list...

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Religious Tolerance in Islam and Christianity

Tolerance is one of the most important ways to help you reach God, and helps man to get rid of shame. He works to purify the human spirit and make it pure, and increases the human feeling of safety. Tolerance also demonstrates respect and acceptance...

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Limits on Free Speech in Pursuit of Liberal Toleration

Many toleration theorists believe that toleration lies at the heart of a “good society” in a world marked by diversity and multiple religions of faith. And its scope is to be decided by looking at the fundamental ideas of the good that underlie the liberal...

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Intolerance and Disparity in Racial Profiling

There have been many cases where racial profiling is used in criminal investigations and other aspects of law and justice. In an article by Roger Clegg, it says, “Racial profiling occurs when race is used as a criterion in deciding whom to investigate” (2). However,...

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Fault Tolerance In The Internet Of Things

The world has seen a great increase in natural disasters with time and this has not only affected the human life but also the cyber life. And this affect is more deadly when it hits a urban and remote areas. This calls for the need...

The Nonessentials Of Sex, Race, Color And Religion

Malcom X, Martin Luther, Pope John Paul, Barack Obama and other great men and women in history had one major common goal; seeing a pacified world. A world that is not divided along the ethnic lines. A world that is not divided in the supernatural...

Best topics on Tolerance

1. Being Open Minded Or Staying Close Minded In The Cultural Conflict

2. Hatred is One of the Biggest Threats to Humanity

3. Concepts of Tolerance in Unconventional Ideas in Faust

4. Advantages, Disadvantages, and effects of Studying Abroad

5. Zero Tolerance Policy with Students of Minority

6. Religious Tolerance in Islam and Christianity

7. Limits on Free Speech in Pursuit of Liberal Toleration

8. Intolerance and Disparity in Racial Profiling

9. Fault Tolerance In The Internet Of Things

10. The Nonessentials Of Sex, Race, Color And Religion

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An Essay About Tolerance For Grade 9 Students

Tolerance is an important value that we should all strive to cultivate in our lives. It means accepting and respecting people who are different from us, whether it is their race, religion, culture, or beliefs.

Tolerance promotes understanding and encourages people to work together towards a common goal, regardless of their differences.

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Read an Essay on Tolerance for students

Tolerance is especially important in today’s world, where we are more connected than ever before through technology and globalization. We encounter people from different backgrounds and cultures every day, and it is essential that we learn to appreciate and respect these differences.

One of the best ways to practice tolerance is to listen to and learn from others. We should make an effort to understand different perspectives and try to see things from someone else’s point of view. This can help us overcome our own biases and prejudices and promote mutual respect .

Another way to practice tolerance is to be open-minded and accepting of others’ beliefs and practices. We may not always agree with someone else’s beliefs or customs, but we can still respect their right to hold them. We should avoid making assumptions or stereotypes about others based on their race, religion, or culture, and instead seek to understand and appreciate their unique perspectives.

Tolerance also involves treating others with kindness and empathy. We should be respectful and courteous towards others, even if we do not necessarily agree with them. By being considerate and compassionate towards others, we can create a more harmonious and accepting world.

Tolerance is an essential value that promotes understanding, respect, and compassion towards others. It is something that we should all strive to cultivate in our lives, and something that can make a positive difference in the world. By practicing tolerance, we can build stronger relationships and communities, and work together towards a brighter future.

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GRACIOUS QUOTES

84 inspirational quotes on tolerance (patience), top 12 most famous quotes on tolerance (best).

“Our uniqueness, our individuality, and our life experience molds us into fascinating beings. I hope we can embrace that. I pray we may all challenge ourselves to delve into the deepest resources of our hearts to cultivate an atmosphere of understanding, acceptance , tolerance, and compassion . We are all in this life together.” Linda Thompson

2 Quotes on Tolerance in Relationships

6 Quotes on Tolerance and Respect

“The search for justice and security, the struggle for equality of opportunity , the quest for tolerance and harmony , the pursuit of human dignity – these are moral imperatives which we must work towards and think about on a daily basis.” Aga Khan IV

“It is essential to employ, trust, and reward those whose perspective, ability, and judgment are radically different from yours. It is also rare, for it requires uncommon humility , tolerance, and wisdom .” Dee Hock

3 Quotes on Tolerance and Patience

“If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges that each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance and care.” Marvin Ashton

7 Quotes About Tolerance and Kindness

“Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.” George Washington Carver

12 Quotes on Tolerance and Religion

“Religious tolerance is something we should all practice; however, there have been more persecution and atrocities committed in the name of religion and religious freedom than anything else.” Walter Koenig

“We want to lead normal lives, lives where our religion and our traditions translate into tolerance, so that we coexist with the world and become part of the development of the world.” Mohammad bin Salman

“I have good idea, for if you meet some person from different religion and he want to make argument about God. My idea is, you listen to everything this man say about God. Never argue about God with him. Best thing to say is, ‘I agree with you.’ Then you go home, pray what you want. This is my idea for people to have peace about religion.” Elizabeth Gilbert

“For my family , belief in God and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings such hope and promise to our lives. It strengthens our family and our marriage as we focus on Christ as our example of pure love, compassion and tolerance towards others. This positive message is one that helps us become better people each day.” Mercedes Schlapp

“Osama bin Laden’s hijacked planes not only attacked the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They also attacked Islam as a faith. They attacked the values of tolerance and coexistence that Islam preaches.” Jamal Khashoggi

“While religious tolerance is surely better than religious war, tolerance is not without its liabilities. Our fear of provoking religious hatred has rendered us incapable of criticizing ideas that are now patently absurd and increasingly maladaptive.” Sam Harris

“It is no longer a question of a Christian going about to convert others to the faith, but of each one being ready to listen to the other and so to grow together in mutual understanding.” Bede Griffiths

3 Quotes on Tolerance and Education

“My background is in arts education and we know, absolutely for a fact, that there is no better way for kids to learn critical thinking skills, communication skills, things like empathy and tolerance. This is true across every boundary, across cultural boundaries, across socioeconomic, it’s a great leveler in terms of unifying our world.” Emma Walton Hamilton

“It’s an universal law– intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.” Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

4 Quotes on Tolerance and Freedom

“It is not the simple statement of facts that ushers in freedom; it is the constant repetition of them that has this liberating effect. Tolerance is the result not of enlightenment, but of boredom.” Quentin Crisp

4 Quotes on Tolerance and Democracy

“Liberal democracy – as you know, in the old days, we were saying we want socialism with a human face. Today’s left effectively offers global capitalism with a human face, more tolerance, more rights and so on. So the question is, is this enough or not? Here I remain a Marxist: I think not.” Slavoj Zizek

“Hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy.” Liu Xiaobo

9 Quotes on Tolerance and Cultural Differences

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela

“Ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda. Our mission, therefore, is to confront ignorance with knowledge , bigotry with tolerance, and isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity . Racism can, will, and must be defeated.” Kofi Annan

2 Quotes on Tolerance and Apathy

20 Wise Quotes on Tolerance that Will Make You Think & Ponder (WISDOM)

“We hope that the Commonwealth Sports movement is playing a meaningful role in the wider global conversation around tolerance, empowerment, and legal recognition for all.” Tom Daley

“I have never written that there is a threat of fascism in America. I always considered the idea overwrought. But now I believe there really is such a threat – and it will come draped not in an American flag, but in the name of tolerance and health .” Dennis Prager

“Together with international unity and resolve we can meet the challenge of this global scourge and work to bring about an international law of zero tolerance for terrorism.” Manmohan Singh

“It’s not so much what you learn about Mumbai, it’s what you learn about yourself, really. It’s a funny old hippie thing, but it’s true as well. You find out a lot about yourself and your tolerance, and about your inclusiveness.” Danny Boyle

“Tolerance is a fundamental character trait of great people and a part of the attitudes and practices of those we admire and respect. People without tolerance are diminished and poor.” John K. Carmack

“I want to be clear. No company is too big to be prosecuted. We have zero tolerance for corporate fraud, but we also recognize the importance of avoiding collateral consequences whenever possible.” Alberto Gonzales

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100 Words Essay On Tolerance In English

Google defines the term ‘tolerance’ to be “the ability or willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with” and “the capacity to endure continued subjection to something such as a drug or environmental conditions without adverse reaction.”

Simply put, tolerance is the act of forbearing. When life gives us lemons, only the ability to tolerate will get us through and the hope that one day life will become better. To tolerate in life is thus a virtue we must all develop in our life.

Helen Keller, in fact, has said, “The highest result of education is tolerance.” 

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Tolerance Essay

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Tolerance , People , Belief , Respect , Society , Sociology , Religion , Behavior

Words: 1925

Published: 2020/12/28

Introduction If there is one problem that has plagued the human race for a long time, then it is tolerance. The human race is made up of a diverse range of individuals coming from all walks of life. These individuals espouse different characteristics, values, and beliefs. It is these differences that have often acted as an impetus for societal clashes and intolerance. Some cultural groups in the society cannot simply tolerate the values of each other. They disapprove of these cultural values and beliefs and have no qualms letting the other group know it. This then often leads to societal clashes. However, intolerance does not only occur across different cultural and social groups in the society. It can also occur between individuals in the society, some even from the same social group. This mainly occurs when one individual disapproves the other’s life choices, behaviors, attitudes, and values. Normally, intolerance is accompanied by lack of respect where individuals lose the respect they have for each other. This once again sets up a lot of individual clashes in the society. Ultimately, no one desires to see clashes in the society. The question that has therefore been asked by many philosophers is whether humans begins should exhibit tolerance towards people that they disapprove in order to show them respect or whether they should tolerate because they cannot simply bring themselves to respect them. This is indeed a contentious issue that has been explored and touched on by a relatively large number of authors. Some have explored the aspect of tolerance and what it exactly entails. Others have looked at the limits of tolerance and the situations where it is applicable and not applicable (Williams & Waldron, 2008). What emerges from all this literature is that tolerance is actually a subjective term that exhibits a lot of dynamism across different society contexts. What may, for example, be tolerable in one society may not necessarily be tolerable in another society. Tolerance also varies from one individual to the other. There are some levels of disapproval where tolerance is impossible. An individual may loathe the other so much that tolerating them is simply impossible. Alternatively, the behavior of one individual may be viewed by another so negative that once again, tolerance is impossible. The absence of tolerance can be accompanied by two specific scenarios. One, the individual who disapproves of the other’s behaviors may choose to simply walk away and never interact with that individual again (Scanlon, 2003). Simply put, the individual may cut the ties between him and the other individual completely because he simply cannot tolerate the other. In the second scenario, the individual who disapproves of the other may choose to confront them. Once again, confrontation is a subjective term. It can mean verbal confrontation or physical confrontation. Verbal confrontation is where the individual makes it known to the other why they disapprove their behavior attitude and values. Unfortunately, emotions might get high during the verbal confirmation, and this may translate to the individuals physically confronting each other by fighting. This can have disastrous effects for both parties, and they may end up injuring each other or worse still killing each other. However, the consequence for the first type of intolerance which constitutes walking away are less severe (McKinnon, 2005). In fact, some consider it be the noble thing to do when one does not approve of the other, whether it is their behavior, their attitude, their values or even their entire being. The conventional definition of tolerance is a deliberate choice to either put up or leave alone what one disapproves of dislikes when one actually has the power to react or act otherwise. It is usually a matter of degree (Scanlon, 2003). For example, one might actually leave the object or aspect of tolerance alone or one might actually choose to subject this object to ridicule criticism, pressure, social sanctions, physical force and persecution (Horton & Mendus, 1985) The issue of tolerance has in fact been debated for a long time, right from the days of John Locke who is in his famous manuscript “A Letter concerning Toleration” called for religious tolerance among various society groups of the time. Locke wrote his letter when England was cutting down its ties with the Roman Catholic Church and making Protestantism as the official religion. His principal claim in this manuscript was that the government, or the state authority should not attempt to use force in order to make citizens subscribe to a certain religion that the government considers to be the true religion (Locke, 1689). He also claimed that religious organizations and entities are voluntary in nature and, therefore, they have absolutely no right to use any form of coercive power over their member or even those who are not members. Simply put, Locke’s main arguments that force should never be used as a way of instilling beliefs to people who do not subscribe to these beliefs. In addition, people should not be persecuted for subscribing to a certain set of beliefs (Locke, 1689). Locke’s logic and model is applicable to not only the religious context but also across various other societal contexts. His logic can be interpreted as calling for respect and tolerance for the people whose beliefs are different. In fact, tolerance and respect go in hand in hand. Respect means that even if one may disagree with the belief and behaviors of the other, as long as they do not affect the being of one, the one has to respect the other. There are various things in the society that elicit tolerance and non-tolerance. As mentioned earlier, these include practices, ideologies, and beliefs, ethnic, social and religious groups among others. As it has been shown tolerance to some simply translates to putting up with. Respect, on the other hand, refers to feelings of deep admiration for an individual who has achieved something (McKinnon, 2005). This is often elicited by the achievements or the qualities of another individual.

It is, however, crucial to understand that there is indeed a huge difference between tolerance and respect.

Keen analysis reveals that tolerance alone is associated with some kind of ingenuity. People often use the term to show that they are acceptive of other cultures or values but do have any respect for them. This is a very biased approach given that in many cases, people do not actually take the time to learn why some people subscribe to certain behaviors. Members of the social liberal movement would perhaps argue that people are all the same and then being truly liberal translates to accepting that people are unique and different and that there is nothing wrong with this (Kukathas, 2003).

Being truly liberal also means respecting other people for their differences and not simply tolerating them (Kukathas, 2003).

A person can tolerate something but not welcome it. This then has the potential to make certain groups in the society or certain people in the society to feel weak and inferior. In fact, when keenly analyzed, tolerating comes off as quite disrespectful and demeaning. This is especially in regards to human beings. It may appear like it has the best intentions, but in reality, it does not and is in fact quite demeaning. The lifestyles and cultures are something to be tolerated but should instead be respected. As it has been emphasized, to say that one tolerates something brings out some form of bigotry. Tolerating is also not something final. One can tolerate something for some time, and when another time arrives, one may decide that they no longer want to tolerate that thing, and this is when conflict emerges (Heyd, 1996). Respect, on the other hand, is final. Unlike tolerance, one does not have to pretend to like or even welcome something. By respecting, it means that one acknowledges the difference in values views and beliefs and also acknowledges the right of the people to have these views. It is also means accepting that one may not be always right and that it is proper to give or provide room for other views and beliefs that may, in the long run, tend to be more accurate. Therefore, although one may not necessarily welcome the opposing views, respect means that one is mature enough to acknowledge that they exist. This becomes essential in not only comprehending a concept from several perspectives, but it also helps people to understand their own beliefs and views better (Kymlicka, 1995). For example, encountering a differing view and respecting it enables one to go back to his or her own view, gauge it with the differing view and try to assess the correctness of this view. In such a case, the answer is never definite and because of the presence of respect, one is able to leave it at that, unlike saying that one tolerates something only for this tolerance to wear off one day and for the person then to start confronting the other, perhaps even physically and then leading to unwanted results like societal clashes and injuries (McKinnon & Castiglione, 2003). John Stuart Mill is another famous philosopher who has explored the issue of tolerance. His 1869 essay “On Liberty” addresses the issue of liberty, and his logic can also be applied to other differing societal values, beliefs, and opinions. In fact, in this essay, he advocates for tolerance on not only religious differences but other aspects of life as well. Mills argues that the toleration in modern societies is actually required in order to cope with the many forms of irreconcilable social, political and cultural plurality. Mills provides three main arguments or points for toleration. In regard to the harm principle, he contends that the exercise of social or political power can only be legitimate if it is required to prevent the harming of one individual by another and not to enforce as specific idea of good or superiority in a manner that is paternalistic (Mills, 1859). His second point is that toleration towards varying opinions receives justification from the utilitarian concept or belief that both false and true opinions actually lead to social learning processes that are highly productive. The final argument brought forth by Mill is that toleration of experiments of living that are usual is in justifiable romantically because it stresses the values of originality and individuality which are natural urges in all human beings (Mills, 1859). Some may argue for example that tolerating and respecting people and ideas are two different things. For example, an argument may be brought forth that one can respect other people but when it comes to their ideas, tolerance is enough. However, double standards should not be applied. The situation can perhaps be helped by understanding that ideas do not exist on their own. They do not exist out of people’s minds and, in fact, for one to gain knowledge on differing ideas; one often has to hear them from s second person show believes in them. Therefore, it would not be proper to substantiate ideas from people and when it comes to respect, it should be applied generally to only people but to their ideas as well since they are one and the same (Kymlicka, 1995). The current society is characterized by the plurality of ideas, views and opinions on almost everything. The same society is also characterized by a host of social, cultural and political differences as well individuals’ differences between people. These differences often lead to disapproval, and when this occurs, people can either choose to tolerate or respect these differences. This essay has shown that simply tolerating, although helpful in some situations, is not as effective as respecting differing views, behaviors or values. Tolerance may wear off in the future, but respect is final and in addition to preventing conflict and social clashes, it enables persons to understand concepts from different perspectives and also analyze their own views and opinions. Therefore, respect should always take precedence over tolerance.

Scanlon, Timothy, 2003. The Difficulty of Tolerance. Essays in Political Philosophy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 187–201. Kukathas, Chandran. 2003. The Liberal Archipelago: A Theory of Diversity and Freedom, Oxford: Oxford University Press. McKinnon, Catriona. 2005. Toleration: A Critical Introduction, London & New York: Routledge. Heyd, David. 1996. Toleration: An Elusive Virtue. Princeton: Princeton University Press; Horton, John & Mendus., Susan. 1985., Aspects of Toleration: Philosophical Studies. London: Methuen. Susan Mendus., 1999. The Politics of Toleration: Tolerance and Intolerance in Modern Life. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. McKinnon, Catriona & Castiglione, Dario. 2003. The Culture of Toleration in Diverse Societies: Reasonable Toleration. Manchester & New York: Manchester University Press. Williams, Melissa S & Waldron. Jeremy. 2008. Toleration and Its Limits. New York & London: New York University Press. Locke John., 1689. A Letter Concerning Toleration. Mill, John Stuart., 1859. On Liberty. Kymlicka, Will. 1995. Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Online Dating After 50 Can Be Miserable. But It’s Also Liberating.

You know so much more about yourself and your desires when you’re older that dating apps — even with all their frustrations — can bring unanticipated pleasure.

Credit... Illustration by Sophi Miyoko Gullbrants

Supported by

By Maggie Jones

Maggie Jones previously wrote a feature about sex after 70 for the magazine. She is herself in the over-50 dating demographic.

• April 15, 2024

When my marriage collapsed after 23 years, I was devastated and overwhelmed. I was in my 50s, with two jobs, two teenage daughters, one dog. I didn’t consider dating. I had no time, no emotional energy. But then a year passed. One daughter was off at college, the other increasingly independent. After several more months went by, I started to feel a sliver of curiosity about what kind of men were out there and how it would feel to date again. The last time I dated was 25 years ago, and even then, I fell into relationships mostly with guys from high school, college, parties, work. Now every man I knew was either married, too young, too old or otherwise not a good fit.

Listen to this article, read by Gabra Zackman

Open this article in the New York Times Audio app on iOS.

That meant online dating — the default mode not just for the young but also for people my age. My only exposure had been watching my oldest daughter, home from college one summer as she sat on her bed rapidly swiping through guy after guy — spending no more than a second or two on each. “Wait,” I kept saying. “Slow down. How do you know? What’s wrong with him? Or him?”

Soon enough, I signed onto Match, and then the dating apps Bumble and Hinge. And over the past 18 months, I’ve felt waves of excitement, hope, frustration, boredom, discouragement. I’ve gone on great and not-so-great dates, had relationships and ended them, paused and restarted apps, over and over again.

Online dating is a mixed bag for most people — queer, hetero, nonbinary. Plenty of them do find love, including on their very first match. But many of us have to swim through a dispiriting sea of hundreds of people, most of whom we are unlikely to ever want to date. That includes profiles that are fake, created by scammers to try to lure private information from users. And while most profiles are real, sometimes their photos are not so much: More than one person told me that photos can be so outdated or filtered that they barely recognized their date when they met. And the writing is often littered with clichés. “Looking for a partner in crime.” “I will make you laugh.” “I live life to the fullest.” Then there’s the irritating experience of seeing the people you already declined pop up again and again and again.

As tough as the process can be, older women have it worse than most. They report more negative online-dating experiences compared with men of all ages and younger women, according to a Pew Center for Research study. That may in part be because of their dearth of choices. The pool of men narrows with time: Men’s life expectancy is seven years shorter than women’s.

Then there’s the reality that men tend to date younger women — a desire that online dating makes vividly quantifiable. In a 2018 study, researchers analyzed anonymized message exchanges between more than 186,000 straight men and women from a “public and large” online-dating platform (researchers didn’t name which one). Women get the most attention from men (measured by the number of first messages a person receives) when they are 18. Yes, 18, when they have barely crossed into adulthood, if you consider 18 an adult. (It’s also the first year they are legally allowed to even be on most dating sites.) It’s downhill from there. The study, by Elizabeth Bruch, a sociology professor, and Mark Newman, a physics professor, both at the University of Michigan, didn’t even include people older than 65. Men’s desirability, in contrast, peaks more than three decades later, at around age 50 (when women have become increasingly invisible). And although women prefer men with advanced degrees, men desire women who don’t go beyond college.

But as I learned over the last several months talking to more than three dozen people about online dating among older Americans like me, that's only part of the story. Researchers, along with people I interviewed who have been on the apps, suggested something more complex and nuanced about dating in the older years. By which I mean there may be reason for optimism.

One Wednesday afternoon over Zoom from her living room in Manhattan, the anthropologist Helen Fisher, author of “Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage and Why We Stray,” told me she is hopeful about online dating as you age. “Despite the stereotypes, older women are not desperate.”

Fisher, who studies romantic relationships and dating, is a senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute and chief scientific adviser to Match. For the past 13 years, along with the Kinsey Institute’s executive director, Justin Garcia, she has collaborated with Match to create and analyze annual, nationally representative surveys of roughly 5,000 single people about their romantic lives . When it comes to sexual attraction, Fisher, who is 78, says, “The older you get, the pickier you get.” In one Match survey, people over 60 were more likely than younger people to insist on initial sexual chemistry for a long-term relationship, perhaps in part, Fisher says, because when you don’t have to choose a partner who will be a good parent or help provide a secure home, you can focus on different desires.

There’s also less pressure to marry the second time around. Only 15 percent of previously married women say they want to do it again, according to a Pew study. (The other 85 percent either didn’t want to or weren’t sure.) That’s half the portion of men who want to remarry. Michael Rosenfeld, a sociologist at Stanford University whose research areas include “mating and dating and the internet’s effect on society,” says the discrepancy is partly because, as numerous studies confirm, women tend to be less satisfied in heterosexual marriage. Some women, as he put it, “are just tired of the ups and downs of relationships and have promised themselves they won’t do it again.”

Men, by contrast, have narrower social circles and emotional friendships than women do. Without a partner, they can feel more adrift and remarry quickly. One man I talked to, who asked me to identify him by his middle initial, H., is in his late 50s and divorced and has seen this among men his age. “Men are not confident in their ability to be alone — emotionally, keeping a social calendar, getting meals on the table. A lot of them need to be taken care of.”

That need can be on blatant display in dating apps. It’s what Jennie Young, a professor of English and women and gender studies at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, calls the “Are you my mother?” problem. In a Facebook post, she used the example of a man answering the online-dating prompt “We’ll get along if ...” by writing, “You feed me” and are “more mature than I ... lol.”

Young, who wrote her dissertation in applied rhetoric, teaches a class for undergraduates called “The Rhetoric of Dating and Intimacy.” She argues that older women are more selective about dating: “Our hormones are shifting, we have zero tolerance, especially those of us who have been on our own and don’t feel we need a man to provide for us.”

Still, Young, who is 53 and divorced herself, wants to improve the dating experience for women and nonbinary people by helping them learn how to interpret dating language. It’s one way older women can catch up to Gen Z women “who are better versed in online rhetoric,” Young says. Older women were already partnered when online dating began and “missed the dating-app revolution.”

Young and I bonded, as I did with other women, over our shared exasperation with so many men’s profiles — filled with selfies at the gym in which they were holding dumbbells and flexing, or in bathroom mirrors, sometimes with urinals behind them (one woman told me about a bathroom pic with a bra dangling from the shower rod). And the fish! So many men holding fish — either because fishing is a favorite hobby or a display of masculinity (or both), who knows.

On Instagram, Young recently posted two common rhetorical approaches: “disciplinary/directive” (“be feminine”; “no baggage”) and “I dare you” (“message me if you think you can handle it”; “I say no 99 percent of the time”). She cited an example in which a man combined the two by saying: “Understand this is a dating site you joined to meet someone, not to text to death lol. If you want to meet me, act like it. I’ll know you are serious when I get your number.”

For Young, trying to figure out how to date better and more efficiently started one night three years ago, when she was feeling “pitiful” about her own experiences online, rife with misogyny and “clichéd nonsense.” She did a Google search for “How do you find a needle in a haystack?” The answer: Burn the haystack to the ground. Only the metal needle will remain.

She decided to try it as a dating method. Instead of widening her filters and her tastes, which some dating advisers suggest, she became choosier about men and their styles of communication. She responded only if they sent her a clear, personalized message. And if she wasn’t interested in a man, she didn’t just swipe left or X out his profile; she “blocked” or “removed” him (which isn’t the same as “reporting” someone for inappropriate behavior). The goal was to prevent further messages and reduce the odds those men would reappear in her feed and waste more of her time.

She also revised her profile to “repel” some men while, she hoped, drawing those who were better matches. To that end, she wrote a Top 10 list of her dating rules, which included no hookups and no messages of “Hey,” “You up?” or “What’s up?” And no 55-year-old man who says he “wants kids someday.” She also posted what she likes to do — bike, hike, write humor (emphasizing that, while it’s common to say a version of “I’m funny” in profiles, she has actually published satire). She ended with: “I can’t be attracted to anyone who doesn’t know their homonyms. I’m sorry.”

She conceded the last line might sound elitist, but it was accurate. In the next five days, while fewer men “liked” her, the ones who did suited her more, including a man named Scott who commented: “Hey (sorry, couldn’t resist). This is hands-down the best profile I have ever read, which, if we’re being honest, probably isn’t saying much considering the majority of the profiles out there, but it’s definitely something.” Scott soon became her partner for more than two years.

Young credited her method for her successful match, and last year she started a Facebook group called the Burned Haystack Dating Method, which now has about 50,000 followers. (She also has an Instagram account where she dispenses advice.) As she wrote in one article about the strategy, “Dating is a numbers game, but the typical goal — to be widely appealing and meet as many men as possible — is wasting women’s time and leaving us frustrated and demoralized.”

At first, she mostly drew followers in their 40s, 50s and older, but increasingly younger women have joined. She advises women to be businesslike in their approach. Check apps no more than twice a day. Make sure your language is specific. No “I love to laugh” — who doesn’t love to laugh? If you want to get married again, she says, don’t be afraid to say so. And no need to play the “cool girl” who pretends she likes whatever men like, has no demands, never gets angry and is up for sex in whatever way a guy wants it.

People in older age tend to be generally freer of expectations in dating and relationships. The assumption that you will merge households declines. If parents or your community pushed you to marry a certain type of person in your 20s — because of religion, socioeconomic status, profession, race, sexuality, gender — that pressure may have dissipated or vanished.

Indeed, several women, hetero and queer, told me that while they want love and long-term relationships, they can’t imagine returning to commingling finances or giving up their space — their condo, apartment or house — after years of living on their own. Some are purposefully going slower in love now. “I don’t need to be attached at the hip anymore,” says Louisa Castner, a lesbian, divorced woman, referring to the enmeshment she felt in her previous relationships. Years ago, Helen Fisher briefly dated a man who was smart and interesting and lived across the country from her. “Was I going to move from New York City, away from my friends?” she says. “It wasn’t worth it to me.” She did eventually marry the writer John Tierney three years ago. He is seven years younger than she is. They are in what is known as a “living apart together” relationship. She is in the same Manhattan apartment she has lived in for 28 years. He is in the Bronx. They talk every day and see each other most evenings. Other nights she is typically out with her female friends, whom she has known far longer than her husband. And at the end of those evenings, she climbs into her own bed.

When I first started dating online, it felt as if a fire hydrant had opened — men appearing across my feed from different geographic areas, of different ages, races, professions. Since then, I have gone on dates and been in relationships with men who are smart, kind, funny and irreverent and who have lived in Maine, Boston, New York City, Ohio — which means I never would have met them without the apps. Dating beyond where I live is also possible because I occasionally go on the road for work, no longer have small children and can afford some travel.

H. also started dating, near and far, after his divorce. He was 51, around the peak of men’s online-dating popularity. His feed filled with women: Some were highly educated and others less so; some were his age and plenty two decades younger. They were nurses, teachers, librarians, women with jobs in marketing and P.R., none of whom he ever would have met through friends or work. H. was enamored with the seemingly endless possibilities. During his most intense dating weekends, he would have a couple of brunches, afternoon walks, drinks at 5 p.m. with one woman and drinks with another at 8. He paid for it all, unless he knew there would be no second date and the woman offered to split the bill. Some weeks he had 15 dates. “I was saying yes, yes, yes,” he told me.

After a month, he was overwhelmed, disillusioned, filled with too much coffee, alcohol and scrambled eggs and too many conversations in which he felt no connection. He paused all his apps and regrouped. Attraction mattered, sure, but he wanted women who were educated, successful and enthusiastic, and also women who were mothers (so they could share parenting experiences) and lived reasonably close by. And although he started off dating women who were more than 10 years younger — in a couple of cases more than 15 — too often he had little in common with them and struggled to have substantive conversations. So he narrowed his age window: eight years younger and three years older. Now, at 57, with his own kids in college, he is clear he wants a partner with whom he can share the same life stage, interests and living styles. (Toward the end of my reporting, he restarted a relationship and moved in with a woman he met years ago through online dating, two states away from him. Love doesn’t always stick to our dating rules.)

H. and many people I interviewed said that this time around, they were looking for different qualities in a partner. Some told me they want a person who is more positive and less anxious. Others long for a partner who is less of a workaholic or who cares more about their work. Or, after being married to someone with a very different temperament, they want a person more like them. After years in therapy, they want a partner more emotionally intelligent and sensitive. Or they have chosen a less materialistic life after decades with someone who relished big houses filled with possessions.

When Francine Russo, who has been widowed twice and is now in her late 70s, began online dating (she met her second husband that way and her current partner of eight years), she initially wanted men who had the same level of education and were as financially comfortable as she was. Over time, she realized she would miss out on men who were devoted to artistic careers or who had low-paying but meaningful jobs. “Who cares if he can’t afford the same restaurants you like?” says Russo, who is the author of “Love After 50: How to Find It, Enjoy It and Keep It.” People say, “ ‘I don’t want to settle,’” she told me. “But if you have someone who adores you and wants to hear about your day but doesn’t have a fancy degree or a lot of money, I don’t consider that settling.”

She also argues that older people are better at dealing with dating rejection. “There’s disappointment, but if someone doesn’t want a fourth date with you, you’ve survived far worse than that. A week, a month from now, it won’t matter.” In her book, she quotes a therapist who talks about “catch and release” relationships. We get more skilled at sorting the good fit from the bad fit. And we let people go faster.

John, who is 65 and lives in Western Massachusetts, did a lot of catching and releasing in his late 50s, because he didn’t get to do it when he was younger: By his early 20s, he was living with the woman he eventually married. In his first months of dating, he met women who lived nearby, where he grew up. But he quickly realized he didn’t want the familiar: He knew where they shopped, the books they were reading, where they went to school. In comparison, dating women in more far-flung areas, with backgrounds very different from his, was “totally exotic.”

As a successful painter, he had a flexible schedule, and he had enough money to plan weekend-long trips to Boston and New York City to meet women, setting up multiple dates over a couple of days, something he couldn’t afford to do in his 20s. His method flew in the face of lots of dating advice: He chose women based on photos and paid less attention to what they wrote. “The profile was just a way to sit across from someone and have a conversation,” says John, who approached the entire endeavor with curiosity. “For me it was: Can I learn something here? Is there something new for me?”

Some describe their sex experiences after marriage as the most expansive of their lives.

When he was 61, he sublet an apartment in New York City for a couple of months to make and see art, to date, to be near his adult children. Just before he arrived, he matched with a woman named Elizabeth, who was 57. Unlike John, Elizabeth had a dating system. Like several women and men I talked to, she listed her age as several years younger than she was to widen the dating pool. And she wasn’t interested in anyone beyond Manhattan and Brooklyn. When she matched with someone, she messaged only a few times on the site before suggesting a phone call. She passed on men who hadn’t been married or in long-term relationships. “The guys in their late 50s, with serial girlfriends their whole lives? I mean, come on: No.” Some didn’t make it past the phone call. “I’m sorry,” she would say, “I don’t think we’re a match,” at which point one man started cursing at her and called her a bitch.

Of the roughly two dozen men she did date over two years, most were lawyers or business professionals. But then John “liked” her on an app. She was attracted to him and impressed by his educational background. They talked on the phone and made plans for a drink with, as Elizabeth told him, the possibility of dinner. (They had dinner.) She liked how funny and positive he was. He was taken with her — she was beautiful, successful, strong-willed. “We would have never crossed paths,” Elizabeth says. “No one would have set us up.” The lifelong New Yorker, who didn’t want to get involved with men much beyond her borough, ended up moving to Massachusetts during the pandemic, just months after their first date. They married in September 2021, at an inn not far from where they now live.

For the last several months, I’ve gotten together with a group of friends, women mostly in their 50s and separated or divorced, dating for the first time in decades. When we aren’t talking about work, divorce and kids, some in the group pass around their phones with profiles of men they’re dating or might be interested in (in one case, two people matched with the same guy). We discuss the vicissitudes of dating and relationships — local and long distance — and what and who we want. Always, in some way, the conversation comes around to sex. Some describe their sex experiences after marriage as the most expansive of their lives. After one woman divorced, she set her online age parameters for men down to their 20s and 30s with the intention of having flings. She made sure they lived in a different neighborhood, so she could separate her hookups from the rest of her life. (She is now in a relationship with a man about her age.) Another woman, who has spent several months dating widely, was trying a nonmonogamous relationship for the first time and toying with bisexuality and threeways. She wasn’t clear where she would land, but she was open to possibilities.

Men, too, told me sex and dating post-50 have been an evolving experience. In his 20s, “any sex was good sex,” H. says. But now he aspires to what the sex-advice columnist and podcaster Dan Savage calls “GGG,” or good, giving and game. As Savage puts it: “good in bed, giving of pleasure and game for anything — within reason .” It can be a tricky concept to convey on dating apps (though not on the app Feeld, where talk about sex is expected and GGG is among the desires people can choose). “If you are a guy who puts GGG on your profile, women may think you are a creep,” H. told me. Instead, he waits to talk about sex in person, often broadly broaching the subject during the first date if it’s going well. “I want to convey that I’m looking for someone who is sensual and cares about sex and that I’m the same way.” Other people told me they talk more openly about sex, because bodies change. Men have increased erectile dysfunction; women often need more lubrication or sex toys and sometimes experience pain with intercourse.

“I didn’t know myself,” says a woman named Theresa, referring to her 20s and 30s. “And I definitely didn’t know my body in the same way.” Theresa, who is in her early 50s and lives on the West Coast, never masturbated until late in her marriage. “I got my first dildo at 40 and discovered multiple orgasms. Where has this been all my life?”

Everyone, she says, “does that exchange in dating where they talk about their marriage. I always say I’ve been divorced on paper five years, but longer emotionally and physically.” Within a couple of dates, Theresa, who a friend refers to as an “online dating queen” because she has gone on more than 100 first dates in five years, tells men about her experience with masturbation and orgasms. “It’s part of my story,” she says. She also talks about what she learned from a therapist who counseled her and her ex-husband that sex is more than penetration. “I want to be having intimacy in my 80s,” she says. “It’s also about cuddling naked, skin-to-skin contact.” What she is looking for isn’t novelty but the harder stuff, as she puts it: “being open and vulnerable.”

In one Match survey, single people over 60 reported having more frequent orgasms than younger single people. And they are the least likely age group to fake orgasms. They also tend to be communicative: 57 percent said they feel comfortable asking their partner for exactly what they want in sex. That ease and honesty may be related to the fact that people grow more confident and happy in their 60s, according to multiple studies. Which is not to say everyone wants the same kind of sex — or any sex at all. “I want tenderness,” Deborah, who is in her 60s, told me. “I don’t care how intense sex is. I’m looking for a good person.”

Sophia Chang, who is 58, the author of the memoir “The Baddest Bitch in the Room” and the founder of a professional mentorship program for women of color in New York, definitely wants the intensity. “But I get very little play compared to my friends who are a decade younger than me,” she says of online dating. She assumes if a man from a dating app is texting her, he is doing the same with at least five other women. Plenty have asked her for nude selfies. And she suspects that people who claim to be ethically nonmonogamous are often just cheating on their partners. “I don’t do messy,” she says.

When her relationship with the father of her children ended, she was 43 and felt done with sex. But in her 50s, after a relationship with a man who encouraged her to be more sexually open, Chang felt increasingly libidinous. She also became an empty nester, giving her freedom, including with her sexuality. “Younger men tell me that what they like about older women is they know their bodies and ask for what they want.”

Last year, she joined two dating apps where, when she matches with a man, she moves quickly from texts to phone calls or FaceTime. (When we last talked, she told me that week she had gone from matching with a man on an app, to texting, to FaceTime, to meeting outdoors and then having sex in the space of 12 hours.) On the phone she is frank: “Can you tell me what you like and what you don’t like, and I’ll do same?” Then she details some of her desires and sexual kinks and her boundaries, including no unprotected sex. Sometimes after connecting, men ask to come over immediately to have sex. “Excuse me,” Chang told me she says. “I have a safety accountability practice. I tell them I need to send their photo, full name and phone number to a friend. That is where some men push back hard.”

Until she finds the right matches, she continues to unabashedly audition men who connect with her on dating apps. At her age, she, like many women I spoke to, has a better sense of who she is and what she desires, and sees no point in hiding it. “If I bat my eyes, I could get further. But for what?” There’s no sense in wasting time when life is growing too short.

Maggie Jones is a contributing writer for the magazine and teaches writing at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been a Nieman fellow at Harvard and a senior Ochberg fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

Read by Gabra Zackman

Narration produced by Anna Dimond ,  Emma Kehlbeck and Krish Seenivasan

Engineered by Ted Blaisdell

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