Quote About Bullying: Sourced Lines for Students, Posters and Essays
A quote about bullying is a short statement on cruelty, standing up for others or kindness, and the reliable ones come from novels, speeches and books with a named source. The lines below are sourced, and the best-known bullying quotes that have no confirmed author are listed separately.
Quotes about kindness
“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”
— Mr. Browne’s September precept, Wonder by R. J. Palacio (2012)
In Wonder, a teacher writes this on the board for his class, which includes a boy with a facial difference. The line comes from the author Wayne Dyer, whom the book credits.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
— Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Chapter 3
Atticus says this to Scout after a bad first day of school. It is the standard quote for empathy in a classroom.
Quotes about standing up to bullies
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
— Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, Chapter 17
Dumbledore says this while awarding Neville Longbottom ten points for facing down his own friends. It suits younger readers.
“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
— Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, December 10, 1986
Wiesel was speaking about atrocities, not school. The words fit bystander lessons, but a teacher should explain the context first.
Quotes about character and hate
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.”
— Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (1994)
He continues, “People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
— Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love (1963)
Bullying quotes with no confirmed source
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” is credited to Eleanor Roosevelt. It is not found in her books or columns, and the wording is probably a paraphrase.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” is credited to Edmund Burke. No such sentence appears in his writing. The closest source is a passage by John Stuart Mill from 1867 about bad men and good men’s inaction.
Use “attributed to” if you need to keep either one, or leave the name off.
Using these quotes
For a poster, use the Wonder line. It is short and readable from across a room. For a class discussion on bystanders, pair Dumbledore with Wiesel and ask which situation each fits. For an essay on empathy, Atticus Finch is the usual choice.
Related sourced pages on this site: kindness quotes for students, inclusion quotes for kids and empathy quotes for kids.
FAQ
Who said “choose kind”?
The line appears in Wonder as a teacher’s precept, and the book credits it to Wayne Dyer, who wrote it earlier.
Is “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent” really Eleanor Roosevelt?
It has been credited to her for decades, but it has not been found in her writing.
Which quote works best for a school anti-bullying poster?
The Wonder line, for length and tone. The Dumbledore line works for upper elementary.
Can I use the Elie Wiesel quote with children?
It fits middle school and above, with an explanation of the speech it comes from.