“When choosing between being right and being kind, choose kind.” -Mr. Browne

Students were asked what this quote meant to them. Here are the winners:

Lucas Kersey – The meaning of this poem is really deep because when I see this, people will rather have kindness than the ability to be correct. This is really deep to me because I myself may pick being right, I am really stubborn. When I see this, it reminds me how there are some genuine good people in this world. People who pick kindness over being right are good people and I understand that. Imagine you are in a fight, you prove a point, but you sadden the other person. Would you help them get their mental stability or be right? People can be good, so can I, and so can you.

Avery Huang – To me, the quote “When given the choice between being right or kind, choose kind.” encapsulates a profound lesson about prioritizing compassion over correctness. It suggests that in our interactions with others, we often face moments where we can assert our correctness, which may seem easier, or select kindness, which can be more virtuous. Choosing kindness means prioritizing empathy, understanding, and the well being of others over proving you are right. This choice acknowledges the complexity of human interactions and the importance of fostering positive relationships.

Being right can sometimes lead to conflict, resentment, and a communication breakdown, while kindness promotes harmony, connection, and mutual respect. This quote highlights the power of empathy in building relationships and facilitating a sense of community. This quote encourages us to consider the impact of our words and actions on others and to strive for a world where empathy and understanding prevail over ego and righteousness.

Ultimately, choosing kindness cultivates a more inclusive, compassionate, and harmonious society where individuals prioritize the welfare of others above their own need to assert correctness. It serves as a reminder to me that true strength lies not in being right all the time, but in showing kindness even in the face of disagreement or conflict.

Lilah Schenelle – “When given the choice between being right or kind, choose kind”. To me, this quote means that when given a choice, choose kindness. Sure lots of people would choose to be right, but is choosing to be right the best option? Being kind to others should always be the right option, no matter what the situation is. I think that being kind is important, especially knowing that the quote comes from the book “Wonder”, where August, the main character, has a facial deformity. Everyone thinks that he is weird, but when one kind kid gives him a chance, he realizes how cool August is. The lesson that I took from the book is that if you’re kind to others, anything can happen. To conclude, in simple terms, to me this quote means to be kind to everyone, because it might just pay off.

Emma Patel – What this quote means to me personally is kindness might be stronger than being right.  Because kindness you can be generous to people and do something to make them feel delighted. Being right might be doing something the way it should be done. That may make others feel unhappy trying to do something that they wanted to be done that can’t be done. But it does help in ways that no one is breaking any rules and not being harmed or anything else. One example is some people in my falcon focus class asked Mrs. Kownacki to throw a rock into the pond in the courtyard. She led them the next day into the courtyard with rules to follow when throwing the rock. The point of this story is that Mrs. Kownacki maybe had to break some rules to be generous and kind and let the boys do what they asked her to do.

Kaylin Lopez-Ferrufino – This quote to me means that no matter what, you should still show kindness to others. I think this because the quote says that “When given the choice between right or kind, choose kind”, which means that even if you have the choice to do the right thing, you should choose to be kind to others. An example of what this quote means is this: let’s say someone pulled a prank on you and embarrassed you in front of everybody. Now, the “right” thing to do would be to tell on them or maybe pull a prank on them back for revenge or justice. But, let’s say you also overheard them saying it was an accident and didn’t mean it or they were going through tough times and wanted a way to feel better. Well, now what? Should you still do the “right” thing or show kindness. This is what I think the quote means because if you show kindness to that person rather than doing the “right” thing, you could resolve the situation, but in a way that everyone wins, and this could help the person in the scenario feel better as well. So, no matter what, “When given the choice between right or kind, choose kind.”