6
" Boys and girls are only little men and women. And WE are much harder and hardier than they are--" (Peter liked the " we." Perhaps the Doctor had known he would.)--" and much stronger, and things that hurt THEM don't hurt US. You know you mustn't hit a girl--" " I should think not, indeed," muttered Peter, indignantly." Not even if she's your own sister. That's because girls are so much softer and weaker than we are; they have to be, you know," he added, " because if they weren't, it wouldn't be nice for the babies. And that's why all the animals are so good to the mother animals. They never fight them, you know." " I know," said Peter, interested; " two buck rabbits will fight all day if you let them, but they won't hurt a doe." " No; and quite wild beasts--lions and elephants--they're immensely gentle with the female beasts. And we've got to be, too." " I see," said Peter." And their hearts are soft, too," the Doctor went on, " and things that we shouldn't think anything of hurt them dreadfully. So that a man has to be very careful, not only of his fists, but of his words. They're awfully brave, you know," he went on. " Think of Bobbie waiting alone in the tunnel with that poor chap. It's an odd thing- -the softer and more easily hurt a woman is the better she can screw herself up to do what HAS to be done. I've seen some brave women-- your Mother's one," he ended abruptly." Yes," said Peter." Well, that's all. Excuse my mentioning it. But nobody knows everything without being told. And you see what I mean, don't you? "
8
" [I]t's not enough to be right. I think you have to be generous. It's not enough to be logical. You have to be virtuous...[Y]our demeanor will carry your message, perhaps, even further than your words will...[P]eople don't just disagree with us. Many of them genuinely think that we are evil, and when people think you're evil, I don't think they listen very carefully to your words. They search your manner. They look for the slightest excuse to ignore all your impregnable arguments, all of your carefully-marshaled facts, and that's why we must never be mean-spirited or angry or petulant, or dismissive of the interest of others. I believe rudeness and arrogance, they would drive people away, that would only confirm their own prejudices. It's the excuse they're desperate for to walk away smug and happy and say 'these people are just small-minded angry bigots.' Our opponents don't recognize our good faith, but -and this is a hard thing- I think we must try our best to recognize their good faith...You can't expect them to recognize our good intentions unless we are willing to recognize theirs. "
― Jared Taylor