The kinder our environment, the kinder we become.Rutger Bregman
Cynicism is a theory of everything, but it offers us precisely nothing.Rutger Bregman
Never underestimate people. Most are pretty decent.Rutger Bregman
Believe the truth of what you see, not the cynical tales spun by pessimists with ulterior motives.Rutger Bregman
To believe people are hardwired to be kind isn't sentimental or naive. On the contrary, it's courageous and realistic to believe in peace and forgiveness.Rutger Bregman
Most of history isn't a battle between good and evil but rather between conflicting ideas of what constitutes a good life.Rutger Bregman
For just once, we shouldn't start with the assumption that people are selfish. We should start with the assumption that most people are pretty decent.Rutger Bregman
When it comes to the major challenges of our time, from global warming to inequality, the problem is not that we are wicked. The problem is that we are unwise.Rutger Bregman
In the news, the exceptions crowd out the rule. Which is understandable but also a shame. We humans assume that reality is a simple mirror of the world 'out there', when in fact we see the world filtered through a lens.Rutger Bregman
This is a hopeful book about the potential for human goodness. It's a book about a radical idea. An idea that's long been known to make rulers nervous. An idea denied by religions and ideologies, ignored by the news media and erased from the annals of world history. At its core, it's a simple notion: most people, deep down, are pretty decent. You can call me a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.Rutger Bregman