I am the decisive element

[goldoyster]

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration;
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is

Comments

[takwish]

Good stuff. Is it from one if his books?

[goldoyster]

I just stumbled upon it online.

[takwish]

I haven't been able to trace it to a specific work of his. However, I did find this quote by Haim Ginott, psychologist and educator: I have come to a frightening conclusion.
I am the decisive element in the classroom.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis
will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized
This is from Ginott's 1995 book Teacher and child: A book for parents and teachers

I'm leaning towards this being a case of popular misattribution to good old Goethe. Still good stuff, though.

[goldoyster]

Huh! Well, who ever did the re-write should be proud, how odd. Both are good but the re-write seems more generally applicable.

I was looking up Goethe's work and all I could find were plays and poetry. I assumed one of the characters had said this in a speech, or something. I was going to go through the trouble of reading some of it, though I very much dislike reading plays, just because I thought they might be brilliant, but now I won't bother -- thanks! (Unless you think he is brilliant and would recommend him?)

[takwish]

My recommendation: get a good translation of Faust.