You can argue that it's a different world now than the one when Matthew Shepard was killed, but there is a subtle difference between tolerance and acceptance. It's the distance between moving into the cul-de-sac and having your next door neighbor trust you to keep an eye on her preschool daughter for a few minutes while she runs out to the post office. It's the chasm between being invited to a colleague's wedding with your same-sex partner and being able to slow-dance without the other guests whispering. Jodi Picoult
About This Quote

"It's a different world now than the one when Matthew Shepard was killed, but there is a subtle difference between tolerance and acceptance. It's the distance between moving into the cul-de-sac and having your next door neighbor trust you to keep an eye on her preschool daughter for a few minutes while she runs out to the post office. It's the chasm between being invited to a colleague's wedding with your same-sex partner and being able to slow-dance without the other guests whispering." Tolerance refers to the ability of a person or group of people to accept something that would not have been accepted many years ago. Acceptance is more about having genuine feelings of warmth toward someone or something. The difference between tolerance and acceptance is important because tolerance sounds more neutral, but it can be interpreted as an act of passivity.

I am tolerant of homosexuality, but I don't accept it. Acceptance sounds more active because it seems like you are taking an active role in supporting or accepting something.

Source: Sing You Home

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More Quotes By Jodi Picoult
  1. You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not.
  2. If you gave someone your heart and they died, did they take it with them? Did you spend the rest of forever with a hole inside you that couldn't be filled?
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