Dialogue of the day from Wonder, ‘When given choice between being right or being kind...’

Dialogue of the day: Mr Browne teaches English to Auggie Pullman’s class, and on the first day he explains what a “precept” is: a saying or a rule that guides you when you’re deciding something important. Then he writes his September precept on the board. It is short enough to remember and simple enough for a ten-year-old to follow.

Dialogue of the day

“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.” - Mr Browne, Wonder

What does the dialogue mean

It says that being right and being kind are not always the same thing, and that when they pull apart, kindness should win. Most of us, children and adults, would rather be proved right. The line asks you to stop for a second and think about what that costs the other person.

It does not tell you to give up your opinions or pretend you are wrong. It asks you to think about how you use being right. You can correct someone harshly, or you can say the same thing with care. You can win an argument and lose a friend. The precept is about picking the second path in each case.

The film shows why that matters. Auggie has a facial difference, and the school is not always kind to him. A lot of what hurts him is not cruelty from anyone in particular, but the small choices people make about whether to stare, laugh or look away. The precept gives the students a simple way to decide.

On Children’s Day, it is a lesson worth passing on. Children often have a strong sense of fairness and of being right. Teaching them early that kindness matters more than winning is one of the most useful things we can do, and it works for grown-ups too.

About Wonder

Released in 2017 and directed by Stephen Chbosky, Wonder is based on R.J. Palacio’s bestselling novel. It follows Auggie Pullman, a boy with a facial difference who starts attending school for the first time, and shows how his family, classmates and teachers respond. Jacob Tremblay plays Auggie, with Julia Roberts as his mother Isabel, Owen Wilson as his father Nate and Daveed Diggs as Mr. Browne. The film was widely loved for its warmth and its message of “choose kind.”