Golden Rule facts for kids

The Golden Rule is a simple idea about how to treat people. It means you should treat others the way you want to be treated. This rule is called "golden" because it's very valuable. It helps people live together peacefully. Many cultures and societies have used this rule for a long time.

What is the Golden Rule?

Many religions and belief systems share this important idea. For example, in Christianity, Jesus Christ taught the Golden Rule. He shared it during a famous talk called the Sermon on the Mount. This teaching is found in the Bible, in Matthew chapter 7, verse 12. Jesus said that this rule summed up all the good things taught in the Jewish law. It means we should always be kind and helpful to others. We should not just treat people how we think they deserve. Instead, we should always be merciful and generous.

Different Ways to Say It

This idea is also known as the "ethic of reciprocity." It means giving back to others what you receive. Sometimes, the Golden Rule is said in a different way. It might be expressed as: "Do not treat others as you would not like to be treated." This is often called the "negative" form of the Golden Rule.

The Golden Rule Through History

The idea behind the Golden Rule is very old. It has appeared in many different cultures and religions throughout history. Here are some examples of how this rule has been shared over time:

• Around 950 BC: "...by making dharma (right conduct) your main focus, treat others as you treat yourself." - Mahabharata Shānti-Parva 167:9 (Hinduism)
• Around 600 BC: "Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing." – Thales (Greek philosopher)
• Around 500 BC: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." - Buddha Udanavarga 5:18 (Buddhism)
• Around 500 BC: "A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated." — Sutrakritanga, 1.11.33 (Jainism)
• Around 480 BC: "Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?" The Master replied: "How about 'shu' [reciprocity]: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?" - Confucius Analects 15:24
• Around 400 BC: "Do not do to others that which angers you when they do it to you." - Isocrates (Greek philosopher)
• Around 350 BC: "That which you hate to be done to you, do not do to another." - Egyptian Papyrus, Brooklyn 47:218:135
• Around 50 BC: "What you do not want to happen to you, do not do it yourself either." - Sextius (Greek philosopher)
• Around 1 AD: "Do not do to others what you know has hurt yourself" - Tirukkural (Tamil Hinduism)
• Around 400 AD: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation..." - Babylonian Talmud Shabbath 31:a (Judaism)
• Around 600 AD: "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." - Muhammad, various hadiths (Islam)
• Around 800 AD: "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others." Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29 (Zoroastrianism)
• Around 1200 AD: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." Treatise on the Response of the Tao (Taoism)
• Around 1400 AD: "If the entire Dharma can be said in a few words, then it is — that which is unfavorable to us, do not do that to others." Padmapuraana 19/357–358 (Hinduism)
• Around 1850 AD: "And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." Baha'ullah (Baha'i Faith)

Related pages

• Quid pro quo is when a return favour is definitely expected.

Images for kids

• 

  "Golden Rule Sign" that hung above the door of the employees' entrance to the Acme Sucker Rod Factory in Toledo, Ohio, 1913.

• 

  The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch (1877) portrays Jesus teaching during the Sermon on the Mount

See also

In Spanish: Regla de oro (ética) para niños