Alex Haley? Madison Babcock? William Paton Ker? Charles W. Leadbeater? Jesse Owens? Nathan Rotenstreich? Ovid? Anonymous?
Find the good and praise it.
This precept has been attributed to bestselling U.S. author Alex Haley and others. Would you please explore this topic?
Quote Investigator: Alex Haley did present this guidance within an article he wrote in 1982, but he did not claim to be its originator.
This general notion is reflected in Ephesians 4:29 of the Bible. Here is the statement in the King James translation. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[ref] Website: Bible Gateway, Bible Verse: Ephesians 4:29, Translations: King James Version (KJV) and New Living Translation (NLT), Website description: Bible Gateway is a searchable online Bible; a division of Zondervan which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. (Accessed biblegateway.com on February 24, 2022) link [/ref]
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Here is the version in the New Living Translation:
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
The exact expression can be traced back into the nineteenth century. A match occurred in 1896 within a report published by Madison Babcock who was the Superintendent of Schools in San Francisco, California:[ref] 1896, Annual Report of the Public Schools of the City and County of San Francisco for the School and Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1896, Superintendent’s Report by Madison Babcock (Superintendent Schools), Quote Page 186, The Hinton Printing Company, San Francisco, California. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
Don’t label your class “the meanest in school.” If you do, it will strive to live up to the reputation you give it. Be not as some teachers who speak only to snarl at faults. Find the good and praise it, speak sparingly of the bad. None of us desire our wrong deeds oft spoken of; we are always better for the kindly words of our good actions.
QI tentatively credits Madison Babcock with this precise formulation.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.