Harsh censure and reproach alienate the erring, whereas gentleness and a tender spirit encourage recovery.
Draft interpretation · MH 166.4
Original passage
It is always humiliating to have one's errors pointed out. None should make the experience more bitter by needless censure. No one was ever reclaimed by reproach; but many have thus been repelled and have been led to steel their hearts against conviction. A tender spirit, a gentle, winning deportment, may save the erring and hide a multitude of sins.
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