There is nothing so strong as gentleness and nothing so gentle as true strength," is commonly attributed to Saint Francis de Sales, What he meant was that the strongest people are loving , kind and nurturing. They take care of other people . They make them Feel safe and protected. They make them feel like their tears or pain matters. To think that strength is making other people feel weak is itself a weak man's idea of strength. Instead, to be strong work on yourself each and every day. It is a desire to grow, what Nietzsche called the delight of self mastery. A strong person doesn't want to be a master over others but is already a master over themselves. This mastery starts with the heart, our level of understanding emotion and our awareness to others. There is nothing so gentle as true strength and nothing as strong as gentleness.