Wikiquote:Assume good faith

This page is a guideline on Wikiquote. It tells about ways to do things, which many users agree should be the way things should be done. Major changes to this page should be talked about on the talk page before changing.

To assume good faith is an important policy of Wikiquote. In letting anyone edit, we must believe that most people who work on the project are trying to help it, not hurt it. If this was not true, a project like Wikiquote would not work. When you believe that a mistake someone made was an attempt to help the project, correct it without being mean to the editor. When you do not agree with someone, remember that they believe that they are helping. Think about using talk pages to explain, and give others the chance to do the same. This can avoid conflict and stop problems from getting worse.

Be patient with new editors and do not bite them. Wikiquote is different from most cultures and communities, and many people may not know about how we work. They may make mistakes or not show respect for community policies. A new editor may believe that a policy should be changed to match their experience somewhere else. Also, many new editors may be experts or have experiences that are helpful for our project. These people are just trying to help.

Assuming good faith is about intentions (why people do what they do), not actions (what they do). People who try to help sometimes make mistakes, and you should correct those mistakes. However, you should not think their mistakes were meant to be hurtful or vandalism. Correct their mistake, but do not be mean or rude. You will probably not agree with everyone here. Even if they are wrong, that does not mean they are trying to make Wikiquote worse. You may even find it hard to work with some people. That does not mean they are trying to make Wikiquote worse either. It is never necessary that we assume an editor's actions are in bad faith, even if bad faith seems clear, because reverting and blocking can be performed because of actions, not intent.

Saying that the other side in a conflict is not assuming good faith can be a form of not assuming good faith.

This policy does not require editors to continue to assume good faith when there is evidence that they have bad faith. Actions that are not consistent with good faith include vandalism, sockpuppetry, and lying. Assuming good faith also does not mean that no action by editors should be criticized, but instead that criticism should not be attributed to badness unless there is specific evidence of badness.