Tolerance (from Latin tolerare = to bear, to stand, to endure) means patience and indulgence for difference. Tolerance is respect for others' feelings, opinions, likings, beliefs, habits and behaviour even if they are completely different from or completely contrary to ours. Nowa­days, tolerance means respect for others' freedom, thoughts, opinions and lives. Such respect is expressed as indulgence and good-will for what we do not have to con­tribute to and what we accept in the name of democratic freedom.

It was Perycles who was the first to claim that to­le­ran­ce is the basis of democratic stability of the state. In his famous speech he said that the Athens inhabitants cre­ated democracy “guided by indulgence in private life and respect for rights in public life”. Tolerance means resigning from compulsion to impact others' attitudes, excluding hazardous situations (so tolerance for cri­mi­nals and psychopaths does not exist).

Over hundreds of years people killed others not only to gain benefits from rubbery but in the name of cont­ra­ry ideas. At least after the destroying thirty-year war had ended, in Europe the religious tolerance principle was approved. However, (for example in Northern Ire­land) religion is still the reason for disputes and conflicts. It took much more time to achieve tolerance for customs and culture of different groups. Nowadays we face the pro­blem related to tolerance limits. Can we tolerate each act and each attitude or would we rather establish some limits?