CHARACTER

Quote: For character too is a process and an unfolding... among our valued friends is there not someone or other who is a little too self confident and disdainful; whose distinguished mind is a little spotted with commonness; who is a little pinched here and protuberant there with native prejudices; or whose better energies are liable to lapse down the wrong channel under the influence of transient solicitations?

Author: George Eliot 1819-1880, British Novelist


Quote: A character is like an acrostic or Alexandrian stanza; read it forward, backward, or across, it still spells the same thing.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: Do what you know and perception is converted into character.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: Gross and obscure natures, however decorated, seem impure shambles; but character gives splendor to youth, and awe to wrinkled skin and gray hairs.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: Judge of your natural character by what you do in dreams.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: That which we call character is a reserved force which acts directly by presence, and without means. It is conceived of as a certain undemonstrable force, a familiar or genius, by whose impulses the man is guided, but whose counsels he cannot impart.

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist


Quote: One stumble is enough to deface the character of an honorable life.

Author: L. Estrange


Quote: Wealth stays with us a little moment if at all: only our characters are steadfast, not our gold.

Author: Euripides BC 480-406, Greek Tragic Poet


Quote: Character is the sum and total of a person's choices.

Author: P. B. Fitzwater


Quote: I have only got down on to paper, really, three types of people: the person I think I am, the people who irritate me, and the people I'd like to be.

Author: Edward M. Forster 1879-1970, British Novelist, Essayist


Quote: You can buy a person's time; you can buy their physical presence at a given place; you can even buy a measured number of their skilled muscular motions per hour. But you can not buy enthusiasm... you can not buy loyalty. You can not buy the devotion of hearts, minds, or souls. You must earn these.

Author: Clarence Francis


Quote: The final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.

Author: Anne Frank 1929-1945, German Jewish Refugee, Diarist


Quote: Old age and sickness bring out the essential characteristics of a man.

Author: Felix Frankfurter 1882-1965, Austrian-born American Law Teacher, Judge


Quote: Character is not made in a crisis -- it is only exhibited.

Author: Robert Freeman


Quote: Human improvement is from within outward.

Author: James A. Froude 1818-1894, British Historian


Quote: You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.

Author: James A. Froude 1818-1894, British Historian


Quote: Deep down, I'm pretty superficial.

Author: Ava Gardner 1922-1990, American Actress


Quote: Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back on himself. He imposes his own stamp of action, takes responsibility for it, makes it his own.

Author: Charles De Gaulle 1890-1970, French President during World War II


Quote: Success is always temporary. When all is said and one, the only thing you'll have left is your character.

Author: Vince Gill American Country Singer


Quote: Character develops itself in the stream of life.

Author: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist


Quote: Character is formed in the stormy billows of the world.

Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist


Quote: Character, in great and little things, means carrying through what you feel able to do.

Author: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist


Quote: Men show their character in nothing more clearly than what they think laughable.

Author: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist


Quote: Talents are best nurtured in solitude. Character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.

Author: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist


Quote: The formation of one's character ought to be everyone's chief aim.

Author: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist


Quote: You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.

Author: Oliver Goldsmith 1728-1774, Anglo-Irish Author, Poet, Playwright


Quote: Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.

Author: Horace Greeley 1811-1872, American Newspaper Editor


Quote: When God measures man, He puts the tape around his heart -- not his head.

Author: Guideposts


Quote: The happiness of every country depends upon the character of its people, rather than the form of its government.

Author: Thomas C. Haliburton 1796-1865, Canadian Jurist, Author


Quote: A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.

Author: Manly Hall 1901-, American - Founder Philosophical Research Society


Quote: There's a fine line between character building and soul destroying.

Author: Colin Hay


Quote: To keep your character intact you cannot stoop to filthy acts. It makes it easier to stoop the next time.

Author: Katharine Hepburn 1907-, American Actress, Writer


Quote: A man's character is his guardian divinity.

Author: Heraclitus BC 535-475, Greek Philosopher


Quote: Character is our destiny.

Author: Heraclitus BC 535-475, Greek Philosopher


Quote: How difficult it is to save the bark of reputation from the rocks of ignorance.

Author: Francesco Petrarch 1304-1374, Italian Poet, Humanist


Quote: When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.

Author: Plato BC 427?-347?, Greek Philosopher


Quote: I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within.

Author: Titus Maccius Plautus BC 254-184, Roman Comic Poet


Quote: Character is simply habit long continued.

Author: Plutarch 46-120 AD, Greek Essayist, Biographer


Quote: Honor and shame from no condition rise; Act well your part, there all the honor lies.

Author: Alexander Pope 1688-1744, British Poet, Critic, Translator


Quote: If an ass goes traveling it will not come home a horse.

Author: Proverb


Quote: One can easily judge the character of a person by the way they treat people who can do nothing for them.

Author: Proverb


Quote: Some people are born hammers, others anvils.

Author: Proverb


Quote: Wherever man goes to dwell his character goes with him.

Author: African Proverb Sayings of African Origin


Quote: Clear conscience never fears midnight knocking.

Author: Chinese Proverb Sayings of Chinese Origin


Quote: If you stand straight, do not fear a crooked shadow.

Author: Chinese Proverb Sayings of Chinese Origin


Quote: A rich man has no need of character.

Author: Hebrew Proverb Sayings of Hebrew Origin


Quote: You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jelly beans.

Author: Ronald Reagan 1911-, Fortieth President of the USA, Actor


Quote: The real character of a man is found out by his amusements.

Author: Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792, British Artist, Critic


Quote: To have character is to be big enough to take life on.

Author: Mary Caroline Richards


Quote: A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another s.

Author: Jean Paul Richter 1763-1825, German Novelist


Quote: Strong characters are brought out by change of situation, and gentle ones by permanence.

Author: Jean Paul Richter 1763-1825, German Novelist


Quote: The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: initiative, imagination, individuality, and independence.

Author: Edward Vernon Rickenbacker 1890-1973, American Aviator, World War I Ace


Quote: Surmounting difficulty is the crucible that forms character.

Author: Anthony Robbins 1960-, American Author, Speaker, Peak Performance Expert / Consultant


Quote: Character isn't something you were born with and can't change, like your fingerprints. It's something you weren't born with and must take responsibility for forming.

Author: Jim Rohn American Businessman, Author, Speaker, Philosopher


Quote: It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.

Author: Eleanor Roosevelt 1884-1962, American First Lady, Columnist, Lecturer, Humanitarian


Quote: Football doesn't build character. It eliminates weak ones.

Author: Darrell Royal College Football Coach


Quote: Character is the foundation stone upon which one must build to win respect. Just as no worthy building can be erected on a weak foundation, so no lasting reputation worthy of respect can be built on a weak character.

Author: R. C. Samsel


Quote: Character is the basis of happiness and happiness the sanction of character.

Author: George Santayana 1863-1952, American Philosopher, Poet


Quote: It is with trifles and when he is off guard that a man best reveals his character.

Author: Arthur Schopenhauer 1788-1860, German Philosopher


Quote: Life every man holds dear; but the dear man holds honor far more precious dear than life.

Author: William Shakespeare 1564-1616, British Poet, Playwright, Actor


Quote: The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.

Author: William Shakespeare 1564-1616, British Poet, Playwright, Actor


Quote: Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.

Author: Sri Swami Sivananda 1887-, Indian Physician, Sage


Quote: The man who cannot believe in himself cannot believe in anything else. The basis of all integrity and character is whatever faith we have in our own integrity.

Author: Roy L. Smith American Clergyman


Quote: A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you when forget-me-nots are withered. Carve your name on hearts, and not on marble

Author: Charles Haddon Spurgeon 1834-1892, British Baptist Preacher


Quote: A man with a so-called character is often a simple piece of mechanism; he has often only one point of view for the extremely complicated relationships of life.

Author: J. August Strindberg 1849-1912, Swedish Dramatist, Novelist, Poet


Quote: Noble character is best appreciated in those ages in which it can most readily develop.

Author: Publius Cornelius Tacitus 55-117 AD, Roman Historian


Quote: Fame is what you have taken, character is what you give. When to this truth you awaken, then you begin to live.

Author: Bayard Taylor 1825-1878, American Journalist, Traveler, Author


Quote: If a man character is to be abused there's nobody like a relative to do the business.

Author: William M. Thackeray 1811-1863, Indian-born British Novelist


Quote: If all I'm remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I've done a bad job with the rest of my life.

Author: Isiah Thomas American Basketball Player, Coach


Quote: You must regulate your life by the standards you admire when you are at your best.

Author: John M. Thomas


Quote: Pity the man who has a character to support --it is worse than a large family -- he is silent poor indeed.

Author: Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862, American Essayist, Poet, Naturalist


Quote: The universe seems bankrupt as soon as we begin to discuss the characters of individuals.

Author: Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862, American Essayist, Poet, Naturalist


Quote: We falsely attribute to men a determined character -- putting together all their yesterdays -- and averaging them -- we presume we know them. Pity the man who has character to support -- it is worse than a large family -- he is the silent poor indeed.

Author: Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862, American Essayist, Poet, Naturalist


Quote: The highest qualities of character… must be earned.

Author: Lyman Abbott 1835-1922, American Congregational Clergyman and Editor


Quote: It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.

Author: Aeschylus BC 525-456, Greek Dramatist


Quote: Be thou incapable of change in that which is right, and men will rely upon thee. Establish unto thyself principles of action; and see that thou ever act according to them. First know that thy principles are just, and then be thou

Author: Akhenaton BC -~1375, Egyptian King, Monotheist


Quote: Honor is the inner garment of the Soul; the first thing put on by it with the flesh, and the last it layeth down at its separation from it.

Author: Akhenaton BC -~1375, Egyptian King, Monotheist


Quote: It is not what he had, or even what he does which expresses the worth of a man, but what he is.

Author: Henri Frederic Amiel 1821-1881, Swiss Philosopher, Poet, Critic


Quote: The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education.

Author: Maya Angelou 1928-, African-American poet, Writer, Performer


Quote: Temperance is simply a disposition of the mind which binds the passion.

Author: St. Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274, Italian Scholastic Philosopher and Theologian


Quote: Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses or avoids.

Author: Aristotle BC 384-322, Greek Philosopher


Quote: Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.

Author: Aristotle BC 384-322, Greek Philosopher


Quote: My father told me that if you saw a man in a Rolls Royce you could be sure he was not a gentleman unless he was the chauffeur.

Author: Earl of Arran


Quote: The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.

Author: Fred Astaire 1899-1987, American Dancer, Singer, Actor


Quote: If you don't run your own life, somebody else will.

Author: John Atkinson


Quote: When about to commit a base deed, respect thyself, though there is no witness.

Author: Decimus Magnus Ausonius 310-10395, Latin Poet, Man of Letters


Quote: Property may be destroyed and money may lose its purchasing power; but, character, health, knowledge and good judgment will always be in demand under all conditions.

Author: Roger Babson 1875-1967, American Statistician, Columnist


Quote: Character builds slowly, but it can be torn down with incredible swiftness.

Author: Faith Baldwin


Quote: During my eighty-seven years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think.

Author: Bernard M. Baruch 1870-1965, American Financier


Quote: A man's character is the reality of himself; his reputation, the opinion others have formed about him; character resides in him, reputation in other people; that is the substance, this is the shadow.

Author: Henry Ward Beecher 1813-1887, American Preacher, Orator, Writer


Quote: As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

Author: Bible Sacred Scriptures of Christians and Judaism


Quote: Character contributes to beauty. It fortifies a woman as her youth fades.

Author: Jacqueline Bisset 1946-, American Screen Actor


Quote: Let us not say, every man is the architect of his own fortune; but let us say, every man is the architect of his own character.

Author: George D. Boardman


Quote: Character is victory organized.

Author: Napoleon Bonaparte 1769-1821, French General, Emperor


Quote: Few persons are made of such strong fiber that they will make a costly outlay when surface work will pass as well in the market.

Author: E. M. Bounds


Quote: All men are alike in their lower natures; it is in their higher characters that they differ.

Author: Christian Nevell Bovee 1820-1904, American Author, Lawyer


Quote: You don't get in life what you want; you get in life what you are.

Author: Les Brown 1945-, American Speaker, Author, Trainer, Motivator Lecturer


Quote: It is fortunate to be of high birth, but it is no less so to be of such character that people do not care to know whether you are or are not.

Author: Jean De La BruyFre 1645-1696, French Classical Writer


Quote: Temperance is a tree which as for its root very little contentment, and for its fruit calm and peace.

Author: Buddha 568-488 BC, Founder of Buddhism


Quote: There is never a better measure of what a person is than what he does when he is absolutely free to choose.

Author: William M. Bulger 1934-, American Educator, Senator


Quote: The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back.

Author: Abigail Van Buren American Advice Columnist - ''Dear Abby''


Quote: Integrity has no need of rules.

Author: Albert Camus 1913-1960, French Existential Writer


Quote: Show me the man you honor, and I will know what kind of a man you are. It shows me what your ideal of manhood is, and what kind of a man you long to be.

Author: Thomas Carlyle 1795-1881, Scottish Philosopher, Author


Quote: Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.

Author: Oswald Chambers 1874-1917 Scottish Preacher, Author


Quote: Every human being is intended to have a character of his own; to be what no others are, and to do what no other can do.

Author: William Ellery Channing 1780-1842, American Unitarian Minister, Author


Quote: Be your character what it will, it will be known; and nobody will take it upon your word.

Author: Lord Chesterfield 1694-1773, British Statesman, Author


Quote: Character must be kept bright as well as clean.

Author: Lord Chesterfield 1694-1773, British Statesman, Author


Quote: You must look into people, as well as at them.

Author: Lord Chesterfield 1694-1773, British Statesman, Author


Quote: Too often the strong, silent man is silent only because he does not know what to say, and is reputed strong only because he has remained silent.

Author: Winston Churchill 1874-1965, British Statesman, Prime Minister


Quote: As fire when thrown into water is cooled down and put out, so also a false accusation when brought against a man of the purest and holiest character, boils over and is at once dissipated, and vanishes and threats of heaven and sea, himself standing unmoved.

Author: Marcus T. Cicero c. 106-43 BC, Great Roman Orator, Politician


Quote: Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.

Author: Henry Clay 1777-1852, American Statesman, Orator


Quote: Character is what you know you are, not what others think you have.

Author: Marva Collins African-American educator


Quote: The superior man will watch over himself when he is alone. He examines his heart that there may be nothing wrong there, and that he may have no cause of dissatisfaction with himself.

Author: Confucius BC 551-479, Chinese Ethical Teacher, Philosopher


Quote: To be fond of learning is near to wisdom; to practice with vigor is near to benevolence; and to be conscious of shame is near to fortitude. He who knows these three things

Author: Confucius BC 551-479, Chinese Ethical Teacher, Philosopher


Quote: When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.

Author: Confucius BC 551-479, Chinese Ethical Teacher, Philosopher


Quote: It takes a great deal of character strength to apologize quickly out of one's heart rather than out of pity. A person must possess himself and have a deep sense of security in fundamental principles and values in order to genuinely apologize.

Author: Stephen R. Covey American Speaker, Trainer, Author of ''The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People''


Quote: Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconcious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character…

Author: Stephen R. Covey American Speaker, Trainer, Author of ''The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People''


Quote: Though intelligence is powerless to modify character, it is a dab hand at finding euphemisms for its weaknesses.

Author: Quentin Crisp 1908-, British Author


Quote: No artist work is so high, so noble, so grand, so enduring, so important for all time, as the making of character is a child.

Author: Charlotte Saunders Cushman 1816-1876, American Actor


Quote: Characters do not change. Opinions alter, but characters are only developed.

Author: Benjamin Disraeli 1804-1881, British Statesman, Prime Minister


Quote: There is no greater index of character so sure as the voice.

Author: Benjamin Disraeli 1804-1881, British Statesman, Prime Minister


Quote: You can construct the character of a man and his age not only from what he does and says, but from what he fails to say and do.

Author: Norman Douglas 1868-1952, British Author


Quote: Therefore keep in the midst of life. Do not isolate yourself. Be among men and things, and among troubles, and difficulties, and obstacles.

Author: Henry Drummond 1786-1860, British Banker, Politician, Religious Leader


Quote: What you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else. But what you are will be yours forever.

Author: Henry Van Dyke 1852--1933, American Protestant Clergyman and Writer


Quote: Man's character is his fate. Author: Heraclitus BC 535-475, Greek Philosopher

Quote: Character is to man what carbon is to steel.

Author: Napoleon Hill 1883-1970, American Speaker, Motivational Writer, ''Think and Grow Rich''


Quote: Those who cross the sea change only the climate, not their character.

Author: Horace BC 65-8, Italian Poet


Quote: Character is power; it makes friends, draws patronage and support and opens the way to wealth, honor and happiness.

Author: John Howe


Quote: It isn't the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog, that counts.

Author: Harry Howell


Quote: Character is the result of two things: Mental attitude and the way we spend our time.

Author: Elbert Hubbard 1859-1915, American Author, Publisher


Quote: Character is the result of a system of stereotyped principals.

Author: David Hume 1711-1776, Scottish Philosopher, Historian


Quote: What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?

Author: Henry James 1843-1916, American Author


Quote: I have often thought the best way to define a man's character would be to seek out the particular mental or moral attitude in which, when it comes upon him, he felt himself most deeply and intensely active and alive. At such moments there is a voice inside which speaks and says: ''This is the real me!''.

Author: William James 1842-1910, American Psychologist, Professor, Author


Quote: It is well for the world that in most of us, by the age of thirty, the character has set like plaster, and will never soften again.

Author: William James 1842-1910, American Psychologist, Professor, Author


Quote: No matter how full a reservoir of maxims one may possess, and no matter how good one's sentiments may be, if one has not taken advantage of every concrete opportunity to act, one's character may remain entirely unaffected for the better.

Author: William James 1842-1910, American Psychologist, Professor, Author


Quote: The hell to be endured hereafter, of which theology tells, is no worse than the hell we make for ourselves in this world by habitually fashioned our characters in the wrong way.

Author: William James 1842-1910, American Psychologist, Professor, Author


Quote: It is part of the American character to consider nothing as desperate -- to surmount every difficulty by resolution and contrivance.

Author: Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826, Third President of the USA


Quote: Few people can distinguish the genuinely good from the reverse.

Author: (Decimus Junius Juvenalis) Juvenal c.55-c.130, Roman Satirical Poet


Quote: Every man has three characters -- that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has.

Author: Alphonse Karr


Quote: Everyone has three characters, that which they exhibit, that which they have, and that which they think they have.

Author: Alphonse Karr


Quote: Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.

Author: Helen Keller 1880-1968, American Blind/Deaf Author, Lecturer, Amorist


Quote: I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Author: Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964


Quote: By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.

Author: Grenville Kleiser 1868-1953, American Author


Quote: Weakness of character is the only defect which cannot be amended.

Author: Francois De La Rochefoucauld 1613-1680, French Classical Writer


Quote: Keep in mind that the true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good.

Author: Ann Landers 1918-, American Advice Columnist


Quote: Action, looks, words, steps, form the alphabet by which you may spell character.

Author: Johann Kaspar Lavater 1741-1801, Swiss Theologian, Mystic


Quote: You are not very good if you are not better than your best friends imagine you to be.

Author: Johann Kaspar Lavater 1741-1801, Swiss Theologian, Mystic


Quote: You can't go around hoping that most people have sterling moral characters. The most you can hope for is that people will pretend that they do.

Author: Fran Lebowitz 1951-, American Journalist


Quote: To succeed is nothing -- it's an accident. But to feel no doubts about oneself is something very different: it is character.

Author: Marie Leneru


Quote: Underneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character.

Author: Oscar Levant 1906-1972, American Pianist, Actor


Quote: A person reveals his character by nothing so clearly as the joke he resents.

Author: Georg C. Lichtenberg 1742-1799, German Physicist, Satirist


Quote: Character matters; leadership descends from character.

Author: Rush Limbaugh 1951-, American TV Personality


Quote: Good character is like a rubber ball -- thrown down hard -- it bounces right back. Good reputation is like a crystal ball -- thrown for gain -- shattered and cracked.

Author: A. L. Linall Jr. 1947-, American Editor


Quote: Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

Author: Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865, Sixteenth President of the USA


Quote: If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how -- the very best I can. And I mean to keep on doing it to the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out all wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.

Author: Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865, Sixteenth President of the USA


Quote: We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.

Author: Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865, Sixteenth President of the USA


Quote: Between ourselves and our real natures we interpose that wax figure of idealizations and selections which we call our character.

Author: Walter Lippmann 1889-1974, American Journalist


Quote: In this world a man must either be anvil or hammer.

Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1819-1892, American Poet


Quote: Reputation is only a candle, of wavering and uncertain flame, and easily blown out, but it is the light by which the world looks for and finds merit.

Author: James Russell Lowell 1819-1891, American Poet, Critic, Editor


Quote: They are slaves who fear to speak, for the fallen and the weak.

Author: James Russell Lowell 1819-1891, American Poet, Critic, Editor


Quote: Your character will be what you yourself choose to make it.

Author: Sir John Lubbock 1834-1913, British Statesman, Banker, Naturalist


Quote: Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece-by thought, choice, courage and determination.

Author: John Luther


Quote: The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Author: Thomas B. Macaulay 1800-1859, American Essayist and Historian


Quote: Sound character provides the power with which a person may ride the emergencies of life instead of being overwhelmed by them. Failure is... the highway to success.

Author: Og Mandino 1923-1996, American Motivational Author, Speaker


Quote: It is well to think well. It is divine to act well.

Author: Horace Mann 1796-1859, American Educator


Quote: Character is the indelible mark that determines the only true value of all people and all their work.

Author: Orison Swett Marden 1850-1924, American Author, Founder of Success Magazine


Quote: We don't love qualities, we love persons; sometimes by reason of their defects as well as of their qualities.

Author: Jacques Maritain 1882-1973, French Philosopher


Quote: While an original is always hard to find, he is easy to recognize.

Author: John Mason


Quote: If you create an act, you create a habit. If you create a habit, you create a character. If you create a character, you create a destiny.

Author: Andre Maurois 1885-1967, French Writer


Quote: Instill the love of you into all the world, for a good character is what is remembered.

Author: Merikare


Quote: Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.

Author: James A. Michener 1907-, American Writer


Quote: Look, we're all the same; a man is a fourteen-room house --in the bedroom he's asleep with his intelligent wife, in the living-room he's rolling around with some bareass girl, in the library he's paying his taxes, in the yard he's raising tomatoes, and in the cellar he's making a bomb to blow it all up.

Author: Arthur Miller 1915-, American Dramatist


Quote: He that has light within his own clear breast may sit in the center, and enjoy bright day: But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts benighted walks under the mid-day sun;

Author: John Milton 1608-1674, British Poet


Quote: A man's reputation is what other people think of him; his character is what he really is.

Author: Jack Miner


Quote: If anyone tells you someone has changed their character; don't believe it.

Author: Mohammed c.570-c.632, Meccan Spiritual Leader


Quote: If we have need of a strong will in order to do good, it is still more necessary for us in order not to do evil.

Author: Mole


Quote: Too many lives are needed to make just one.

Author: Eugenio Montale 1896-1981, Italian Poet


Quote: Character is what you are in the dark.

Author: Dwight L. Moody 1837-1899, American Evangelist


Quote: A character is a completely fashioned will.

Author: Novalis 1772-1801, German Poet, Novelist


Quote: Character development is the aim of education.

Author: O'Shea


Quote: Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Character is much easier kept than recovered.

Author: Thomas Paine 1737-1809, Anglo-American Political Theorist, Writer


Quote: Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us.

Author: Thomas Paine 1737-1809, Anglo-American Political Theorist, Writer


Quote: An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable; A villain, like the beams of a balance, is always varying, upwards and downwards, himself his own dungeon.

Author: Saskya Pandita 1182-1251, Tibetan Grand Lama of Saskya


Quote: Not to be cheered by praise, not to be grieved by blame, but to know thoroughly ones own virtues or powers are the characteristics of an excellent man.

Author: Saskya Pandita 1182-1251, Tibetan Grand Lama of Saskya


Quote: Character is the impulse reined down into steady continuance.

Author: Charles H. Parkhurst 1842-1933, American Clergyman, Reformer


Quote: I have conquered an empire but I have not been able to conquer myself.

Author: Peter The Great 1672-1725, Tsar of Russia from1682-1721 and Emperor from 1721-5


Quote: We know but a few men, a great many coats and breeches.

Author: Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862, American Essayist, Poet, Naturalist


Quote: While he was not as dumb as an ox, he was not any smarter either.

Author: James Thurber 1894-1961, American Humorist, Illustrator


Quote: The depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves. People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life, for only then do they have to fall back on their reserves.

Author: Leon Trotsky 1879-1940, Russian Revolutionary


Quote: To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours.

Author: Mark Twain 1835-1910, American Humorist, Writer


Quote: Before you advise anyone ''Be yourself!'' reassess his character.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Character is a victory, not a gift.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Character is always lost when a high ideal is sacrificed on the altar of conformity and popularity.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Character is another thing that is formed in youth and reformed in marriage.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Character is like the foundation of a house -- it is below the surface.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Character is made by many acts; it may be lost by a single one.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Clothes don't tell the character of the man, but they just as well talk for him as against him.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: If you don't like your own character there may be a new one ready-made and waiting for you. The snake sheds its skin with impunity, relying on the same nature which you rely on.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: It is better for the development of character and contentment to do certain things badly for yourself than to have them done better for you by someone else.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of power are feared; but only men of character are trusted.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Nothing marks the character of a young man more than failure.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: Testimony is like an arrow shot from a long bow and the force of it depends on the strength of the arm from which it was shot. Argument is like a bullet fired from a gun and has equal force even when issued from a child.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: The higher character a person supports the more they should regard their smallest actions.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: The lord will not hold back the promises, even if the person who makes them is not worthy.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: The test of any man's character is how he takes praise.

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: You can't truthfully explain your smallest action without fully revealing your character.''

Author: Source Unknown


Quote: They attack the one man with their hate and their shower of weapons. But he is like some rock which stretches into the vast sea and which, exposed to the fury of the winds and beaten against by the waves, endures all the violence

Author: Virgil c. 70 - 19 BC, Roman Poet


Quote: The only way to compel men to speak good of us is to do it.

Author: Voltaire 1694-1778, French Historian, Writer


Quote: Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.

Author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 1922-, American Novelist


Quote: Character is power.

Author: Booker T. Washington 1856-1915, American Black Leader and Educator


Quote: Character, not circumstances, makes the man.

Author: Booker T. Washington 1856-1915, American Black Leader and Educator


Quote: Nothing endures but personal qualities.

Author: Walt Whitman 1819-1892, American Poet


Quote: It is only the superficial qualities that last. Man's deeper nature is soon found out.

Author: Oscar Wilde 1856-1900, British Author, Wit


Quote: Character is a by-product; it is produced in the great manufacture of daily duty.

Author: Woodrow T. Wilson 1856-1924, Twenty-eighth President of the USA


Quote: If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself. Character is a by-product, and any man who devotes himself to its cultivation in his own case will become a selfish prig.

Author: Woodrow T. Wilson 1856-1924, Twenty-eighth President of the USA


Quote: Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Author: John Wooden 1910-, American Basketball Coach


Quote: The man that makes a character, makes foes.

Author: Edward Young 1683-1765, British Poet, Dramatist