Motivational Quotes

Character

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.

- Beecher, Henry Ward

Best Quotes about Character

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

Reynolds, Sir Joshua

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?

Eliot, George

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.

Bounds, E. M.

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;

Milton, John

Surmounting difficulty is the crucible that forms character.

Robbins, Anthony

The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.

Shakespeare, William

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.

Pandita, Saskya

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

Akhenaton

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

Ralph Waldo Emerson

10.

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

La Rochefoucauld, Francois De

11.

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.

Pandita, Saskya

12.

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

Buddha

13.

Wherever man goes to dwell his character goes with him.

Proverb, African

14.

I take it as a man's duty to restrain himself.

Lois McMaster Bujold

15.

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

Baldwin, Faith

16.

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

Voltaire

17.

A rich man has no need of character.

Proverb, Hebrew

18.

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

King Jr. Martin Luther

19.

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

Covey, Stephen R.

20.

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

Crisp, Quentin

21.

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

Bovee, Christian Nevell

22.

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

23.

The highest qualities of character must be earned.

Abbott, Lyman

24.

In attempts to improve your character, know what is in your power and what is beyond it.

Francis Thompson

25.

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

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von

26.

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.

Covey, Stephen R.

27.

Character is the impulse reined down into steady continuance.

Parkhurst, Charles H.

28.

Everyone has the obligation to ponder well his own specific traits of character. He must also regulate them adequately and not wonder whether someone else's traits might suit him better. The more definitely his own a man's character is, the better it fits him.

Cicero

29.

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

Bisset, Jacqueline

30.

Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.

Confucius

31.

Forming characters! Whose? Our own or others? Both. And in that momentous fact lies the peril and responsibility of our existence.

Elihu Burritt

32.

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.

Arran, Earl of

33.

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.

Baruch, Bernard M.

34.

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

Haliburton, Thomas C.

35.

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.

Rohn, Jim

36.

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

Cushman, Charlotte Saunders

37.

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

Merikare

38.

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

Jefferson, Thomas

39.

Character is to man what carbon is to steel.

Hill, Napoleon

40.

Few people can distinguish the genuinely good from the reverse.

Juvenal, (Decimus Junius Juvenalis)

41.

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

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

42.

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

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

43.

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.

44.

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

Tacitus, Publius Cornelius

45.

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

Reagan, Ronald

46.

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

47.

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.

Buren, Abigail Van

48.

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

Confucius

49.

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

Mason, John L.

50.

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.