Character Quotes - Page 16

None of us commences life utterly alone. We each carry within our granular mass the protoplasm residue of past generations’ ideas, customs, values, infatuations, prejudices, ethics, and mores. The lees wrought from our seedlings contribute to the social order that oversees a newborn’s future. How we conduct ourselves in the here and now emulates our heritage, delineates the parameters of the present culture, and sets the embryonic stage for the emergent ethos of our future and for the generations of people whom we will never meet.

Drivers should not drive more than a minute without having a (purposefully-designed) curve.

Character and purpose are directly linked to confidence and conviction. What links them? Courage – to be oneself, no matter what others might say.

Life will never meet all of our expectations. We must nonetheless accept all disappointments without becoming bitter and cynical. We must always remain mindful of the opportunity to extend kindness and work to improve our character.

The day you find out who you are is when you look back and realize that it was never the words, rather your actions that defined you.

People will reveal themselves to you. In single moments they show you what they are.

It is neither trials nor relationships nor successes nor failures that define a man, but the choices he makes while handling them.

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.

Still, I never heard him say that he hated or wanted to hurt or kill someone for all the horrific things that had been happening to him and his family.

Virtue is what happens when habitual choices have been wise.

The few people who earned my respect are those who are predictable in their character but totally unpredictable the way they think!

The measure of your character and mental toughness is the space between what you are doing and what you could be doing

[J]ust the sight of this book, even though it was of no authority, made me wonder how it happened that so many different men – and learned men among them – have been and are so inclined to express both in speaking and in their treatises and writings so many wicked insults about women and their behaviour. Not only one or two ... but, more generally, from the treatises of all philosophers and poets and from all the orators – it would take too long to mention their names – it seems that they all speak from one and the same mouth. Thinking deeply about these matters, I began to examine my character and conduct as a natural woman and, similarly, I considered other women whose company I frequently kept, princesses, great ladies, women of the middle and lower classes, who had graciously told me of their most private and intimate thoughts, hoping that I could judge impartially and in good conscience whether the testimony of so many notable men could be true. To the best of my knowledge, no matter how long I confronted or dissected the problem, I could not see or realise how their claims could be true when compared to the natural behaviour and character of women.

Every man whose tastes have been allowed to develop in wrong directions, or in whom the best tastes have failed of higher perfection, loses thereby from the inner joy and outer value of his whole life. Every good taste is a source and guarantee of happy healthy hours and days, and thus of the enrichment and elevation of life. A reasonable capacity to appreciate music and art quite suffices to enrich life and exercise a wholesome influence upon character. The taste for good reading is inseparable from a taste for good thinking.

We are all daughters of God in various stages of construction.

It is character that communicates most eloquently.

Your responsibility is to not question God’s actions or what looks like a lack of action. Your obligation is to count on God’s character.

What we did and who we were are just dregs compared to who we are now and how we act when the sword is coming down.

I've discovered that in life, it doesn't matter how good of a person you are; it's human nature to be judged and to judge others by the blood they carry and the company they keep.

I honor you for every timethis year you:got back upvibrated highershined your lightand loved and elevatedbeyond—the call of duty.

When we connect to Creator, our sacred character develops.

You may gain a position, but that does not mean you've gained leadership. You may lose position, but that does not mean you've lost leadership! When you gain true character, you can leadership and when you lose it, you cease to be a leader!

Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.

Every country is a battlefield for the struggle between honest and dishonest, between honourable and honourless people! At the end, the character of that country will be determined by whichever group wins!

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters

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

Time provides all of us with the opportunity to change, alter our belief system, and create new perspectives that challenge a person’s character and teach him or her how to become a happier and wiser person.

People usually gossip about people they don't quite understand, are jealous of, or have other negative feelings for.

He lives who dies to win a lasting name.

Small kindnesses, small courtesies, small considerations, habitually practised in our social intercourse, give a greater charm to the character than the display of great talents and accomplishments.

The Prophet's character was termed tremendous because his concern was for God alone.

Good breeding a union of kindness and independence.

Make no mistake. You are your most important critic and your conscience your most important judge of character.

If not as a true human, let me tell you as a Biologist, color of the skin does not define an individual’s intelligence – it does not define an individual’s ambitions - it does not define an individual’s dreams – and above all, it does not define an individual’s character.

Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and smiled his sunny smile.'I like that idea. It's reassuring. If we can have no secrets, it means we can't, after all, go so far afield as we might,' he hesitated, 'yes, as we might.'Eastman looked at him sourly. 'Cavenaugh, when you've practiced law in New York for twelve years, you find that people can't go far in any direction, except-' He thrust his forefinger sharply at the floor.'Even in that direction, few people can do anything out of the ordinary. Our range is limited. Skip a few baths, and we become personally objectionable. The slightest carelessness can rot a man's integrity or give him ptomaine poisoning. We keep up only be incessant cleansing operations, of mind and body. What we call character, is held together by all sorts of tacks and strings and glue. ("Consequences")

Don't make excuses for your mistakes.Don't try to please your enemies.Don't run from your responsibilities.Don't force your opinions on others.Don't complain about things you can change.Don't compare yourself to anyone.Don't let undeserving people into your life.

It was an instinctive testimony to Little Dorrit's worth and difference from all the rest, that the poor young fellow honoured and loved her for being simply what she was.

It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close.

Character, simply stated, is doing what you say you’re going to do.

Courage was not something one picked out of the air. It was something like a bank account. You could withdraw only so much before it was necessary to stop, to take the time to make new deposits.

Decisions of character come from understanding that they are accountable to God only, not to family, spouses, religious leaders, corporations, public opinion or your own ego.

The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character.

May any praise of your character come from others instead of yourself.

It's not the tailor that makes the man.

Heroes are not made. They are born out of circumstances and rise to the occasion when their spirit can no longer coexist with the hypocrisy of injustice to others.

Never forget your past for your future as one day your future will again be your past

The true measure of a person’s character is how one handles one’s failures, not successes.

Collectives can’t make money from virtues they make money from weakness. Where there are no weak, they create weak. Cowards hate strong people.

Have the mind of a swam, the heart of a lion, the tongue of a serpent, the flair of a swam, and the soul of a dove.

Happiness consists not of having, but of being; not of possessing, but of enjoying. It is a warm glow of the heart at peace with itself. A martyr at the stake may have happiness that a king on his throne might envy. Man is the creator of his own happiness. It is the aroma of life, lived in harmony with high ideals. For what a man has he may be dependent upon others; what he is rests with him alone.

Your uncompromising attitude makes people feel pathetic. Your very existence reminds them just how much they’ve sold out, and the more you’re acclaimed, the punier they themselves appear. When it’s like that, the only way they can fight back is by dragging you down. The bullshit gives them back a little bit of dignity – at least that’s what they imagine.

Life goes headlong. We chase some flying scheme, or we are hunted by some fear or command behind us. But if suddenly we encounter a friend, we pause; our heat and hurry look foolish enough; now pause, now possession, is required, and the power to swell the moment from the resources of the heart. The moment is all, in all noble relations.

It's easier to maintain a good character than to recover it when it's gone bad!

Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on.

A person’s authentic nature is a series of shifting, variegated planes that establish themselves as he relates to different people; it is created by and appears within the framework of his interpersonal relationships.

Minds that have withered into psychosis are far more terrifying than any character of fiction.

The trait I regard most highly in a man is kindness. Thoughtful, consistent kindness. All other qualities—whether charming, witty, handsome, enterprising, powerful, seductive, or ingenious—wither in comparison to a truly kind man.

We all are men, in our own natures frail, and capable of our flesh; few are angels.

Replace the negative traits of your character by the traits you want to have

A strong work ethic is a form of accountability, because it involves keeping a promise to one's employer. It is not the same thing as workaholism.