Wise Words
Character
“We aim to develop physique, mentality and character in our students; but because the first two are menaces without the third, the greatest of these is character.”
Joseph Dana Allen, Headmaster, Poly Prep Magazine Fall 1989
“Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses or avoids.”
Aristotle, (384 BC–322 BC), Greek philosopher
“To enjoy the things we ought and to hate the things we ought has the greatest bearing on excellence of character.”
Aristotle, (384 BC–322 BC), Greek philosopher
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke, (1729–1797), Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, & philosopher
“A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.”
Albert Camus, (1913-1960), French author, philosopher, & journalist
“Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.”
Henry Clay, (1777–1852), American statesman & orator
“Character is higher than intellect.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, (1803–1882), American essayist, philosopher, & poet
“How true Daddy’s words were when he said: ‘All children must look after their own upbringing.’ Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”
Anne Frank, (1929–1945)
“Character is not made in a crisis — it is only exhibited.”
Robert Freeman
“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.”
Horace Greeley, (1811–1872), American newspaper editor, reformer, & politician
“Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.”
Napoleon Hill, (1883–1970), American author
“People do not lack strength; they lack will.”
Victor Hugo, (1802–1885), French poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, & statesman
“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power.”
Robert Ingersoll, (1833–1899), American political leader & orator
“It is part of the American character to consider nothing as desperate — to surmount every difficulty by resolution and contrivance.”
Thomas Jefferson, (1743–1826), 3rd President of the US
“A man’s character is determined by how hard he fights for what he believes in.”
Aben Kandel & Warren Duff, The Iron Major film, 1943
“Character matters; leadership descends from character.”
Rush Limbaugh, American radio host & conservative political commentator
“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”
Abraham Lincoln, (1809–1865), 16th President of the US
“The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.”
Thomas B. Macaulay, (1800–1859), British poet, historian & politician
“In the long-run, the best proof of a good character is good actions.”
John Stuart Mill, (1806–1873), British philosopher, political economist, & politician
“Character is what you are in the dark.”
Dwight L. Moody, (1837–1899), American evangelist & publisher
“Character is much easier kept than recovered.”
Thomas Paine, (1737–1809), pamphleteer, revolutionary, inventor, & intellectual
“Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us.”
Thomas Paine, (1737–1809), pamphleteer, revolutionary, inventor, & intellectual
“This is the final test of a gentleman: His respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.”
William Lyon Phelps, (1865–1943), American author, critic & scholar
“When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.”
Plato, (428/427 BC–348/347 BC), Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, & writer
“I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within.”
Titus Maccius Plautus, (c. 254–184 BCE), Roman playwright
“Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.”
Ptolemy, (90 – 168), Roman mathematician, astronomer, geographer, & astrologer
“The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: initiative, imagination, individuality, and independence.”
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker, (1890–1973), American fighter ace & Medal of Honor recipient
“You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, (c. 4 BC – AD 65), Roman philosopher, statesman, dramatist, & humorist
“Character, not circumstances, makes the man.”
Booker T. Washington, (1856–1915), American educator, orator, & author
“Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught.”
J.C. Watts, American politician & Baptist minister
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