Frederick Douglass on character

No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.

Where there is seeming contentment with slavery, there is certain treachery to freedom.

To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

John Wooden1910–2010

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

Tacitus55–120

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

Ralph Waldo Emerson1803–1882The American Scholar (1837), par. 27