Marcus Aurelius on character

In the life of a man, his time is but a moment…his sense, a dim rushlight. All that is body is as coursing waters…all that is of the soul, as dreams, and vapors.

I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.

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