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Quotes about character

276 quotes from 175 people

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He flattered himself on being a man without any prejudices; and this pretension itself is a very great prejudice.
Anatole France1844–1924The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard (1881), Pt. II, ch. 4
- Pride
Like most of the others, I was a seeker, a mover, a malcontent, and at times a stupid hell-raiser. I was never idle long enough to do much thinking, but I felt somehow that my instincts were right.
Hunter S. Thompson1937–2005The Rum Diary (1998)
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others.
Jimmy Carter1924–2024Carter, J. (1977). A government as good as its people. New York: Simon and Schuster.
- Power
Above all things, one should maintain his self-respect, and there is but one way to do that, and that is to live in accordance with your highest ideal.
Robert G. Ingersoll1833–1899The trial of Charles B. Reynolds for blasphemy (1887)
- Advice
Every man and woman is a mystery, built like those Chinese puzzles which consist of one box inside another, so that ten or twelve boxes have to be opened before the final solution is found.
Robertson Davies1913–1995The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks (1947)
Two people may be at the same spot in manners and behaviour, and yet one may be getting better, and the other worse, which is the greatest of differences that could possibly exist between them.
George MacDonald1824–1905The Princess and Curdie (1883)
So material a difference does it make, not what ills are suffered, but what kind of man suffers them. For, stirred up with the same movement, mud exhales a horrible stench, and ointment emits a fragrant odor.
Augustine of Hippo354–430The City of God (early 400s)
The real test of a man is not how well he plays the role he has invented for himself, but how well he plays the role that destiny assigned to him.
Václav Havel1936–2011Disturbing the Peace (1986), Ch. 2: Writing for the Stage, p. 72
What I stand for
is what I stand on.
Wendell Berry1934–2026“Below” in A Part (1980)
- Nature
I will not take the low road to the highest office in this land. I want the presidency in the best way, not the worst way.
John McCain1936–2018Remarks following the South Carolina Primary (19 February 2000).
- Presidency
Every human being has within him an ideal man, just as every piece of marble contains in a rough state a statue as beautiful as the one that Praxiteles the Greek made of the god Apollo.
José Martí1853–1895Martí: Thoughts/Pensamientos (1994)
- Inspiration
The true definition of a snob is one who craves for what separates men rather than for what unites them.
John Buchan1875–1940Pilgrim’s Way (1940), p. 241
That everyone is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else. That this isn’t necessarily perverse.
David Foster Wallace1962–2008Infinite Jest (1996)
Words like virtue, nobility, honor, honesty, generosity, have become almost impossible to use or else they have acquired bastard meanings; language is no longer equipped for legitimately praising a man’s character.
Simone Weil1909–1943“The Responsibility of Writers”, in On Science, Necessity, and the Love of God (1968), p. 168
- Virtue
I’ve never minded being disciplined. I’d always rather have a quiet evening in than go to a wild party. Discipline for me has always been the foundation which leaves me free to fly.
Julie Andrewsborn 1935Woman & Home (July 2000)
- Freedom