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Quotes about character

276 quotes from 175 people

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From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw
Edgar Allan Poe1809–1849Alone, ll. 1–3 (written 1829, published 1875)In context
Of Manners gentle, of Affections mild;
In Wit, a Man; Simplicity, a Child.
Alexander Pope1688–1744“Epitaph on Gay” (1733), lines 1-2. Reported in The Poems of Alexander Pope, ed. John Butt, sixth edition (Yale University Press, 1970), p. 818
To judge a man by his weakest link or deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave.
Elvis Presley1935–1977Handwritten note in his King James Bible
Very simply, diverse personalities are to be found in the breast of each of us, and often the life of more than one superior man is nothing but the coexistence of a philosopher and a snob.
Marcel Proust1871–1922Notes to his translation of Ruskin’s Sesame and Lilies (Sésame et les lys, 1906); in Marcel Proust: On Reading Ruskin, tr. Jean Autret and William Burford (Yale University Press, 1987), p. 152
Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.
Edwin Arlington Robinson1869–1935Miniver Cheevy (1907)In context
The most important thing for a young man is to establish a credit — a reputation, character.
John D. Rockefeller1839–1937The Men Who Are Making America (1918) by Bertie Charles Forbes
It’s our insides that make us who we are, that allow us to dream and wonder and feel for others. That’s what’s essential. That’s what will always make the biggest difference in our world.
Fred Rogers1928–2003Commencement Address at Middlebury College May, 2001
I have never felt that anything really mattered but the satisfaction of knowing that you stood for the things in which you believed and had done the very best you could.
Eleanor Roosevelt1884–1962My Day (1935–1962) (8 November 1944)
We despise and abhor the bully, the brawler, the oppressor, whether in private or public life, but we despise no less the coward and the voluptuary.
Theodore Roosevelt1858–1919Nobel lecture (1910)
- Courage
In private life there are few beings more obnoxious than the man who is always loudly boasting; and if the boaster is not prepared to back up his words his position becomes absolutely contemptible.
Theodore Roosevelt1858–1919National Duties (Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick) (1901)
- Pride
Inefficiency is a curse; and no good intention atones for weakness of will and flabbiness of moral, mental, and physical fiber.
Theodore Roosevelt1858–1919The Progressives, Past and Present (1910)
Philosopher, metaphysician,
Rhymer, brawler, and musician,
Famed for his lunar expedition,
And the unnumbered duels he fought,⁠—
And lover also,⁠—by interposition!⁠—
Here lies Hercule Savinien
De Cyrano de Bergerac,
Who was everything, yet was naught.
Edmond Rostand1868–1918Cyrano de Bergerac (1897), Act V: Cyrano’s Gazette, Scene VI, spoken by CyranoIn context
- Life & Death
There are few things as nauseating as pure obedience.
Patrick Rothfussborn 1973The Name of the Wind (2007), Chapter 75, “Interlude—Obedience” (p. 593)
Whenever the last trumpet shall sound, I will present myself before the sovereign judge with this book in my hand, and loudly proclaim, thus have I acted; these were my thoughts; such was I.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712–1778Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1765-1770; published 1782), Book I
- Writing
The lion who breaks the enemy’s ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself.
Rumi1207–1273I, 1389
- Courage