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Quotes About Character

you ought to be good even if you did not believe that you would burn in torment forever if you were bad;
~ Unknown
Certainly a liberal education does manifest itself in a courtesy, propriety, and polish of word and action, which is beautiful in itself, and acceptable to others; but it does much more. It brings the mind into form,—for the mind is like the body.
~ John Henry Newman
To obtain the gift of holiness is the work of a life.
~ John Henry Newman
Did the rhythm of the train on the tracks somehow unravel her and make her behave out of character? Was she altered in transit, when her feet were not upon the ground?
~ John Irving
The point was - he wasn't acting . It was as if he'd forgotten how! Jack still knew his lines, but he was out of character... Jack had stopped acting. He was just Jack Burns - the real Jack Burns at last.
~ John Irving
She asserted that the best fictional detail was a chosen detail, not a remembered one - for fictional truth was not only the truth of observation, which was the truth of mere journalism. The best fictional detail was the detail that should have defined the character or the episode or the atmosphere. Fictional truth was what should have happened in a story - not necessarily what did happen or what had happened.
~ John Irving
A man named Hero washed the press cloths; Meany Hyde told Homer that the man had been a kind of hero, once. 'That's all I heard. He's been comin' here for years, but he was a hero. Just once,' Meany added, as if there might be more shame attached to the rarity of the man's heroism than there was glory to be sung for his moment in the sun.
~ John Irving
When, if only for a moment, the novelist steps out of the creator's role, what roles are there for the novelist to step into? There are only creators of stories and characters in stories; there are no other roles. Ruth had never felt such anticipation before. She felt she had absolutely no will to take control of what happened next; in fact, she was exhilarated not to be in charge. She was happy not to be the novelist. She was not the writer of this story, yet the story thrilled her.
~ John Irving
His mind was closed to the possibility of a new story; there was no room in his heart for a new character of God's holy choosing, or for a new
~ John Irving
Chlípnost dohání i ty nejlepÅ¡í muže tak daleko, že jednají zp?sobem, naprosto neodpovídajícím jejich charakteru.
~ John Irving
It's a good job to lose!" Jack called after them, but they kept walking. He was so bad as Melody, even Wild Bill Vanvleck would have made him repeat the line. The point was—he wasn't acting. It was as if he'd forgotten how! Jack still knew his lines, but he was out of character. He had a sister, and he loved her; she'd said she loved him, too. Jack had stopped acting. He was just Jack Burns—the real Jack Burns at last.
~ John Irving
Patton loved war; Monty loved himself.
~ John Julius Norwich
In passing however I must say of one thing that has pressed upon me lately and encreased my Humility and capability of submission and that is this truth - Men of Genius are great as certain ethereal Chemicals operating on the Mass of neutral intellect - but they have not any individuality, any determined Character - I would call the top and head of those who have a proper self Men of Power.
~ John Keats
But even now I am perhaps not speaking from myself, but from some Character in whose soul I now live. I am sure however that this next sentence is from myself—I feel your anxiety, good opinion, and friendship, in the highest degree, and am Yours most sincerely John Keats.
~ John Keats
The imagination of a boy is healthy, and the mature imagination of a man is healthy; but there is a space of life between, in which the soul is in a ferment, the character undecided, the way of life uncertain, the ambition thick-sighted: thence proceeds mawkishness, and all the thousand bitters which those men I speak of must necessarily taste in going over the following pages.
~ John Keats
Clean, hard-working, dependable, quiet type.' Good God! What kind of monster is this that they want. I am afraid that I could never work for a concern with a worldview like that.
~ John Kennedy Toole
This guy was a real Pscyho' Mr. Levy said. 'To you character is a psychosis, integrity is a complex. I've heard it all before.
~ John Kennedy Toole
To you character is a psychosis. Integrity is a complex.
~ John Kennedy Toole
producing Mr. Reilly in the abundant flesh.
~ John Kennedy Toole
for the young Louis XV: Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans, was a man who combined a negligible intellect with deeply committed self-indulgence.
~ John Kenneth Galbraith
Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it'll always get you the right ones.
~ John Lennon
Later, I went back and looked at it and realized that the walrus was the bad guy in the story and the carpenter was the good guy. I thought, Oh, shit, I picked the wrong guy. I should have said, 'I am the carpenter.' But that wouldn't have been the same, would it? 'I am the carpenter….
~ John Lennon
Every man is as Nature made him, and sometimes a great deal worse. MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
~ John Lloyd
Every man is as Heaven made him, and sometimes a great deal worse. MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
~ John Lloyd