Quotes About Character

We aren't our mistakes. It's what we do about the mistake that shows who we are.

Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

in a prosperous country, in peacetime – notwithstanding those heavy blows of fate to which nobody was immune, and those strokes of unearned luck of which Inigo, the inheritor of wealth, had clearly benefited – character was the most powerful determinant of life's course.

We aren't our mistakes. It's what we do -about- the mistake that shows who we are. [Dr. Margot Bamborough to Gloria Conti]

It was difficult for him to decide whether she was sincere, or performing her own character; her beauty got in the way, like a thick cobweb through which it was difficult to see her clearly.

in a prosperous country, in peacetime – notwithstanding those heavy blows of fate to which nobody was immune, and those strokes of unearned luck of which Inigo, the inheritor of wealth, had clearly benefited – character was the most powerful determinant of life's course. 'Did

The older Strike got, the more he'd come to believe that in a prosperous country, in peacetime – notwithstanding those heavy blows of fate to which nobody was immune, and those strokes of unearned luck of which Inigo, the inheritor of wealth, had clearly benefited – character was the most powerful determinant of life's course.

Jasper always said, "Tory faithful likes bastards or buffoons", and that he was neither one nor the other.

Staring down at his napkin, he resembled a scruffy heron. Tempest,

Do not be too hard on Mr. Cramer," Wolfe replied. "His job is a difficult and often thankless one. He constantly receives assaults from all sides. His superiors in the department demand arrests, the newspapers demand arrests, the public demands arrests. I agree that he is cantankerous, contentious, and often thickheaded. But he also is honest, hardworking, and fearless. The department would do well to have more men like him in their ranks.

The place does not make the man, nor the sceptre the king. Greatness is from within.

Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life's artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.

person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of respect.

Good leaders must first become good servants.

People do not lose respect for a man when he's down. They lose it when he refuses to get up.

Houses, housetops, like human beings have wonderful character. The lives of housetops. The wear of the seasons. The country is beautiful, young, growing things. The majesty of trees. The backs of tenement houses are living documents.

Hatfield and her colleagues sum up emotional contagion research with an Arabic proverb: "A wise man associating with the vicious becomes an idiot.

These tests imply an even more fundamental lesson that runs through this book: the difference between how a person treats the powerless versus the powerful is as good a measure of human character as I know.

But if you want to make a place safe for people to take on culprits, and admit their own bad behaviors too, it's crucial to treat alleged jerks with dignity and respect. That means starting with calm and backstage conversations with them and giving them chances to change. It also means realizing that some people aren't usually jerks, but there is something about the characters they work with, their customers

Paul Goodman commented that "Few great men could pass personnel.

If you want to find out what a man is to the bottom, give him power. Any man can stand adversity — only a great man can stand prosperity. It is the glory of Abraham Lincoln that he never abused power only on the side of mercy

To give up your individuality is to annihilate yourself.

Virtue is a subordination of the passions to the intellect. It is to act in accordance with your highest convictions. It does not consist in believing but in doing. Collected works volume 1

Developing leaders who can navigate complexity is now a strategic priority—and, if done well, a competitive advantage. Beyond developing competency and capability, we need to develop leaders with courage and compassion, consciousness and character.