Quotes About Character

25. Try how the life of the good man suits thee, the life of him who is satisfied with his portion out of the whole, and satisfied with his own just acts and benevolent disposition.

Virtue alone is happiness, and vice is unhappiness.

Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil.

a good fortune is good disposition of the soul, good emotions and good actions.

It's courtesy and kindness that define a human being

External things are not the problem. It's your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now. If the problem is something in your own character, who's stopping you from setting your mind straight? And if it's that you're not doing something you think you should be, why not just do it? —But there are insuperable obstacles. Then it's not a problem. The cause of your inaction lies outside you.

Does what's happened keep you from acting with justice, generosity, self-control, sanity, prudence, honesty, humility, straightforwardness, and all the other qualities that allow a person's nature to fulfill itself? So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.

Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion.

Remind yourself that your task is to be a good human being; remind yourself what nature demands of people. Then do it, without hesitation, and speak the truth as you see it. But with kindness. With humility. Without hypocrisy.

The noblest kind retribution is to become not like your enemy

nor to showing myself off as a man who practises much discipline, or does benevolent acts in order to make a display

Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and

FROM MY GRANDFATHER VERUS I LEARNED GOOD MORALS AND THE government of my temper.

Whatsoever he said, all men believed him that as he spake, so he thought, and whatsoever he did, that he did it with a good intent.

37. I was once a fortunate man but at some point fortune abandoned me. But true good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortune: good character, good intentions, and good actions.

One who for his word or actions neither needs an oath, nor any man to be a witness.

To change your experience, change your opinion. Stop telling yourself that you're a victim and the pain goes away. What truly hurts you is what makes you a worse person. Don't say you've been harmed if your reason and character are untouched. And no one can muddy your reason and mar your character but yourself.

selfishness; both of them will do you harm. When you start to lose your temper, remember: There's nothing manly about rage. It's courtesy and kindness that define a human being—and a man. That's who possesses strength and nerves and guts, not the angry whiners.

Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear. The same things happen to another, and either because he does not see that they have happened, or because he would show a great spirit, he is firm and remains unharmed. It is a shame then that ignorance and conceit should be stronger than wisdom.

When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly.

When thou hast assumed these names, good, modest, true, rational, a man of equanimity, and magnanimous, take care that thou dost not change these names; and if thou shouldst lose them, quickly return to them.

Disgraceful: that the mind should control the face, should be able to shape and mold it as it pleases, but not shape and mold itself.

All is as thinking makes it so. Your mind will take on the character of your most frequent thoughts: souls are dyed by thoughts.

15. No matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be good. Like gold or emerald or purple repeating to itself, "No matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be emerald, my color undiminished.