The discipline of desire is the background of character.

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.

Noble character is best appreciated in those ages in which it can most readily develop.

Depend on no man, on no friend but him who can depend on himself. He only who acts conscientiously toward himself, will act so toward others.

Circumstances don't make the man, they only reveal him to himself.

Sound character provides the power with which a person may ride the emergencies of life instead of being overwhelmed by them. Failure is... the highway to success.

It is those who concentrates on but one thing at a time who advance in this world. The great man or woman is the one who never steps outside his or her specialty or foolishly dissipates his or her individuality.

A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with - a man is what he makes of himself.

Righteousness is good character, and sin is that which revolves in your heart and which you do not want people to know.

Martial arts is not about fighting; it's about building character.

Character is the basis of happiness and happiness the sanction of character.

If you do not know the laws of right conduct, you cannot form your character.

There is benefit for you in every situation. If, that is, you know how to look for it. The idea behind steady spiritual progress is to see every circumstance and situation (particularly those that challenge you) as a tailor-made lesson in your personal plan for self-development. For example, in a situation where hurtful or angry words were exchanged, why not see it as the chance either to perceive things about your own character which need changing or to rehearse some virtue or quality that you need to put into practice more often? Actually, we should be grateful for the opportunity to evaluate ourselves. In this way you can transform anything into a constructive lesson. Never think that you've learned enough and now can stop. You should love it when people try to correct you or give you advice. It keeps you alert and gives you plenty of opportunity to put your truth into practice. It's a sign of great danger to be unable to accept criticism and instead use your understanding to criticise others. Realise deeply the significance of every moment, and your spiritual progress will be assured.

There is a part of you that is perfect and pure. It is untouched by the less-than-perfect characteristics you have acquired by living in a less than perfect world. This part of you is a still and eternal star. Make time to reach it and this will bring you untold benefit.

Character is much easier kept than recovered.

Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbors.

Part of being a winner is knowing when enough is enough. Sometimes you have to give up the fight and walk away, and move on to something that's more productive.

If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.

A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.

How fortunate for leaders that men do not think.

It is in the treatment of trifles that a person shows what they are.

I respect only those who resist me, but I cannot tolerate them.

Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back on himself. He imposes his own stamp of action, takes responsibility for it, makes it his own.

Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.

A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.

It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.

Character is what you are in the dark

If you take care of your character, your reputation will take care of itself.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

Bad men excuse their faults, good men will leave them

Your serenity is based on taking responsibility without taking blame, and letting go without giving up.

A man who lives through conscience becomes hard. A man who lives through consciousness remains soft. Why?--because a man who has some ideas about how to live, naturally becomes hard. He has continuously to carry his character around himself. That character is like an armor; his protection, his security; his whole life is invested in that character. And he always reacts to situations through the character, not directly. If you ask him a question, his answer is ready-made. That is the sign of a hard person--he is dull, stupid, mechanical. He may be a good computer, but he is not a man. You do something and he reacts in a well- established way. His reaction is predictable; he is a robot. The real man acts spontaneously. If you ask him a question, your question gets a response, not a reaction. He opens his heart to your question, exposes himself to your question, responds to it....

You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise.

We fall in love with a personality but we must live with a character.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.