Inspirational Character Quotes & Sayings

There is nothing left but the attempt and not trying is the same as failing. — Mark Miller

Why read fiction when real life can be just as interesting? — LHandLG

Accountability and self-responsibility are critical to our success in personal, professional and public life. However, we often look for those character traits in others, rather than inculcating them in ourselves. — Vishwas Chavan

Our task is to take suffering in stride, not as if it is a pleasure (it isn't), but in the knowledge that God will not let it overwhelm us and that He will use it, by His own supernatural alchemy, to three good ends, at least. 1) Our suffering produces character; 2) Our suffering glorifies God; 3) Suffering fulfills the law of the harvest (John 12:24), Rediscovering Holiness by J.I. Packer, pgs. 232-239. — J.I. Packer

Gratitude is a nice touch of beauty added last of all to the countenance. Giving a classic beauty, an angelic loveliness, to the character. — Theodore Parker

If everything is smooth sailing right from the beginning, we cannot become people of substance and character. By surmounting paining setbacks and obstacles, we can create a brilliant history of triumph that will shine forever. That is what makes life so exciting and enjoyable. In any field of endeavour, those who overcome hardships and grow as human beings are advancing towards success and victory in life. — Daisaku Ikeda

Judge not, lest ye be judged; or if thou wilt, then judge by the Splendor of his Character and the Munificence of his Deeds, rather than the Gender of his Lover. — Scylar Tyberius

Pleasure and Pain participate equally in moulding character. — Abhijit Naskar

Sometimes being an actor is like being some kind of detective where you're on the search for a secret that will unlock the character. — Philip Seymour Hoffman

If you want the secondary greatness of recognized talent, focus first on primary greatness of character. — Stephen Covey

Expansion of character is connected to expansion of destiny. — James Tarantin

Never fall for a person's image and status as the may serve as a false representation of character. Watch closely the character and you"ll know who a person really is. — Kemi Sogunle

A peaceful feeling: A happy harmony or symphony of all of our character pieces working in powerful unison" from Cinderella In Focus — H. L. Balcomb

Color can be measured in the depth of ones' skin, however character is measured by the content of ones' heart. — Mark W. Boyer

Our character is but the stamp on our souls of the free choices of good and evil we have made through life. — Cunningham Geikie

You character and action will reveal your purpose. — Debasish Mridha

Others may take away your means of support, they may take away your opportunity to grow and may even cause you to doubt your self-worth. But only you can give away your dignity, only you can give away your voice to proclaim who you really are, and only you can give away those pieces of your soul that make you human and determine your character. — Tonny K. Brown

Thus, when we plead for the gift of charity, we aren't asking for lovely feelings toward someone who bugs us or someone who has injured or wounded us. We are actually pleading for our very natures to be changed, for our character and disposition to become more and more like the Savior's, so that we literally feel as He would feel and thus do what He would do. — Sheri Dew

Every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character. — Oscar Wilde

Facing the sagging middle when writing a novel, while inevitable, may be
overcome by pre-planning. I divide my collection of proposed scenes into three acts, each scene inciting tension that builds toward the final crisis in Act Three. If by Act Two the emotional river isn't spilling over the banks, I reassess the plot so that once the writing is flowing I don't slide into a dry creek. The central character should be struggling to navigate life well into the end of Act One, even if her fiercest antagonist is only from within. — Patricia Hickman

Character is the bedrock of every human adventure. — Moagi Keretetse

Just because you're in the process of bettering yourself doesn't mean there won't be times when you make questionable choices, respond out of character, lack proper communication, or let negativity get the best of yourself. That's all a part of the process of becoming better. How else would you know what needs cleaning up if you don't stand in your mess every once in a while? — Emily Maroutian

We have to keep company with supposedly bad characters if we are to survive and not succumb to mental atrophy. People of good character, so called, are the ones who end up boring us to death. — Thomas Bernhard

The essential thing is not knowledge, but character. — Joseph LeConte

The Republic can count on me to battle its enemies ... Offensive war suits the passionate character of the French, but it is the responsibility of the man in charge of leading them to prepare with caution and wisdom everything that leads to victory. — Tom Reiss

My mom always tells me that ... Nobody is going to remember you for the great basketball player you are but they will remember you for the character you have off the court and how many lives you're changed. — Isaiah Austin

Politics without principles, Education without character, Science without humanity, and Commerce without morality are not only useless, but also positively dangerous. — Sathya Sai Baba

Silence, when correctly timed, can speak multitudes of words to a person, without any extra effort on your part. — Innocent Mwatsikesimbe

I think every day is made up of tiny little tests. Some are tests of character. Some are tests of fortitude. Others are tests of friendship. And if you're lucky, when it really matters, you'll pass with flying colors. — J. D

My dear Mrs Casaubon," said Farebrother, smiling gently at her ardour, "character is not cut in marble - it is not something solid and unalterable. It is something living and changing, and may become diseased as our bodies do."
"Then it may be rescued and healed," said Dorothea. — George Eliot

Speak less and listen more. — Zai

Be the character you want to be described as!
(In a good way, of course!) — E.L. Tenenbaum

I would rather be a devil in alliance with truth, than an angel in alliance with falsehood. — Ludwig Feuerbach

Even when we're right, we may be wrong. If
in the process of debate
we've hurt the heart of another being, it matters not whether we issued a perfectly executed unbroken chain of logic. In the end, that's an argument we've lost, because whatever we might have gained in intellectual pride, we surely lost in character. — Shakieb Orgunwall

A whole lot of good my IQ came when it came to judging his character. — DiAnn Mills

Success is more like a character than financial status — Debasish Mridha

We are like those oysters in many ways ... Irritants, or foreign objects, infiltrate our lives in the form of bad choices, jealousy, fear, deep loss, and countless other challenges I could name. We choose how to handle things that come, either by rallying our strength and faith and finding a way to go on, or by giving into the pressure and giving up.
When we choose to stand up inside and protect our spirits, our hearts, and the essence of who we are, we produce a substance similar to what the oyster produces to form the layers of the pearl. In us, it's called character, integrity, grace, courage, and the ability to love ourselves and others, with no strings attached. — Stacy Hawkins Adams

When you fail to be your own boss,
You are giving somebody else the contract. — Richard Marcel I.

Character. Intelligence. Strength. Style. That makes beauty. — Diane Von Furstenberg

Once a baby is born, the parents have around one and a half decades to build his or her character and fill the mind with vigour and virtues. — Abhijit Naskar

Keeping or holding on to a concept shows belief but building or adding to it shows confidence and depth of character. — Delma Pryce

Honesty is doing what you know or believe is right. Integrity is doing what is right and truthful. — Roy Bennett

The adventure evoked a quality of his character that he didn't know he possessed. — Joseph Campbell

A clown on a throne is still a clown. A king in rags is still a king. — C. JoyBell C.

For an educated person, intelligence is important but character is more important. — Debasish Mridha

My only obligation is to my characters. And they came from where I have been. — Quentin Tarantino

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. — John Wooden

You've got to breathe! And make the bridge between the top half of your body and the bottom. Between the woman in you who's sweet and tender, and the woman in you who's a bitch. — Katie Singer

My scars tell a story. They are a reminder of times when life tried to break me, but failed. They are markings of where the structure of my character was welded. — Steve Maraboli

The world tends toward chaos, you know, Cassidy said. You could too. Just write down a made up name, or even a fictional character. And the next person who finds this geocache, it's as though things really hapened that way. You have to at least allow for the possibility of it. — Robyn Schneider

Substance is like tree and smartness its shadow. The smartness is what we think it is and the substance is the real thing! — Utpal Vaishnav

If you are humble enough to admit to your flaws then you are capable of correcting them. — Innocent Mwatsikesimbe

Character is how you treat people who can't do anything for you in return.
Integrity is how you act when you think nobody is looking. — Thea Nishimori

Success in business is important. Success as a human being with values, character, kindness, and love is much more important. — Debasish Mridha

Be strong. There is hope in any situation. — Lailah Gifty Akita

The definition of your life is you and your character. So define yourself in your own way. — Debasish Mridha

A difficult journey is more revealing of character than any discussion or analysis. — Michael Treanor

Spiritual purpose and mission can overcome weaknesses in character because God redeems our characters... — Gary Thomas

Reading books makes us more attentive to our personage and the aesthetic world that we live in. Writers that we idolize use language, logic, and nuance to paint physical and emotional scenes with refined precision. A writer's use of vivid language creates lingering aftereffects that work their wonder on the reader's malleable mind. A stirred mind resurrects our semiconscious memories; it causes us to summon up enduring images of our family, friends, and acquaintances. Just as importantly, inspirational writing makes us recognize our own telling character traits and identify our formerly unexpressed thoughts and feelings. — Kilroy J. Oldster

She had something more than material value ~ she had a soul, no money could buy. — Nikki Rowe

The movement for equality and justice can only be a success if it has both a mass and militant character; the barriers to be overcome require both. — Martin Luther King Jr.

Authors may have very good reasons for staying out of character's minds. What is in their mind ought to be out in the world of their action anyway, just as in Real Life. Inside is already out there, and visible. It is also a reader's responsibility to imaginatively project the inner-lives of characters just as we have to imaginatively project the inner-lives of those most dear to us in Real Life. — Nathan "N.R." Gaddis

Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a person courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole person, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth ... . — Pope Pius XII

If an ordinary man can be tapped to be the Messiah...then perhaps any one of us is capable of bringing about the Redemption. — Helen Maryles Shankman

If you can control your behavior when everything around you is out of control, you can model for your children a valuable lesson in patience and understanding ... and snatch an opportunity to shape character. — Jane Clayson Johnson

Love opens the most impossible gates in the world. — Abhijit Naskar

Think of strength, dream of strength, live of strength. — Abhijit Naskar

With six weeks' worth of recuperation time, you'll also be able to see any glaring holes in the plot or character development. And listen
if you spot a few of these big holes, you are forbidden to feel depressed about them or to beat up on yourself. Screw-ups happen to the best of us. — Stephen King

Confidence is that internal alignment between what you know, what you believe and what you portray. — Todd Stocker

Develop your character; there is no need to be concerned about reputation. — Debasish Mridha

Sticks and stones build strong houses — Melody Carstairs

Every kingdom work, whether publicly performed or privately endeavored, partakes of the kingdom's imperishable character. Every honest intention, every stumbling word of witness, every resistance of temptation, every motion of repentance, every gesture of concern, every routine engagement, every motion of worship, every struggle towards obedience, every mumbled prayer, everything, literally, which flows out of our faith-relationship with the Ever-Living One, will find its place in the ever-living heavenly order which will dawn at his coming. — Randy Alcorn

He walked out without his money.
The lesson to me was clear: hold onto your integrity at all costs. Never compromise on that. — Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

One's character is determined not how she gets caught in the downpour of disappointment, but how she finds the hope to look for the rainbow. — Colette Freedman

People must be just and fair, starting with what they thought. — Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character. — Margaret Chase Smith

Adversity shows our true character. — Lailah Gifty Akita

You're noble enough, Baudelaires. That's all we can ask for in this world. — Lemony Snicket

Do you know that when one who has influence with youth- be he teacher, leader or parent- seriously weakens the foundations upon which a young person has built, by faith-destroying challenges the youngster is not yet equipped to meet, he fashions a disciple who has been effectively cut loose from fundamentals at a time when he needs most to rely on them? The challenger may himself be a moral, educated, well-meaning person of integrity, doing what he does in the name of honesty and truth. His own character may have been formed in an atmosphere of faith and conviction which, through his influence, he may now help to destroy in his young follower. "Disenchanted" himself in his mature years, he turns his powers on an immature mind and leaves it ready prey for nostrums and superstitions and behavior he himself would disdain. — Marion D. Hanks

Small kindnesses, small courtesies, small considerations, habitually practised in our social intercourse, give a greater charm to the character than the display of great talents and accomplishments. — M.A.Kelty

The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians, and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for spiritual heroes- a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and in spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church today is that of pitching its message too low. — Dallas Willard

And even when success comes, as I am sure it will, bear in mind that there are more quiet and enviable joys than to be among the most sought after women at a ball ... — Blanche Wiesen Cook

I've learned one thing: you can only really get to know a person after a row. Only then can you judge their true character! — Anne Frank

The features of character are carved out of adversity. — Rick Barnett

It's not so much what we do that matters, but what kind of person we choose to be. — Kristi Bowman

When we are depleted our giving is empty. Today I take a moment to recharge, fill up with love for my life and all of its character so that I may give from a place of overflowing. — Lisa Wimberger

The power of thought is the light of knowledge, the power of will is the energy of character, the power of heart is love. Reason, love and power of will are perfections of man. — Ludwig Feuerbach

The heart must be renewed by divine grace, or it will be in vain to seek for purity of life. He who attempts to build up a noble, virtuous character independent of the grace of Christ is building his house upon the shifting sand. — Ellen G. White

It is not what he has, nor even what he does, which directly expresses the worth of a man, but what he is. — Henri Frederic Amiel

You have people out here trying to tell you to accept imperfections and that nobody is perfect (except for a dead/make-believe entity?) but if you are telling yourself that you are not perfect, aren't you downgrading your own character? Why would you keep telling yourself you are less than what you are? Why destroy your pride? People, raise your heads and gain some vanity. If you are the best in the world at what you do, and the best in the world in who you are, you are certainly perfect. The only way you are not perfect, is if you let everyone fool you into believing you are not perfect; that you are the same as everyone else - less than what you are and could be. — Lionel Suggs

When you write a story, don't just write it - live it;
When putting words into the mouth of a protagonist (or any character) imagine yourself saying them and while writing about the reaction of the listener, write it the way you would react.
Let the conversations not be meant merely to be read but felt as well.
If you do not feel what you write; how can you expect the readers to feel it? — Arti Honrao

Godly character is what you are when you've been tried and proven. It is not what you say you are, or what people think you are but, instead, it is what shines through after you have suffered and have endured. It is the proof of your genuineness. — Robin Bertram

Character and attitude deficiencies are piercing thorns depending your handhold — Angelica Hopes

Develop and protect a moral sensibility and demonstrate the character to apply it. Dream big. Work hard. Think for yourself. Love everything you love, everyone you love, with all your might. And do so, please, with a sense of urgency, for every tick of the clock subtracts from fewer and fewer. — David McCullough Jr.

Know that the most neurotic, most ugly situation is simply testing you. It is testing capacity, beyond his control, your flexibility, your adjustment and your character. — Harbhajan Singh Yogi

What they say doesn't matter because it can be lies, but it's what they do that matters because it always speaks truth. — Innocent Mwatsikesimbe

Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Call them schemas, scripts, mental maps, ideas, metaphors, or narratives. Stories are how we inspire and motivate human beings. Great stories help us to understand our place in the world, create our identity, discover our purpose, form our character and define and teach human values. — Jeroninio Almeida

Don't let your character change color with your environment. Find out who you are and let it stay its true color. — Rachel Scott

Perfecting your character isn't a marathon, a race, or a competition. It can only be won in stride with daily motivation. — Orly Wahba

How did you act when all was not good? Did you rise to the challenge? Did you display grit, resilience, and integrity in your response? Character isn't about being perfect or always doing the right thing. Character is how you respond to your own failures. It's when you screw up and life hits you in the mouth that you have an opportunity to reveal your inner strength. — Bill Courtney