Josephson Quotes & Sayings

Neither the intensity of your feelings nor the certainty of your convictions is any assurance that you are right. — Michael Josephson

Expressed gratitude encourages further giving; ingratitude drains vitality out of the spirit of generosity. — Michael Josephson

It's easier to make a good person better than to make a bad person good. — Michael Josephson

Ethics is not for wimps. It's not easy being a good person. That's why it's such a lofty goal and an admirable achievement — Michael Josephson

It's not clear in physics why you can't see the future. — Brian Josephson

What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught. — Michael Josephson

There is no objective criteria for either success or failure. People who achieve their goals are successful, those who don't are not. — Michael Josephson

America is a song that sounds the best when we all sing together - at least for a while. — Michael Josephson

How many times do you get to lie before you are a liar? — Michael Josephson

I am of the international upper class, the Swedish petit bourgeoisie of Jewish extraction with poor language skills, a conveyor of a few expressions and faces, with some intonation that combines ancient human experience with timely coquetry. — Erland Josephson

A caring heart that listens is often more valued than an intelligent mind that talks. — Michael Josephson

In Bergman's world I represented a sort of intellectual, skeptical, ironic person, rather cold and frustrated. When I went abroad and made films in Italy and other places, I was used in different ways. I was rather often cast as crazy people, maniacs. It was very good for me and it was fun because it is nice to play crazy people if you are not in reality. And I think perhaps that changed how Ingmar saw me. Suddenly I was on the more magical side of his world, playing the people with fantasies, variety, the artists. — Erland Josephson

A person is said to have good character when their habits, dispositions and conduct reflect a deep commitment to ethical virtues and moral principles. — Michael Josephson

Character determines how we lead our lives, how we deal with life's unearned fortunes and misfortunes and how we make choices that determine how those fortunes and misfortunes work to make us what we become. — Michael Josephson

A certain formula for an unhappy life is pursue someone else's definition of success. Until you define your own goals and purposes your life is not your own and there can be no sense of fulfillment no matter how much you achieve. — Michael Josephson

Never let inexperience get in the way of ambition. — Terry Josephson

I am not God, but I am my creator. — Terry Josephson

No matter where you go or what you do, you live your entire life within the confines of your head. — Terry Josephson

Success in anything important rarely comes without the Five Horsemen of Success: planning, effort, positivity, perseverance and resilience. — Michael Josephson

The key to success is effort. The bigger the goal, the greater the effort. — Michael Josephson

If we don't invest now in building character into children we will surely invest more tomorrow in trying to repair adults. — Michael Josephson

Your life is your ship and you are the captain. Choose your course, take the wheel firmly and get on your way. — Michael Josephson

Ethics is not about the way things are, it is about the way things ought to be. — Michael Josephson

Character is ethics in action. — Michael Josephson

What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by who and for what? — Michael Josephson

Don't ask whether it's going to be easy. Ask whether it's going to be worth it. — Michael Josephson

Lincoln described character is a tree and reputation as its shadow. The tree will always be what it is but the shadow we see depends on where we stand and the angle of the light. — Michael Josephson

When you compete with someone as good or better than you, you may not always win, but you never lose. — Michael Josephson

Whatever you do, make a difference. Earn the right to look back at something and say, 'I did that.' — Michael Josephson

The only force that can sustain true and consistent courage is some form of spiritual belief that values like honor, duty, loyalty and integrity above the status, power, money and even security. — Michael Josephson

I think telepathy exists, and I think quantum physics will help us understand its basic properties. — Brian Josephson

You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter. — Michael Josephson

A man obsessed with failure has succeeded better than others in portraying it. — Erland Josephson

If you pay too much attention to your reputation, you could lose your character. — Michael Josephson

Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day. — Michael Josephson

Sportsmanship is the ethical and moral dimension of sports. It is demonstrated by a number of attributes and attitudes such as fair play, respect for the rules and traditions of the sport and various traits of good character including integrity (abiding by the letter and spirit of the rules and concepts of honor); demonstrated respect for others including teammates, opponents, officials and spectators; accountability, self-control, and graciousness in victory and defeat. — Michael Josephson

There's a hole in the moral ozone and it's getting bigger. — Michael Josephson

Good character is the single most important attribute of a successful and worthy life. — Michael Josephson

It isn't the absence of conscience or values that prevents us from being all we should be, it is simply the lack of moral courage. — Michael Josephson

I was mainly a stage actor. I found film acting mechanical, because it was so technical - there was so much technique with the lamps and the movements of the camera. — Erland Josephson

To the barefoot man, happiness is a pair of shoes. To the man with old shoes, it's a pair of new shoes. To the man with new shoes, it's stylish shoes. And of course, the fellow with no feet would be happy to be barefoot. Measure your life by what you have not by what you don't. — Michael Josephson

The best way to show true gratitude for all our blessings is to be genuinely happy. — Michael Josephson

The real test of character is whether you will do the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay. — Michael Josephson

Never do anything for another with the expectation of gratitude. The expectation itself turns the gift into an exchange and suggests a debt is owed you. — Michael Josephson

A person of character knows the difference between right and wrong and always tries to do the right thing for the right reason. — Michael Josephson

The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it. — Michael Josephson

In life, we all get scored on every day. The wonderful thing is, if we do our best with courage and tenacity, we might be outscored but we can never be beaten. — Michael Josephson

It is much more difficult to know what is fair than what is unfair — Michael Josephson

There are two sure ways to fail: never get started and quit before you succeed. Many companies promote the language of risk-taking and innovation but are so concerned with short term profit goals that their culture discourages innovation (trying new things) and abandons promising projects too soon. It shouldn't require exceptional moral courage to try new things and stick with them. — Michael Josephson

Beware of people who constantly assert their integrity and honor. People of character don't have to point it out. — Michael Josephson

Never underestimate the power of temptation to disarm your better senses. Throughout the ages good people surrendered their honor for the empty promise that wealth or power would bring fulfillment and their dignity, good name and self-esteem for the passing pleasures of sex and drugs. — Michael Josephson

Yes and no are very powerful words. Mean them when you say them. Respect them when you hear them. — Michael Josephson

When was the last time you wrote a thank you note? When was the last time you went beyond a mechanical "thank you" to express authentic gratitude? We can enrich the lives of others and ourselves by making it a habit to express genuine appreciation for what others have done for us. — Michael Josephson

It is easier to be grateful for the things we have than to the people who have helped us get them. — Michael Josephson

To separate the purpose of a business from the purpose of people who are in the business is, I think, not a good thing. — Michael Josephson

Values are good things only if they are good values. — Michael Josephson

Character is doing the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay. When it comes to character, you dont have to be sick to get better. Its easier for a good person to get better than for a bad person to get good. — Michael Josephson

Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New year will bring new opportunities. — Michael Josephson

If one insists on calling all unsuccessful efforts failures the meaning of failure is really quite benign. When trying anything new or taking on any challenge, unsuccessful efforts are an essential aspect of skill building. — Michael Josephson

Creating a child takes no love or skill; being a parent requires lots of both. — Michael Josephson

Don't confuse fun with fulfillment, or pleasure with happiness. — Michael Josephson

Don't sacrifice a good life for a good time. — Michael Josephson

If you want to be happy, learn to be alone without being lonely. Learn that being alone does not mean being unhappy. The world is full of plenty of interesting and enjoyable things to do and people who can enrich your life. — Michael Josephson

Character is just another term for "good person." A person of character lives a worthy life guided by moral principles. A person of character is a good parent, a good friend, a good employee and a good citizen. — Michael Josephson

Our obligation to others and a gift to ourselves is to acknowledge and authentically express genuine appreciation for courtesies, caring and concern others have given us. — Michael Josephson

There's no such thing as business ethics; there's just ethics. And ethics makes no concessions for the real or imagined necessities of making a profit. — Michael Josephson

Don't let others define you. Don't let the past confine you. Take charge of your life with confidence and determination and there are no limits on what you can do or be. — Michael Josephson

What will matter in the end is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got but what you gave; not what you learned by what you taught. What will matter is not your competence but your character. — Michael Josephson

A person of character seeks true happiness in living a life of purpose and meaning, placing a higher value on significance than success. — Michael Josephson

People who don't believe in you are right only if you believe they are. — Michael Josephson

What will matter is not your success but your significance ... — Michael Josephson

Someone who lies for you will also lie to you. The occasional benefit your business may gain from a successful deception or concealment is always outweighed by the encouragement it provides to those willing to risk trust for success. — Michael Josephson

You can't escape moral judgment through a legal loop hole. — Michael Josephson

No one is born with good character; it's not a hereditary trait. And it isn't determined by a single noble act. Character is established by conscientious adherence to moral values, not by lofty rhetoric or good intentions. — Michael Josephson

Experimenting with drugs is like target practice where your head is the bull's-eye. — Michael Josephson

Success comes in cans. Failures comes in can'ts. — Michael Josephson

Character refers to dispositions and habits that determine the way that person normally responds to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures and successes. — Michael Josephson

Gratitude is not a payment for a kindness but another form of gift. — Michael Josephson

No leader or organization can achieve breakout growth until it treats, "we've always done it this way" as an opportunity to think anew rather than as a reason to stop thinking. Keep in mind, tradition should be a guide, not a jailer. — Michael Josephson

For many of us gratitude to others comes with a sense of debt that can never be fully paid and therefore the things we are thankful for are never really ours. — Michael Josephson

We all have three characters: the one we really have, the one we try to convince the world we have, and the one we think we have. — Michael Josephson

Discipline yourself to start each day identifying something to be grateful about. The world opens to those who approach it with a grateful heart. — Michael Josephson

If we keep treating our most important values as meaningless relics, that's exactly what they'll become. — Michael Josephson

Character is both formed and revealed by how one deals with everyday situations as well as extraordinary pressures and temptations. Like a well-made tower, character is built stone by stone, decision by decision. — Michael Josephson

I think Samuel Johnson had it right when he observed that hope is itself a species of happiness. So if we want to be happy it only makes sense to discipline ourselves to choose our attitudes, to think positively and to be hopeful. — Michael Josephson

Using the phrase business ethics might imply that the ethical rules and expectations are somehow different in business than in other contexts. There really is no such thing as business ethics. There is just ethics and the challenge for people in business and every other walk in life to acknowledge and live up to basic moral principles like honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness and caring. — Michael Josephson

Surround our children with a message of honor — Michael Josephson

It's a great joy but no test of love or commitment to take your son to a ball game. You really prove your credentials as a good dad when you are willing to take your daughter shopping - more than once. — Michael Josephson

An ounce of action is worth a ton of good intentions. — Michael Josephson

I very often get that question: 'What is your real profession?' That's because in Sweden, it is 'not allowed' to have more than one profession - there's something suspicious about it! But nowadays it's more accepted that one can do a lot of things. — Erland Josephson

Integrity, respect, compassion, and fairness become obstacles to people who think winning is everything — Michael Josephson

Leadership is not a matter of authority, it is a matter of influence. A true leader teaches others to understand more, motivates them to be more and inspires them to become more. — Michael Josephson

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for, not so we feel guilty about what we have that others don't, but to be genuinely grateful for our blessings. — Michael Josephson

When someone is nasty or treats you poorly, don't take it personally. It says nothing about you, but a lot about them. — Michael Josephson

The choices you make in your life will make your life. Choose wisely. — Michael Josephson

A good coach improves your game. A great coach improves your life. — Michael Josephson

What a person says and does in ordinary moments when when no one is looking reveals more about true character than grand actions taken while in the spotlight. Our true character is revealed by normal, consistent, everyday attitudes and behavior, not by self-conscious words or deeds or rare acts of moral courage. — Michael Josephson

It is better to be unsuccessful pursuing a significant goal that being successful attaining an insignificant one. — Michael Josephson

I read a book called 'The Tao of Physics' by Fritjof Capra that pointed out the parallels between quantum physics and eastern mysticism. I started to feel there was more to reality than conventional science allowed for and some interesting ideas that it hadn't got round to investigating, such as altered states of consciousness. — Brian Josephson

Successful or not, acts of physical courage always bring honor. It is the smaller forms of valor - standing up for principle at the risk of social disapproval, economic loss or injury to career - that require the greatest moral will power. Since there is usually little upside to winning and a significant and often lasting downside to losing, moral courage often requires as much character as physical bravery. — Michael Josephson