CHARACTER

Index:
General
Compassion
Courage/Fear
Integrity
-GENERAL
No single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly
born. from The Flight to Arras
"I like unformed characters. This may be because, no matter how old I get, I am still unformed
myself." Akira Kurosawa, age 72
It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.
Roy Disney
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. Eric Hoffer
Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach
them good manners. - Unknown
For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have
committed much, of him they will ask the more. - Luke 12:48
There are human people who have very little but are rich in dignity and self-respect. Their
hospitality is not for sale, nor is their charity. Robert Heinlein (Friday)
The poor on the borderline of starvation live purposeful lives. To be engaged in a desperate
struggle for food and shelter is to be wholly free from a sense of futility. Eric Hoffer
A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their
own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty.
There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self. Eric Hoffer
We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.
Eric Hoffer
The rule seems to be that those who find no difficulty in deceiving themselves are easily
deceived by others. They are easily persuaded and led. Eric Hoffer
Fair play is primarily not blaming others for anything that is wrong with us. Eric Hoffer
There is probably an element of malice in the readiness to overestimate people: we are laying up
for ourselves the pleasure of later cutting them down to size. Eric Hoffer

When the weak want to give an impression of strength they hint menacingly at their capacity for
evil. It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak. Eric Hoffer
The monstrous evils of the twentieth century have shown us that the greediest money grubbers
are gentle doves compared with money-hating wolves like Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, who in less
than three decades killed or maimed nearly a hundred million men, women, and children and
brought untold suffering to a large portion of mankind. Eric Hoffer
Man is a luxury loving animal. Take away play, fancies, and luxuries, and you will turn man into
a dull, sluggish creature, barely energetic enough to obtain a bare subsistence. A society becomes
stagnant when its people are too rational or too serious to be tempted by baubles. Eric Hoffer
Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know. One often
obtains a clue to a person's nature by discovering the reasons for his or her imperviousness to
certain impressions. Eric Hoffer
The uncompromising attitude is more indicative of an inner uncertainty than a deep conviction.
The implacable stand is directed more against the doubt within than the assailant without. Eric
Hoffer
The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for
getting along with ourselves. The self-respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his
neighbor's shortcomings as he is of his own. Eric Hoffer
You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
Eric Hoffer
What is tolerance? -- it is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let
us pardon reciprocally each other's folly -- that is the first law of nature. Voltaire
The treacherous are ever distrustful. J. R. R. Tolkien (Gandalph in the Two Towers)
Life shrinks or expands according to one's courage. - Anais Nin
One who cannot cast away a treasure at need is in fetters. J. R. R. Tolkien (Aragorn in the Two
Towers)
A hungry dog will eat anything. Unknown
I know what I like means I like what I know. Unknown
Be courteous, be obliging, but don't give yourself over to be melted down for the benefit of the
tallow trade. - George Elliot

I say to you, Gimli, son of Gloin, that your hands shall flow with gold, and yet over you gold
shall have no dominion. Galadriel, The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
Theres earth under his old feet, and clay on his fingers; wisdom in his bones, and both his eyes
are open. - Tom Bombadill, The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
Destructive criticism is often its own destroyer, while its intended remains better off for being
attacked. Reverend Lewis of Glastonbury, 1922
Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Character is what you really
are; reputation is merely what you are perceived to be. Unknown
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The only thing we really have to bring to community is ourselves, so the contemplative,
introspective process of recovering (or uncovering) our true selves is not only not selfish, but it is
ultimately the best gift we have to offer and share with others. - Parker Palmer
To focus on personality and external skills before the essence of character is to try to grow the
leaves on a tree without its roots. - Stephen Covey
Whoever our students may be, whatever the subject we may think we're teaching, ultimately we
teach others who we are. - Parker Palmer
There will be less external discipline handed out by life the more internal discipline there is in
our lives. - Simone Weil
Internal doubt is not a pleasant condition, but an external air of certainty is absurd. - Voltaire
And after all he never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful
hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed. J. R. R. Tolkien (Sam in
The Two Towers)
For it seems less evil to counsel another man to break troth than to do so oneself, especially if
one sees a friend bound unwitting to his own harm. J. R. R. Tolkien (Faramir in The Two
Towers)
Bless those who challenge us to grow, to stretch, to move beyond the knowable, to come back
home to our elemental and essential nature. Bless those who challenge us for they remind us of
doors we have closed and doors we have yet to open. - Navajo Saying
Never be disagreeable just because you disagree. Unknown
Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens. Gimli, The Fellowship of the Ring by
J. R. R. Tolkien

Dreams are the touchstones of our character. Henry David Thoreau

Its easy to be independent when youve got money. But to be independent when you havent
got a thing thats the Lords test. Mahalia Jackson
Principles only mean something if you stick by them when they are inconvenient. The
Contender
I have lots of ideas, and I'm willing to share them. I think that when you're energetic and
aggressive about things, it can be intimidating to people who aren't very smart themselves. Julia Roberts
The mark of a genuine person is straightforwardness. He has nothing to hide, nothing to defend.
Stephen Mitchell
It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help. Miss
Manners (Judith Martin)
The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found
out. T.B. Macauley
Values create value. Leigh Steinberg
Your word is your bond. Ross Beck and Brian Long
I WILL NOT TORMENT THE EMOTIONALLY FRAIL. Bart Simpson
If we can be courageous one more time than we are fearful, trusting one more time than anxious,
cooperative one more time than we are competitive, forgiving one more time than we are
vindictive, loving one more time than we are hateful, we will have moved closer to the next
breakthrough in our evolution. One warning: evolutionary behavior is addictive. Once you start,
it's very hard to stop. After all, why live and evolve unconsciously when we can live consciously
and, at the same time, speed up the process of evolution for ourselves and others? -- Jonas Salk
There are those who say I'm impatient, impetuous, uppity, rude, profane, brash and overbearing.
But whatever I am . . . I am a very serious woman. Bella Savitsky Abzug
Becoming aware of my character defects leads me naturally to the next step of blaming my
parents. (Mantras for the not-me generation)
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. (uncredited)
No matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shape the soul and let the
glory out. (uncredited)

Make a virtue out of a necessity. Iain Banks

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein
There are only two creatures of value on the face of this earth. Those with commitment and
those who require the commitment of others. John Adams
The one thing that does not abide by majority's rule is a person's conscience. Harper Lee
Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was, or what freedom really
is. Margaret Mitchell
It is always easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them. Alfred Adler
To live content with small means, to see elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than
fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk
gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all
cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden
and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony. William
Channing, American churchman and founder of Unitarianism (1780-1842).
One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being. May Sarton
Thank goodness God does not judge us by what we do, but by what we believe in. Faith, not
performance. Reid Schaub
Ultimately all you will have left at the end of the day are your name and your reputation. Invest
in them wisely and you and others will simultaneously reap the rewards. Leonard A.
Schlesinger
-COMPASSION
Fear grows out of the things we think; it lives in our minds. Compassion grows out of the things
we are; it lives in our hearts. Barbara Garrison
Make no judgements when you have no compassion. Anne McCaffrey
-COURAGE/FEAR
Because of deep love, one is courageous. Lao Tzu
I have important choices to make and I can make them if I have a little self-control and courage.
Fish!

The need for courage bulldozed a road down the center of my mind. Maya Angelou
Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place it leads.
Erica Jong
One man with courage makes a majority. Andrew Jackson
Often, the test of courage is not to die, but to live. Alfieri Vittorio
He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he who loses his courage
loses all. Miguel De Cervantes
Fear is merely a matter of preference. Ricky Vega
Do one thing every day that scares you. (from Guide to Life for Graduates, Anonymous)
Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid. Goethe
Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it. Braveheart
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. And as we let our own light
shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from
our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Unknown
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear. Mark Twain
The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone
who's dead. Albert Einstein
In a society of conformists and cowards, the courage of a few death-defying heroes redeems no
one. Peter Schneider
Unhappy the land that needs heroes! -- Bertolt Brecht
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look
fear in the face; you must do the thing you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt
Don't permit fear of failure to prevent effort. We are all imperfect and will fail on occasions, but
fear of failure is the greatest failure of all. Unknown
Fatigue makes cowards of us all. Vince Lombardi
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure; the fearful are caught as often
as the bold. Helen Keller

-INTEGRITY
If you do not do good, then doing well will never be enough. Anna Quindlen
We are going to visit the arena of Profound Humanness called "Integrity." Sometimes "integrity"
is reduced to mean a kind of moral uprightness and steadfastness, in the sense of saying, "He has
too much integrity to ever take a bribe."
But profound integrity goes far beyond this. Sometimes in order to distinguish it from the more
limited popular usage, it is called "secondary integrity." This is the integrity that is not
constrained by limited moralities, however well-intentioned. The integrity that is profound
living is the singularity of thrust of a life committed and ordering every dimension of the self
toward that commitment. Thus the self is in fact shaped by the self, and focused towards that
commitment. You can say that an audacious creation of the self takes place in integrity, without
which you are simply the creation of the various forces impacting you in your society.
Thus the basis of integrity is a destinal resolve a resolve that chooses and sets your destiny and
out of which your whole life is ordered. The object of that resolve is the ultimate decision of
each person, and each person makes that choice, consciously or unconsciously. To do so with
awareness is the height of man's responsibility. It is incarnate freedom. It is what real freedom
looks like. When man has thus exercised his freedom he realized that to be true to himself every
thereafter he has a unique position to look at the values of his society. He is no longer bound by
the opinions and codes of his fellow-man, but re-evaluates them on the basis of their impact on
his destinal resolve.
Thus the man of integrity is continuously engaged in a societal transvaluation, a moving across
the values of society and reinterpreting them in line with his life's thrust. It does not give him the
liberty of ignoring his society, but his obligation transcends the conformity of living within the
codes and mores of his society. Thus the man of profound integrity always seems to not quite fit
with his fellow-men, but his actions always are appropriate for him, even to those who oppose
him.
No matter how odd the man of profound integrity appears to his neighbors, he experiences
himself as securely anchored. While he is very clear that this world is not his home, nevertheless
he experiences himself as having found his native vale. He experiences an eternal at-one-ness,
not so much with the currents and waves of activity around him, but with the deeper trends of
history itself. Amid the Flux of wavering to and fro that is so evident in others, he experiences
an inexplicable rootedness, as though he has sunk a taproot deep into the foundation of the earth
itself. Though he experiences his life as a long journey, even an endless journey, towards the
object of his resolve, yet he never senses himself as a stranger on the journey. It's as if he'd been
there before. Original integrity is experienced primarily by this sense of at-one-ness.
(uncredited)