Character quotes

Character

14.8K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.

14.8K quotes

Explore further

Browse quotes that often appear alongside character — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.

Thinking 95.1K quotes Writing 30.7K quotes Men 68.6K quotes People 100.4K quotes Play 12.5K quotes Real 21.1K quotes

Quote collection

Character quotes (page 32 of 739)

Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.

Albert Einstein Physicist
Character

"Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of God. In general, only individuals of exceptional endowments, and exceptionally high-minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level. But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it."

Character Religious Community
Read quote 13 likes
Albert Schweitzer Philosopher, Theologian
Character

"The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character."

Life Character Adversity
Read quote 13 likes
Aristotle Philosopher
Character

"In a word, acts of any kind produce habits or characters of the same kind. Hence we ought to make sure that our acts are of a certain kind; for the resulting character varies as they vary. It makes no small difference, therefore, whether a man be trained in his youth up in this way or that, but a great difference, or rather all the difference."

Men Character Differences
Read quote 13 likes
Aristotle Philosopher
Character

"What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the performance of virtuous actions."

Character Political Anxiety
Read quote 13 likes
William James Philosopher, Psychologist
Character

"Every time a resolve or a fine glow of feeling evaporates without bearing practical fruit is worse than a chance lost; it works to hinder future resolutions and emotions from taking the normal path of discharge. There is no more contemptible type of human character than that of the nerveless sentimentalist and dreamer, who spends his life in a weltering sea of sensibility and emotion, but who never does a manly concrete deed."

Character Feelings Sea
Read quote 13 likes
William Samuel Johnson Politician, Lawyer
Character

"You this day, gentlemen, assume new characters, enter into new relations, and consequently incur new duties. You have, by the favor of Providence and the attention of your friends, received a public education, the purpose whereof hath been to qualify you the better to serve your Creator and your country."

Country Character Gentleman
Read quote 13 likes
Vaclav Havel Politician, Playwright
Character

"I believe that during the intervention of NATO in Kosovo there is an element nobody can question: the air attacks, the bombs, are not caused by a material interest. Their character is exclusively humanitarian: What is at stake here are the principles, human rights which have priority above state sovereignty. This makes it legitimate to attack the Yugoslav Federation, although without the United Nations mandate."

Believe Character Rights
Read quote 13 likes
Ralph Waldo Emerson Essayist, Philosopher, Poet
Character

"So each man, like each plant, has his parasites. A strong, astringent, bilious nature has more truculent enemies than the slugs and moths that fret my leaves. Such a one has curculios, borers, knife-worms; a swindler ate him first, then a client, then a quack, then smooth, plausible gentlemen, bitter and selfish as Moloch."

Character Strong Selfish
Read quote 13 likes
Theodore Roosevelt Politician, Author
Character

"In other words, character is far more important than intellect to the race as to the individual. We need intellect, and there is no reason why we should not have it together with character; but if we must choose between the two we choose character without a moment's hesitation."

Two Character Race
Read quote 13 likes
Thomas Jefferson Politician, Founding Father
Character

"Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind."

Character Games Gun
Read quote 13 likes
Stan Lee Comic Book Writer, Editor
Character

"Virtually every kid is exposed to giants and ogres and talking wolves, and so forth. And magic. And I think you never outgrow your love for those imaginative, fanciful, farfetched, fantastic characters and situations."

Thinking Character Kids
Read quote 13 likes
Mahatma Gandhi Political Leader
Character

"All your scholarship, all your study of Shakespeare and Wordsworth would be in vain, if at the same time you do not build your character, and attain mastery over your thoughts and actions."

Character Spiritual Would Be
Read quote 13 likes