What we are today represents the collective wisdom and fruits of labour of all those individuals who took it upon themselves, in spite of their circumstances, to do things that they believed were meant to benefit their fellow beings. A lot of the wisdom of humankind over the millennia has been distilled in the form of proverbs in all cultures. Those desirable qualities that are a hallmark of people who are destined to leave a mark on humanity are also the qualities which stand public spirited individuals in good stead. These qualities include Vision, Courage, Creativity, Responsibility, Teamwork, Perseverance, Truth, Confidence, Fearlessness, Enthusiasm, Patience, Risk Taking, and Commitment. Here is a collection of thoughts of some of the great personalities on some of these character traits from which one can draw inspiration:
Napoleon Hill
Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.
Sir Winston Churchill
Truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is.
Henri Frederic Amiel
Truth is the secret of eloquence and of virtue, the basis of moral authority; it is the highest summit of art and of life.
Mark Twain
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Maxwell Maltz
We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals, and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.
George Allen
Health, happiness and success depend upon the fighting spirit of each person. The big thing is not what happens to us in life – but what we do about what happens to us.
William Durant
Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget about everything except what you’re going to do now – and do it.
Robert Frost
You are educated when you have the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence.
Jack Welch
We know where most of the creativity, the innovation, the stuff that drives productivity lies – in the minds of those closest to the work.
Norman Vincent Peale
If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.
Paul Harvey
Like what you do. If you don’t like it, do something else.
John W Gardner
The cynic says, “One man can’t do anything”. I say, “Only one man can do anything.”
Benjamin Disraeli
Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.
Dale Carnegie
Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have, it depends solely upon what you think.
Helen Keller Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another’s pain, life is not in vain.
Vaclav Havel
Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.
Peter F. Drucker
What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it is another matter.
Jesse Owens
We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.
Abraham Lincoln
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
Woodrow Wilson
We are not here merely to make a living. We are here to enrich the world.
Andrew Carnegie
Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.
Ayn Rand Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision.
Alfred A. Montapert
To accomplish great things we must first dream, then visualize, then plan… believe… act!
Robert Collier
Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own.
Josephus Daniels
Defeat never comes to any man until he admits it.
Billie Jean King
Champions keep playing until they get it right.
Anne Frank
The important thing to know is that you don’t ever have to wait one minute to begin improving the world.
Paul Watson
In the great scheme of things, what matters is not how long you live, but why you live, what you stand for, and what you are willing to die for.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
John F. Kennedy
Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.
John Luther
Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece-by thought, choice, courage and determination.
J. C. Watts
Everyone tries to define this thing called Character. It’s not hard. Character is doing what’s right when nobody’s looking.
Evan Esar
Character is what you have left when you’ve lost everything you can lose.
Arthur Trudeau
Character is the final decision to reject whatever is demeaning to oneself or to others and with confidence and honesty choose what is right.
