Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.
-George Washington (1732-1799) The people 'have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge - I mean of the character and conduct of their rulers.'
-John Adams (1735-1826)
The qualities of a great man are 'vision, integrity, courage, understanding, the power of articulation, and profundity of character.'
-Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) Character is the only secure foundation of the state.
-Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) Americanism is a question of principle, of purpose, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace or creed or line of descent.
-Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
Respect for character is always diminished in proportion to the number among whom the blame or praise is to be divided.
-James Madison (1751-1836),
arguing against a large lower house
in a debate at the Constitutional Convention
in Philadelphia, PA, 1787 Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.
-Henry Clay You can tell a lot about a fellow's character
by his way of eating jelly beans.
-Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) With all the power that a President has, the most important thing to bear in mind is this: You must not give power to a man unless, above everything else, he has character. Character is the most important qualification the President of the
United States can have.
-Richard Nixon (1913-1994),
(From TV ad for Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign in 1964.) What a man's mind can create, man's character can control.
-Attributed to Thomas Edison - Inventor To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours.
-Mark Twain (1835-1910) - American Writer The
politics of crime is not about a party's record or a candidate's proposals, but about perceived character and values.
-Susan Estrich - Lawyer, Democratic Strategist The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops - no, but the kind of man the country turns
out. Our people are slow to learn the wisdom of sending character instead of talent to Congress. Again and again they have sent a man of great acuteness, a fine scholar, a fine forensic orator, and some master of the brawls has crunched him up in his hands like a bit of paper.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) - American Writer and Philosopher It is our character that supports the promise of our future - far more than particular government programs or policies.
-William J. Bennett - Writer and former Secretary of Education Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back upon himself.
-Charles De Gaulle (1890-1970) - French military leader and Statesman
Politics ruins the character.
-Otto Von Bismark (1815-1898) - Chancellor of Germany in the late 19th century Character is power.
-Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) - African-American Educator Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
-Helen Keller (1880-1968) - American blind and deaf writer/lecturer
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically...Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.
-Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) - Civil Rights Leader Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wing, and only character endures.
-Horace Greeley (1811-1872) - New York newspaper editor Character is the
single most important characteristic of a leader. We hold our leaders to higher standards and values than we hold ourselves, so it's important to lead by example.
- Norman Schwarzkopf ( 1934- ) U.S. General, Head of Allied Forces in Operation Desert Storm My thoughts direct my actions,
My actions become my habits,
My habits define my character,
And, my character is the birthplace of my destiny.
- Author Unknown The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football
field, in an army, or in an office.
-Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th US President | 
