Character is a victory, not a gift.

Character is a victory, not a gift.

Many men build as cathedrals were built, the part nearest the
ground finished; but that part which soars toward read more

Many men build as cathedrals were built, the part nearest the
ground finished; but that part which soars toward heaven, the
turrets and the spires, forever incomplete.

From their folded mates they wander far,
Their ways seem harsh and wild:
They follow the beck read more

From their folded mates they wander far,
Their ways seem harsh and wild:
They follow the beck of a baleful star,
Their paths are dream-beguiled.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

He was not merely a chip of the old Block, but the old Block
itself.

He was not merely a chip of the old Block, but the old Block
itself.

I like repressed characters. That gives me a lot of freedom to make a lot of different choices through subtleties.

I like repressed characters. That gives me a lot of freedom to make a lot of different choices through subtleties.

Your father used to come home to my mother, and why may not I be
a chippe of the read more

Your father used to come home to my mother, and why may not I be
a chippe of the same block out of which you two were cutte?

So well she acted all and every part
By turns--with that vivacious versatility,
Which many people take read more

So well she acted all and every part
By turns--with that vivacious versatility,
Which many people take for want of heart.
They err--'tis merely what is call'd mobility,
A thing of temperament and not of art,
Though seeming so, from its supposed facility;
And false--though true; for surely they're sincerest
Who are strongly acted on by what is nearest.

Every man has three characters -- that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he read more

Every man has three characters -- that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has.