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Character Quotes

Character shows up in fiction, politics and physics.

"Character" is used two distinct ways in this collection — as a literary term about how a fictional character carries moral weight, and as a description of personal integrity tied to one's politics and work. For traits and personality more broadly, see Personality quotes.

The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Quotes by Thomas Babington Macaulay

The king is so subtle with his words that he would confound the apostolic religion itself. He will find the weak points of the pope's character and will trip him up to his destruction.

Quotes by Thomas Becket

Indulgence in frivolous speech not only reveals one's lack of moral character, but it deprives him of good qualities also.

Quotes by Thiruvalluvar

People of noble character are afraid of keeping friendship with dishonorable people. But people of discreditable character consider friendship with the dishonorable as a blood relationship.

Quotes by Thiruvalluvar

What a man's mind can create, man's character can control.

Quotes by Thomas A. Edison

Rarely do I try to pull a creature out of life and make it a character.

Quotes by Theresa Rebeck

You have to respect who the character is. It has its own internal truth, and you can't betray that. And if you don't betray that, it will not betray you.

Quotes by Theresa Rebeck

My creative workday starts with strong breakfast tea and a few minutes of journaling, both of which help me get my head in the story. So much of story-building for me involves immersing myself in the character and situation I'll...

Quotes by Therese Fowler

I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!

Quotes by Theodore Roosevelt

Self-denial is indispensable to a strong character, and the highest kind comes from a religious stock.

Quotes by Theodore Parker

Basically, the way you get into any role is just doing research on the type of character you're playing.

Quotes by Theo Rossi

The character of a people may be ruined by charity.

Quotes by Theodor Herzl

Players that tend to respond to adversity the right way and triumph in the end are players with strong character. If you have enough guys like that in the clubhouse, you have an edge on the other team.

Quotes by Theo Epstein

In comic books, every character exists in this comic book world, and the wrestlers were the same thing. They were responsible for creating that world and putting it out there - having the confidence to go forward and do that...

Quotes by The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior character relative to professional wrestling or WWE, he's definitely a Hall of Famer. He's a Hall of Famer whether he gets into the Hall of Fame or not.

Quotes by The Ultimate Warrior

I remember travelling up and down the road, and I kept journals during my whole career, and I was always making notes about things I wanted to say, words I wanted to create, actions I wanted to do, things I...

Quotes by The Ultimate Warrior

When I developed the Ultimate Warrior character and kept evolving the character, I knew, there was no question that it would work because it was working.

Quotes by The Ultimate Warrior

I was one of the first guys to talk about their characters in the third-person, and I think the character of the Ultimate Warrior certainly is a legend.

Quotes by The Ultimate Warrior

Ultimate Warrior was a character who made an impression on people. It was his intensity, his colorfulness, but also, Warrior as an identity means something to everyone. Even through all of the grumbling and haphazard approach at the beginning to...

Quotes by The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior was explosive, confident, heroic, and ready to get into battle. He was a character who had his own set of rules.

Quotes by The Ultimate Warrior

Frequently Asked Questions

What different meanings of "character" appear on this page?
Several - literary character in the sense of a written character's moral dimension, the idea that one's politics and the character of their work are inseparable, the freeing quality of dialogue comedy, and even a scientific reference to the "duality of character" in matter and radiation.
Is there a quote about writing and moral character in fiction?
Yes, one quote discusses how everything in fiction ultimately comes down to the relationship between the reader, the writer, and the characters, questioning whether a character addresses moral being in an important way. For more, see the Characters page.
Is there a quote connecting politics and creative work?
Yes, one quote states a belief that "one's politics and the character of his particular work are inseparable," reflecting a radical viewpoint. Browse the Personality page for more on how personal outlook shapes expression.
Is there a quote about comedy writing and characters?
Yes, one quote describes finding it liberating that in dialogue comedy, the characters and what they say aren't the writer themselves - just fleeting thoughts and observations rather than stated truths. For more on how characters take shape, see the Character Development page.
Is there a scientific quote about "character" here?
Yes, interestingly - one quote uses "duality of character" to describe how matter and radiation sometimes behave like waves and sometimes like particles, applying the word in a scientific rather than literary sense. For more on how character is portrayed, check out the Characterization page.

Unusually, one entry borrows the word from physics, describing the dual wave-and-particle character of matter and radiation. Continue with Characters quotes or Character Development quotes.