Quite the Character

"Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - John Wooden

"To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or principle." - Confucius

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." - Unknown

"Character is much eaiser kept than recovered." - Thomas Paine

"Character is like a tree and reputation is like a shadow, the shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." - Abraham Lincoln

"Man needs now no more degrees, but character, No more study, but wisdom." - Sri Swami Sivananda

"Character is who you are when no one is watching." - Unknown

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." - George Washington

"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstein

"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." - H. Jackson Brown

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one." - James A. Froude

"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

"The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character." - Margaret Chase Smith

"The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do." - John Holt

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all." - Sam Ewig

"You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise." - Seneca

"Put more trust in nobility of character than in an oath." - Solon

"Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character." - Henry Clay

"Don't worry so much about your self-esteem. Worry more about your character. Integrity is its own reward." - Dr Laura Schlessinger

"To bear failure with courage is the best proof of character that anyone can give." - W Somerset Maugham

"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf

"It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them. To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows infirmity of character." - Dr Dale E Turner

Life's lessons

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon--instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today." - Andrew Carnegie

"Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most." - Al Capp

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood." - Thomas Carlyle

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." - Gandhi

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on." - Robert Lee Frost

"Life is the sum of all your choices." - Albert Camus

"It is not length of life, but depth of life." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

"To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice." - Kahlil Gibran

"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." - Confucius

Hatred

I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain. ~James Baldwin


Hate less, live longer. ~Ivy Culler


From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate. ~Socrates


You lose a lot of time, hating people. ~Marian Anderson


I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.


The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less. ~Eldridge Cleaver


Hate cages all the good things about you. ~Madrianne Arvore


Hatred is one long wait. ~René Maran


A Rattlesnake, if Cornered will become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is - a biting of oneself. We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves. ~E. Stanley Jones


I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him. ~Booker T. Washington


I never hold a grudge because while I am being angry, the other person is out dancing. ~Buddy Hackett

the painful side of love...

"..when Great love is rejected, something inside a man dies. So all he can do is run away, where he can meet the girl he will love second most. Unless you can get to him before he closes the book on you. Once it’s closed, it’s closed, it’s finished, it’s gone, dead, it's crushed, beated, it's buried, it's lost for all time in a sea .."
- Angelica, the bartender

“A heart can be broken; but it keeps beating just the same.”
- Ninny Threadgoode

"She'll only break your heart, it’s a fact. And even though I warn you, even though I guarantee you that the girl will only hurt you terribly, you'll still pursue her. Ain't love grand?"
- Ms. Nora Dinsmoor

“I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate it, I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it that you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.”
- Kat Stratford

“All our young lives we search for someone to love, someone to make us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope, all the while wondering if somewhere, somehow, someone perfect is searching for us.”
- Kevin Arnold

Little Timmy

It was fifteen years ago,
as his father filled out the form.
In the middle of July,
when little Timmy was born.
And later on that month,
his grand parents by plane.
Came to see Timmy,
but that night there was rain.
So they never quite got there,
to see their grand son.
As their plane went down,
and they where never heard from.

Little Timmy, Little Timmy,
not the once did you complain.
Through all of the sorrows,
tears and the pain.
Little Timmy, Little Timmy,
on your parade there's rain.
And why everyone leaves you,
no one has explained.

It was a few years later,
Timmy was almost four.
When his parents were fighting,
and his mother went out the door.
Yes she got in the car,
on that miserable night.
And as the rain poured down,
she drove out of sight.
All the police report said,
was she went off the road.
Exactly what happen,
Timmy was never told.

Little Timmy, Little Timmy,
not the once did you complain.
Through all of the sorrows,
tears and the pain.
Little Timmy, Little Timmy,
on your parade there's rain.
And why everyone leaves you,
no one has explained.

At the age of twelve,
death came calling again.
And this time Timmy lost,
his very best friend.
It was on yet another stormy night,
as lighting struck their home.
And the poor little child,
was there all alone.
Like Timmy he was twelve,
and Johnny was his name.
His house burned to the ground,
and he died in the flame.

Little Timmy, Little Timmy,
not the once did you complain.
Through all of the sorrows,
tears and the pain.
Little Timmy, Little Timmy,
on your parade there's rain.
And why everyone leaves you,
no one has explained.

It was a few years after,
the death of his pal.
When Timmy got sick,
and wasn't doing so well.
Now every night as he falls asleep,
he hears his father crying.
They are tears of pain and sorrow,
for little Timmy's dying.
And during that final day,
his father already a little shaken.
Burst into tears,
when Timmy would awaken.

Little Timmy, Little Timmy,
not the once did you complain.
Through all of the sorrows,
tears and the pain.
Little Timmy, Little Timmy,
on your parade there's rain.
And why everyone leaves you,
no one has explained.

Bitch

I only said hello,
you laughed and said nothing.
I offered you a drink,
you refused and mumbled something.
I asked you for a dance,
you turned away and said no.
I mentioned my name,
you answered with yeah so.
I said you're very pretty,
you yawned like you were bored.
I tried to say good bye,
you totally ignored.
I turned to walk away,
you continued to be rude.
I thought to myself,
that's a bitch with an attitude.
But I left you with a smile,
even though you shot me down.
For I wouldn't let you think,
you were even worth a frown.

The River

That one large river,
which flows so fast,
would stop anyone,
who wishes to pass.
With it's raging waters,
it seems alive,
all who enters,
none survive.
In crossing the river,
many have tried,
but no one has ever,
reached the other side.
There are walls of flame,
and walls of stone,
but the river is a wall,
that stands alone.
With the thought of it's power,
many would shiver,
it's an impassable barrier,
it's the mighty river.