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.
Interpretation
Good character is earned through effort, while talent is often innate.
This quote emphasizes the importance of character over innate talent, suggesting that while talent may be a natural gift, good character is developed through deliberate actions and choices. It highlights that virtues such as thoughtfulness, courage, and determination are essential in building oneβs character, and that this process is a conscious effort requiring commitment and perseverance.
In practice
Use this quote in a motivational speech about personal development.
Instruction for life: Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. Follow the three R's: - Respect for self. - Respect for others. - Responsibility for all your actions. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Believe in miracles but don't depend on them. When you hear kind word spoken about a friend, tell him so. Spoil your spouse, not your children. Never make fun of someone who speaks broken English. It means they know another language. To help your children turn out well, spend twice as much time with them and half as much money.
Never make fun of someone who speaks broken English. It means they know another language.
Never forget the nine most important words of any family- I love you. You are beautiful. Please forgive me.
I've learned that education, experience, and memories are three things that no one can take away from you.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that 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.
People striving, being knocked down and coming back... this is what builds character in a man.
God is more concerned with conforming me to the likeness of His Son than leaving me in my comfort zones. God is more interested in inward qualities than outward circumstances - things like refining my faith, humbling my heart, cleaning up my thought life and strengthening my character.
As it is the characteristic of great wits to say much in few words, so small wits seem to have the gift of speaking much and saying nothing.
There may be people who have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do - and I believe that.
Jacques Tati is the great philosophical tinkerer of comedy, taking meticulous care to arrange his films so that they unfold in a series of revelations and effortless delights.
I hate outlines. I have a broad sense of where the story is going; I know the end, I know the end of the principal characters, and I know the major turning points and events from the books, the climaxes for each book, but I don't necessarily know each twist and turn along the way. That's something I discover in the course of writing and that's what makes writing enjoyable. I think if I outlined comprehensively and stuck to the outline the actual writing would be boring.
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