People of character do the right thing, not because they think it will change the world but because they refuse to be changed by the world.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of personal integrity over the influence of external circumstances.
Michael Josephson's quote highlights that individuals of strong character act in alignment with their values and principles, irrespective of the potential impact their actions may have on the world. It asserts that true integrity comes from within; such individuals stand firm against societal pressures and remain steadfast in their commitment to doing what is right.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to encourage students to uphold their values.
The way we treat people we think can't help or hurt us - like housekeepers, waiters, and secretaries - tells more about our character than how we treat people we think are important. How we behave when we think no one is looking or when we don't think we will get caught more accurately portrays our character than what we say or do in service of our reputations.
If he be really and seriously seeking to live a good life, the first thing from which he will abstain will always be the use of animal food, because ...its use is simply immoral, as it involves the performance of an act which is contrary to the moral feeling - killing.
To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours.
Pain forces even the innocent to lie.
To the extent that this world surrenders its richness and diversity, it surrenders its poetry; to the extent that it relinquishes its capacity to surprise, it relinquishes its music; to the extent that it loses its ability to tolerate ridiculous and even dangerous exceptions, it loses its grace.
The creature born is the creature dying.
Lying is an elementary means of self-defense.
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