A good name and dependable conduct are described as forms of value that belong to a person even when material circumstances change.
Character, Chapter I, “Influence of Character,” Project Gutenberg #2541. The brief statement introduces Smiles’s comparison of character with property: an enduring possession expressed through goodwill, esteem and an honourably earned reputation.
“No man should receive a dollar unless that dollar has been fairly earned.”
Roosevelt connects legitimate wealth with reciprocal service and fair earning, placing character and public obligation inside his broader argument about concentrated economic power.
The New Nationalism, August 31, 1910. The sentence occurs in Roosevelt’s argument for regulation and graduated taxation of large fortunes; it is historical political-economic rhetoric rather than modern financial advice.
“Although genius always commands admiration, character most secures respect.”
Talent may attract attention, but durable respect depends more heavily on conduct, reliability, and the moral quality people experience over time.
Character, Chapter I, “Influence of Character,” Project Gutenberg #2541. Near the opening, Smiles contrasts admiration for genius with the more durable respect secured by character, framing the latter as a power of conduct rather than intellect alone.
“Character is power.”
The compressed maxim treats durable conduct and reliability as forms of influence that do not depend entirely on position or display.
Architects of Fate; Project Gutenberg #21622. The short maxim appears in Marden’s discussion of character.
“stand by principle at all hazards.”
Washington distinguishes tactical cooperation from questions of right and wrong, where he advises maintaining principle despite possible cost.
The Future of the American Negro, Chapter VIII; Project Gutenberg #26507. This short excerpt appears in Washington’s closing policy discussion, where he distinguishes ordinary political cooperation from cases involving a question of right or wrong and advises standing by principle in those cases.
“The second vice is lying, the first is running in debt.”
Franklin links avoidable debt with later pressure to make excuses or break promises, presenting financial obligation as a potential test of honesty.
The Way to Wealth, debt-and-credit section; Project Gutenberg #43855. This is eighteenth-century moral rhetoric and should not be read as a judgment that indebted people are inherently dishonest.
“Character is one of the greatest motive powers in the world.”
Character is treated as an active force because reliable conduct shapes trust, influence, and the quality of choices made under ordinary pressure.
Character, Chapter I, “Influence of Character,” Project Gutenberg #2541. Smiles opens the chapter by presenting character as a major moral and social force, then distinguishes its influence from intellectual talent, wealth and position.
