Alan Jay Lerner Quotes

Underneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character.

I think my characters are all fairly fundamentally decent, even if they have negative characteristics.

The depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves. People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life, for only then do they have to fall back on their reserves.

To be physically fit is just a small aspect. You can be a beautiful physical specimen, but you're empty as far as what it takes to be a person, and that shows up real fast.

I believe that ideal character in its perfection is potentially in every man who is born into the world.

Prosperity is a more refined and severer test of character than adversity as one hour of summer sunshine produces greater corruption than the longest winter day.

The weakest man is the one who is able to correct his moral defects, but doesn't take action.

With my physicality and my face, I don't think I could pull off a completely righteous guy. There's something devious about my eyes. I like characters with flaws and to see how they overcome those flaws. I want to play real people, and they're flawed, not perfect.

Even in decline, a virtuous man increases the beauty of his behavior. A burning stick, though turned to the ground, has its flame drawn upwards.

It takes more than just a good looking body. You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it.

Some men can live up to their loftiest ideals without ever going higher than a basement.

It takes more than just a good looking body. You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it.

A mode of conduct, a standard of courage, discipline, fortitude and integrity can do a great deal to make a woman beautiful.

Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we have become.

It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But... it is better to be good than to be ugly.

Truth is handsomer than the affectation of love. Your goodness must have some edge to it, else it is none.

In my conscience, I believe that my heart has been so oft on fire that it is absolutely vitrified.

Purity of the spirit is important. A lot of people don't focus on what's going on inside, and no matter what they look like, even sometimes when people do all this wonderful work or they are blessed naturally to look good on the outside, if their spirit is ugly - I don't care how fine you are, if you're ugly on the inside, then you're uglier.

Listen to your conscience regarding something that you simply know you should do, then start small on it - make a promise and keep it. Then move forward and make a little larger promise and keep it. Eventually you'll discover that your sense of honor will become greater than your moods, and that will give you a level of confidence and excitement that you can move to other areas where you feel you need to make improvements or give service.

Long experience has taught me that people who do not like geraniums have something morally unsound about them. Sooner or later you will find them out; you will discover that they drink, or steal books, or speak sharply to cats. Never trust a man or a woman who is not passionately devoted to geraniums.

Great occasions rally great principles, and brace the mind to a lofty bearing, a bearing that is even above itself. But trials that make no occasion at all, leave it to show the goodness and beauty it has in its own disposition. And here precisely is the superhuman glory of Christ as a character, that He is just as perfect, exhibits just as great a spirit in little trials as in great ones.

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.

He who, with strong passions, remains chaste--he who, keenly sensitive, with manly power of indignation in him, can yet restrain himself and forgive--these are strong men, spiritual heroes.

Put the greatest emphasis on what's in you; your knowledge, your wisdom, your inner strength, your character, your tenacity and people will look through the box and always walk away with the product.

Success does not implant bad characteristics in people. It merely steps up the growth rate of the bad characteristics they already had.