Laurence Sterne Quotes

Heart and head are the constituent parts of character; temperament has almost nothing to do with it, and, therefore, character is dependent upon education, and is susceptible of being corrected and improved.

Rate the task above the prize; will not the mind be raised? Fight thine own faults, not the faults of others; will not evil be mended?

In the matter of learning, the difference between the earnest and the careless student stands out clearly. The same holds true in the mastering of passion and the weaknesses to which our nature is subject, as in the acquiring of virtue.

The walls of that grand edifice called a good character have to be worked at during life.

I couldn't make sense of things. But then I began the process of civilising myself and trying to become a decent human being. I'm still working on it.

The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.

To be good, we must do good; and by doing good we take a sure means of being good, as the use and exercise of the muscles increase their power.

Virtue comes by nature, learning, and practice, and thanks to virtue, all of the aforesaid may deserve approval.

An individual step in character training is to put responsibility on the individual.

Read some good, heavy, serious books just for discipline: Take yourself in hand and master yourself.

Virtues are acquired through endeavor, Which rests wholly upon yourself. So, to praise others for their virtues Can but encourage one's own efforts.

We're constantly rationalizing where we stand and our own code and dealing with, you know, how you can be the best version of yourself.

Try to be a better person everyday.

All your scholarship, all your study of Shakespeare and Wordsworth would be in vain, if at the same time you do not build your character, and attain mastery over your thoughts and actions.

The Bible improved my ethical IQ. I started to act like a good person. I tried not to gossip, and lie, and covet, and just by pretending I was a good person, I think I actually became a little bit better of a person. I'm not Gandhi or Angelina Jolie, but it was a baby step.

Happie is hee that chastens himselfe.

Responsiblity is the great developer of men.

Judicious books enlarge the mind and improve the heart.

Knowing how bad you could be is a great encouragement to being good.

External practices have value only as helps to develop internal purity.

Character is perfectly educated will.

Education has for its object the formation of character.

Patience is a virtue, and I'm learning patience. It's a tough lesson.

Life is a quarry, out of which we are to mold and chisel and complete a character.

Ethics is the activity of man directed to secure the inner perfection of his own personality.