For ‚Hercules,‘ I went for the demigod look: big and mean. When you’re playing a character like the son of Zeus, you only get one shot.

Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.

I love Notting Hill and Westbourne Grove – there is so much life and vitality around Portobello and Ladbroke Grove. It has come up a lot since I started Virgin more than 40 years ago, but there is so much character.

Character is determined more by the lack of certain experiences than by those one has had.

Nothing shows a man’s character more than what he laughs at.

Character is always known. Thefts never enrich; alms never impoverish; murder will speak out of stone walls.

The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.

Our character is not so much the product of race and heredity as of those circumstances by which nature forms our habits, by which we are nurtured and live.

No amount of ability is of the slightest avail without honor.

I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.

Rascals are always sociable, more’s the pity! and the chief sign that a man has any nobility in his character is the little pleasure he takes in others‘ company.

My father was a mean, controlling and manipulative person for most of his life. He was unpredictable and unstable.

Persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible. We believe good men more fully and more readily than others: this is true generally whatever the question is, and absolutely true where exact certainty is impossible and opinions are divided.

It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.

I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it.

Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set.

By a lie, a man… annihilates his dignity as a man.

Honor has not to be won; it must only not be lost.

Honor means that a man is not exceptional; fame, that he is. Fame is something which must be won; honor, only something which must not be lost.

People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.

While the crash only took place six months ago, I am convinced we have now passed the worst, and with continued unity of effort, we shall rapidly recover. There is one certainty of the future of a people of the resources, intelligence and character of the people of the United States – that is, prosperity.

Men show their character in nothing more clearly than what they think laughable.

This is not a showman’s job. I will not step out of character.

I was born to play Hercules. I have loved and honored the mythology over the years – since I was a kid. When I first broke into Hollywood, ‚Hercules‘ was one of the movies that I – not chased, because I didn’t have the power to chase anything – but always had in the back of my mind.

There’s one way to find out if a man is honest – ask him. If he says, ‚Yes,‘ you know he is a crook.

God will not look you over for medals degrees or diplomas, but for scars.

A gentleman would be ashamed should his deeds not match his words.

The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.

Of all virtues and dignities of the mind, goodness is the greatest, being the character of the Deity; and without it, man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing.

A man does not have to be an angel in order to be saint.

Character, not circumstances, makes the man.

You’ve all seen over the last eight years what President Obama means to this country. He is the embodiment of honor, resolve, and character – one of the finest presidents we have ever had.

Show me the person you honor, for I know better by that the kind of person you are. For you show me what your idea of humanity is.

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.

I believe the first test of a truly great man is in his humility.

It is with trifles, and when he is off guard, that a man best reveals his character.

George Washington, as a boy, was ignorant of the commonest accomplishments of youth. He could not even lie.

Many a man’s reputation would not know his character if they met on the street.

Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.

Character, in great and little things, means carrying through what you feel able to do.

For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly.

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.

Honor is the reward of virtue.

If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.

If a man’s character is to be abused there’s nobody like a relative to do the business.

The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.

The real ornament of woman is her character, her purity.

Some mystery should be left in the revelation of character in a play, just as a great deal of mystery is always left in the revelation of character in life, even in one’s own character to himself.

Sense perceptions can be and often are false and deceptive, however real they may appear to us. Where there is realization outside the senses, it is infallible. It is proved not by extraneous evidence but in the transformed conduct and character of those who have felt the real presence of God within.

At fifty everyone has the face he deserves.

Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconcious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.

People who don’t know the true character of God – who don’t believe He is merciful, gracious and slow to anger – can never have a close, personal, intimate relationship with Him.

Dreams are the touchstones of our character.

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.

Character is expressed through our behavior patterns, or natural responses to things.

I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‚Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.

An honest man’s the noblest work of God.

Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes.