Michael Josephson Quotes

Values are good things only if they are good values.

Creating a child takes no love or skill; being a parent requires lots of both.

It isn't the absence of conscience or values that prevents us from being all we should be, it is simply the lack of moral courage.

Ethics doesn't require us to ignore our self-interests or demand a life of self-sacrifice. It requires that we know the difference between what we want and what we should do

Be thankful for quality competitors who push you to your limit.

There is no adversity that cannot be overcome by good character.

Good character is more important than wealth, good looks, popularity and even education. These things do not guarantee happiness and often they become obstacles to developing good character.

It's actually easier to truly become a person of good character than to persuade others we are what we are not.

It's easier to make a good person better than to make a bad person good.

Beware of people who constantly assert their integrity and honor. People of character don't have to point it out.

Go out there and do your part to change the world. You may not change all you had hoped but the world will be better for the caring demonstrated by your effort.

Not everything that is good for you is fun and not everything that is fun is good for you.

Don't sacrifice a good life for a good time.

Ethics is doing more than the law requires and less than the law allows.

Many things in life are not fair but all things should be.

Expressed gratitude encourages further giving; ingratitude drains vitality out of the spirit of generosity.

A caring heart that listens is often more valued than an intelligent mind that talks.

Integrity, respect, compassion, and fairness become obstacles to people who think winning is everything

Lincoln described character is a tree and reputation as its shadow. The tree will always be what it is but the shadow we see depends on where we stand and the angle of the light.

Neither the intensity of your feelings nor the certainty of your convictions is any assurance that you are right.

There's a hole in the moral ozone and it's getting bigger.

It is better to be unsuccessful pursuing a significant goal that being successful attaining an insignificant one.

Authentic gratitude is much more rare and precious than expressions of gratitude which are often empty courtesies or simply tactical ploys to encourage further gifts or kindnesses.

How many times do you get to lie before you are a liar?

What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

A person of character knows the difference between right and wrong and always tries to do the right thing for the right reason.

Surround our children with a message of honor

For many of us gratitude to others comes with a sense of debt that can never be fully paid and therefore the things we are thankful for are never really ours.

Gratitude is most treasured when it is unexpected. When we expect, even demand gratitude, we treat it simply as payment due for some service we rendered and we squeeze any good feeling out of it.

If we don't invest now in building character into children we will surely invest more tomorrow in trying to repair adults.

Good character is the single most important attribute of a successful and worthy life.

Never do anything for another with the expectation of gratitude. The expectation itself turns the gift into an exchange and suggests a debt is owed you.

Yes and no are very powerful words. Mean them when you say them. Respect them when you hear them.

Don't confuse fun with fulfillment, or pleasure with happiness.

Hire for character, train for skills.

At home, be grateful. At work, be appreciative. Gratitude is a gift we give ourselves. Appreciation is a gift we give to others.

You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter.

It is much more difficult to know what is fair than what is unfair

What you allow you encourage.

America is a song that sounds the best when we all sing together - at least for a while.

We all have three characters: the one we really have, the one we try to convince the world we have, and the one we think we have.

It is easier to be grateful for the things we have than to the people who have helped us get them.

The best way to show true gratitude for all our blessings is to be genuinely happy.

If we keep treating our most important values as meaningless relics, that's exactly what they'll become.

Character is ethics in action.

Our obligation to others and a gift to ourselves is to acknowledge and authentically express genuine appreciation for courtesies, caring and concern others have given us.

Character refers to dispositions and habits that determine the way that person normally responds to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures and successes.

If you pay too much attention to your reputation, you could lose your character.

A person is said to have good character when their habits, dispositions and conduct reflect a deep commitment to ethical virtues and moral principles.

People who don't believe in you are right only if you believe they are.