“True character arises from a deeper well than religion. It is the internalization of moral principles of a society, augmented by those tenets personally chosen by the individual, strong enough to endure through trials of solitude and adversity. The principles are fitted together into what we call integrity, literally the integrated self, wherein personal decisions feel good and true. Character is in turn the enduring source of virtue. It stands by itself and excites admiration in others.”

“What does it mean to be true to the faith? That word true implies commitment, integrity, endurance, and courage.”

“There is a true glory and a true honor: the glory of duty done--the honor of the integrity of principle.”

“..Exchanging one's dreams and goals, character, and values, principles and integrity for something else, would be like swapping gold for silver:..”

“People with self-respect exhibit a certain toughness, a kind of moral nerve; they display what was once called *character,* a quality which, although approved in the abstract, sometimes loses ground to the other, more instantly negotiable virtues.... character--the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life--is the source from which self-respect springs.”

“There is no way to learn endurance other than simply to endure. We can’t learn it in principle or in theory; only pain can teach it to us.”