Category Archives: Character Quotes
— John Adams, American Founding Father and second U.S. president
Men like John Adams understood that when the fallen nature of man meets the corrupting influence of power, terrible things can happen. For a people to be “self-governing,” they must learn to govern themselves. That’s why character and moral courage are such important attributes for men and women in positions of authority.
“… There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good disposition.”
— Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, 1785
… to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”
… the being, and attributes, and providence of one Almighty God; the responsibility to him for all our actions, founded upon moral freedom and accountability; a future state of rewards and punishments; the cultivation of all the personal, social, and benevolent virtues;–these never can be a matter of indifference in any well ordered community.
Joseph Story – US Supreme Court Justice 1812-1845
Commentaries on the Constitution
“… And never suppose that in any possible situation, or under any circumstances, it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing, however slightly so it may appear to you… From the practice of the purest virtue, you may be assured you will derive the most sublime comforts in every moment of life, and in the moment of death.”
–Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, 1785
This quote from Franklin’s autobiography (1771) shows the dangers of pride. That’s why the Independent Spirit gets so many officers in trouble.
When I was presenting the Dynamic of Authority at a National Sheriff’s Association Conference a few years back, I had said that our ego (pride) can be one of our worst enemies in a crisis and set us on that most dangerous Path of Destruction. One of the sheriffs in the audience challenged me on this. He said he considered his ego as his most valuable weapon when on the street. When I tried to explain that pride and ego can get in the way of accomplishing the police mission, and that although we represent any number of authorities, the one thing we do not “officially” represent is ourselves, he got up, gathered his things and left the room.
It can be a difficult teaching to accept because it goes against our human nature to a degree. I’m glad that our Founders, like Ben Franklin, were able to put their egos aside as they built the greatest nation on the planet.
The inward strength to withstand stress and do my best.
My former Chief of Staff, Barney Barnes (every sheriff needs a Barney…), added this insightful comment on endurance. I wanted to share it with you in the main body of this post…
Sheriff Ray
Endurance has always been a necessary quality for those who seek to serve with integrity. If we look at the word “endure,” a transitive verb, we get a clearer picture of this quality. Endure comes to us from the same root word that we get “durable” and it literally means “to harden.” From Webster’s 1828 Dictionary we get the real application principle…”To remain in the same state without perishing.”
I believe that is what we are ultimately called to do…we do not just merely survive, or barely survive, the many challenges we face…we maintain our integrity (our wholeness) throughout the crisis or episode of danger.
For many years I have found that having a “survival” attitude present with me at all times will assist in kicking in the endurance mode when necessary. They are like complementary concepts. As the old saying goes, we never really know what threat is around the next corner. It could be a bad guy or it could be a health, financial or relationship crisis.
Whatever it is we face we must have that inward quality of endurance so that we can be sure to “remain in the same state without perishing.”
We must also remember that it is essenial to
Keep your powder dry,
Barney
Me and “Indiana” Curry in the Siq
I think you’ll like this second video from our Holy Land tour. This one is filmed at the Siq (narrow passage) leading to the ancient city of Petra. If you look closely on the left and right cliff walls you can see the aquaducts the Nabateans built to control flooding and provide water to the city.
Rushing water carved the siq as it winded it’s way following the path of least resistance. My former Chief of Staff, Barney Barnes, (every sheriff needs a Barney and I had mine…) was fond of saying, “Following the path of least resistance makes rivers, and men, crooked…”
Jack Enter, a colleague and powerful presenter in the arena of police ethics, says that the path of character and leadership is “the Path of Most Resistance.” I love that quote because it is such an accurate reflection of the conflicts and challenges you will have as an ethical leader. There will always be someone trying to take shots at you…!
Enjoy this video and stay tuned for the next one that was actually filmed in front of the Treasury in Petra. If you’ve never seen Petra before, you are in for a treat…
Me and our guide in the siq at Petra
Notice the aquaducts where the people are sitting
A great quote by Col. Davy Crockett from his1834 autobiography: A Narrative of the Life of Davy Crockett. It demonstrates the character quality of Boldness that was so evident in Crockett’s life… and death.
Boldness v. fearfulness
Sheriff Ray Nash
