Bryce Courtenay Quotes

The true perfection of man lies not in what man has, but in what man is.

Let us never forget that what we are is more important than what we do.

It's not what you like but what you are like that's important.

it matters infinitely less what we do than what we are.

It is not what you say that matters. It is what you are and how you live.

And our dreams are who we are.

It's really easy to fall into the trap of believing that what we do is more important than what we are. Of course, it's the opposite that's true: What we are ultimately determines what we do!

Character is in turn the enduring source of virtue. It stands by itself and excites admiration in others. It is not obedience to authority, and while it is often consistent with and reinforced by religious belief, it is not piety.

As if they were our own handiwork we place a high value on our characters.

Good moral character is the first essential in a man.

What you do matters — but not much. What you are matters tremendously.

Integrity simply means a willingness not to violate one's identity, in the many ways in which such violation is possible.

The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are.

There is no stronger test of a person's character than power and authority, exciting as they do every passion, and discovering every latent vice.

Ask me not what I have, but what I am.

I'm an advocate of 'it's not what you are, it's who you are.'

At the end of the day, the position is just a position, a title is just a title, and those things come and go. It's really your essence and your values that are important.

People are incorrigibly themselves.

Such as we are made of, such we be.

We have many identities, and we can't be authentic to them all. The best we can do is be sincere in our efforts to earn the values we claim.

You're always just going to be who you are.

To get a sense of a person, to get their essence, it's not just about details. It is about something you can't really describe.

Popularity comes and goes. You need to know who you are, what you stand for, and why you're here.

Sift each of us through the great sieve of circumstance and you have a residue, great or small as the case may be, that is the man or the woman.

If you ain't nothing when you get money and fame, you're just going to be more nothing. If you don't stand for nothing, when you get money and fame, you ain't suddenly fin to stand for nothing! You're just fin to be richer and more famous - standing for nothing!