Reputation is what others perceive you as being, and their opinion may be right or wrong. Character, however, is what you really are, and nobody knows that but you.

John Wooden
About This Quote

When you have a reputation, others perceive you based on your actions. If you are a kind, generous person, people will think of you as being kind and generous. If you are mean and selfish, they will think of you as being mean and selfish. With character, nobody knows that but you.

They cannot look into your soul and see what is there. You can try to hide it, but they will still not know exactly what kind of person you really are deep down inside.

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  1. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
  2. Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
  3. If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?
  4. It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
  5. Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating...too often fathers neglect it because they get so caught up in making a living they forget to make a life.
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