Top 100 Michael Josephson Quotes
#1. To separate the purpose of a business from the purpose of people who are in the business is, I think, not a good thing.
Michael Josephson
#2. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.
Michael Josephson
#3. Don't confuse fun with fulfillment, or pleasure with happiness.
Michael Josephson
#4. There's no such thing as business ethics; there's just ethics. And ethics makes no concessions for the real or imagined necessities of making a profit.
Michael Josephson
#5. Neither the intensity of your feelings nor the certainty of your convictions is any assurance that you are right.
Michael Josephson
#6. What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by who and for what?
Michael Josephson
#7. Happiness is the peace of mind that comes from feeling that I am living a worthy life in the company of people I love and in the service of something bigger than myself.
Michael Josephson
#8. The key to success is effort. The bigger the goal, the greater the effort.
Michael Josephson
#9. People of character do the right thing, not because they think it will change the world but because they refuse to be changed by the world.
Michael Josephson
#11. What will matter is not your success but your significance ...
Michael Josephson
#12. 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.
Michael Josephson
#13. Good intentions are simply not enough. Our character is defined and our lives are determined not by what we want, say or think, but by what we do.
Michael Josephson
#14. No word makes me happier than the word "daddy" when it's directed to me.
Michael Josephson
#15. Integrity, respect, compassion, and fairness become obstacles to people who think winning is everything
Michael Josephson
#16. Leadership is not a matter of authority, it is a matter of influence. A true leader teaches others to understand more, motivates them to be more and inspires them to become more.
Michael Josephson
#17. Character is made up of core moral principles called the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring, fairness and citizenship. Each of these virtues are independently important but together they provide the foundation for a worthy life.
Michael Josephson
#18. On a practical level, there are two vital steps to ethical behavior:
knowing what is right and doing it.
Michael Josephson
#19. Ethics is doing more than the law requires and less than the law allows.
Michael Josephson
#20. It's a great joy but no test of love or commitment to take your son to a ball game. You really prove your credentials as a good dad when you are willing to take your daughter shopping - more than once.
Michael Josephson
#21. Personal integrity is important, not because it gets us what we want, but because it helps us be what we want.
Michael Josephson
#22. When someone is nasty or treats you poorly, don't take it personally. It says nothing about you, but a lot about them.
Michael Josephson
#23. There is no objective criteria for either success or failure. People who achieve their goals are successful, those who don't are not.
Michael Josephson
#24. If you are the boss it's wise to remember that there are lots of things you don't know and lots of people who hope you won't find out.
Michael Josephson
#25. The kind of courage that is strengthened or created by concern about what others will think is really a form of fear. Fear of disapproval or dishonor becoming stronger than fear of injury or even death.
Michael Josephson
#28. Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day.
Michael Josephson
#30. Character refers to dispositions and habits that determine the way that person normally responds to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures and successes.
Michael Josephson
#31. 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.
Michael Josephson
#32. 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
Michael Josephson
#33. 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.
Michael Josephson
#34. The only force that can sustain true and consistent courage is some form of spiritual belief that values like honor, duty, loyalty and integrity above the status, power, money and even security.
Michael Josephson
#35. I am grateful for all those people who said no. It is because of them that I did it myself. Practice an attitude of gratitude. You can either be miserable dwelling on the troubles you have or grateful for the ones you don't have. Your troubles don't care but it makes a huge difference in your life.
Michael Josephson
#36. A good coach improves your game. A great coach improves your life.
Michael Josephson
#37. Our character is revealed by how we treat people who cannot help us or hurt us.
Michael Josephson
#38. Yes and no are very powerful words. Mean them when you say them. Respect them when you hear them.
Michael Josephson
#39. Character is both formed and revealed by how one deals with everyday situations as well as extraordinary pressures and temptations. Like a well-made tower, character is built stone by stone, decision by decision.
Michael Josephson
#41. If one insists on calling all unsuccessful efforts failures the meaning of failure is really quite benign. When trying anything new or taking on any challenge, unsuccessful efforts are an essential aspect of skill building.
Michael Josephson
#42. If you want to be happy, learn to be alone without being lonely. Learn that being alone does not mean being unhappy. The world is full of plenty of interesting and enjoyable things to do and people who can enrich your life.
Michael Josephson
#43. When was the last time you wrote a thank you note? When was the last time you went beyond a mechanical "thank you" to express authentic gratitude? We can enrich the lives of others and ourselves by making it a habit to express genuine appreciation for what others have done for us.
Michael Josephson
#45. Never underestimate the power of temptation to disarm your better senses. Throughout the ages good people surrendered their honor for the empty promise that wealth or power would bring fulfillment and their dignity, good name and self-esteem for the passing pleasures of sex and drugs.
Michael Josephson
#46. You are the captain of your own ship; don't let anyone else take the wheel.
Michael Josephson
#47. Character is doing the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay. When it comes to character, you dont have to be sick to get better. Its easier for a good person to get better than for a bad person to get good.
Michael Josephson
#48. Beware of people who constantly assert their integrity and honor. People of character don't have to point it out.
Michael Josephson
#49. Success in anything important rarely comes without the Five Horsemen of Success: planning, effort, positivity, perseverance and resilience.
Michael Josephson
#50. 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.
Michael Josephson
#51. Everything you do sends a message about who you are and what you value.
Michael Josephson
#52. It is easier to be grateful for the things we have than to the people who have helped us get them.
Michael Josephson
#53. At home, be grateful. At work, be appreciative. Gratitude is a gift we give ourselves. Appreciation is a gift we give to others.
Michael Josephson
#54. It is better to be unsuccessful pursuing a significant goal that being successful attaining an insignificant one.
Michael Josephson
#55. Ordinary people, even weak people, can do extraordinary things through temporary courage generated by a situation. But the person of character does not need the situation to generate his courage. It is a part of his being and a standard approach to all life's challenges.
Michael Josephson
#56. Be thankful for quality competitors who push you to your limit.
Michael Josephson
#57. Good character is the single most important attribute of a successful and worthy life.
Michael Josephson
#58. There's some wisdom and no moral deficiency to one who holds courage in reserve and uses it as a last resort. Before we take the kind of risks that require courage, we ought to exhaust other less risky alternatives.
Michael Josephson
#59. One problem with gratitude is that it competes with the sense of pride, self-reliance and accomplishment we have. We want to think what we have is the result of our efforts rather than the gifts, good turns and opportunities provided us by others.
Michael Josephson
#60. In life, we all get scored on every day. The wonderful thing is, if we do our best with courage and tenacity, we might be outscored but we can never be beaten.
Michael Josephson
#61. The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it.
Michael Josephson
#62. A person of character knows the difference between right and wrong and always tries to do the right thing for the right reason.
Michael Josephson
#64. People who don't believe in you are right only if you believe they are.
Michael Josephson
#65. No one is born with good character; it's not a hereditary trait. And it isn't determined by a single noble act. Character is established by conscientious adherence to moral values, not by lofty rhetoric or good intentions.
Michael Josephson
#66. When it comes to building character, wealth, good looks, athletic ability and even a high IQ are more likely to be impediments than advantages.
Michael Josephson
#67. Character - We describe the character of a person in reference to moral judgments about the worthiness of a person. Thus, to have a strong, great or honorable character is to be a person of merit, worthy of admiration and honor.
Michael Josephson
#68. A person of character seeks true happiness in living a life of purpose and meaning, placing a higher value on significance than success.
Michael Josephson
#69. America is a song that sounds the best when we all sing together - at least for a while.
Michael Josephson
#70. 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.
Michael Josephson
#71. There is within you, waiting to be called, a great source of power called courage. Call its name and it will give you the strength to confront challenges despite fear and to continue and the heart to continue with bold confidence despite the pain of caused by tragedy.
Michael Josephson
#72. The opposite of success is not failure. Unsuccessful efforts are not failures unless they so discourage you that you abandon further efforts to achieve your goal. Even then, the venture or effort may be a failure but you are not. Failure is an event not a character trait.
Michael Josephson
#73. 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.
Michael Josephson
#74. It is not enough that we express our gratitude, we must experience it. We truly honor the must think about our blessings, separately and cumulatively It is not enough to count our blessings and express our gratitude if we don't truly feel grateful.
Michael Josephson
#75. 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.
Michael Josephson
#76. Ethics is not for wimps. It's not easy being a good person. That's why it's such a lofty goal and an admirable achievement
Michael Josephson
#78. A caring heart that listens is often more valued than an intelligent mind that talks.
Michael Josephson
#79. The real test of character is whether you will do the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay.
Michael Josephson
#81. We judge our own character by our best intentions and most noble acts, but we will be judged by our last worst act.
Michael Josephson
#82. 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.
Michael Josephson
#83. The key to a better life: Complain less, appreciate more. Whine less, laugh more. Talk less, listen more. Want less, give more. Hate less, love more. Scold less, praise more. Fear less, hope more.
Michael Josephson
#84. It's easier to make a good person better than to make a bad person good.
Michael Josephson
#85. Your life is your ship and you are the captain. Choose your course, take the wheel firmly and get on your way.
Michael Josephson
#86. It's actually easier to truly become a person of good character than to persuade others we are what we are not.
Michael Josephson
#88. The surest way to escape anxiety and defeat despair is action. Do, don't dwell.
Michael Josephson
#89. Necessity is not merely the father of invention; it is the father of courage.
Michael Josephson
#90. Ethics is not about the way things are, it is about the way things ought to be.
Michael Josephson
#91. What will matter in the end is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got but what you gave; not what you learned by what you taught. What will matter is not your competence but your character.
Michael Josephson
#92. If you pay too much attention to your reputation, you could lose your character.
Michael Josephson
#93. Don't ask whether it's going to be easy. Ask whether it's going to be worth it.
Michael Josephson
#94. Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New year will bring new opportunities.
Michael Josephson
#95. Neither heredity nor environment determine character. But whether we give in to or overcome the negative messages we are exposed to as we wend our way through life is often determined by whether our parents, teachers, mentors and friends exposed us to good examples and morally inspiring ideas.
Michael Josephson
#96. If we don't invest now in building character into children we will surely invest more tomorrow in trying to repair adults.
Michael Josephson
#97. Expressed gratitude encourages further giving; ingratitude drains vitality out of the spirit of generosity.
Michael Josephson
#98. I am not and never will be perfect. I am not always as honest, respectful, responsible, fair or as kind as I should be. All I can do is what I should do: strive every day, with every decision to be the best person I can be. I don't expect to be perfect but I know I can be better.
Michael Josephson
#99. A person is said to have good character when their habits, dispositions and conduct reflect a deep commitment to ethical virtues and moral principles.
Michael Josephson
#100. I think Samuel Johnson had it right when he observed that hope is itself a species of happiness. So if we want to be happy it only makes sense to discipline ourselves to choose our attitudes, to think positively and to be hopeful.
Michael Josephson
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