“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” ~Abraham Lincoln~
I absolutely love this quote. The first thing that comes to mind when reading it is how a shadow will change it’s size, shape, and clarity, much like a reputation, while the tree can only continue to grow, or die, much like character. Many people have something that they stand for, be it a cause, a creed, or just a simple opinion. What defines character is how you stand for these things, the way in which you do. Believing in a great cause that benefits mankind with no personal gain of your own does not establish great character in yourself if you have to sacrifice morals or personal dignity to accomplish them. I know many people that feel that a few small wrongs are justifiable if it helps propel the greater good, and I used to feel that may myself. Not anymore.
Great character means not abandoning those morals, or committing those few small wrongs, because EVERYTHING is all just a matter of perspective. What may seem like a greater good to some is not for others. If you’re willing to cause one small indignity to your moral fiber, honor, or integrity, you start to eat away at your character. Even the largest of trees will die if you slowly eat away at them a chip at a time. Great character will stand and shine through the very small, as well as the large, no matter who or what is there to witness. It will stand when nobody or nothing else will. It holds resolve to stand firm, and never back down from what is right, just and honorable. The shadow grows long and recedes daily. The reputation is constantly changing. The single tree outlasts a lifetime of shadows.
