Character education quotes are among my favorite writings, and would be a valuable addition to any program that seeks to build character. Just the reading of a single character quote each day can remind one of the goal. It can be a quote that deals with character in general, or a quote that deals with a specific character trait. Either way, it reinforces the building that is being done. It gives one strength to continue and seems to bring the goal closer.

Character education quotes can be as old as Aristotle's words from around 300 BC: "Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses or avoids." They may be words from an American preacher such as Henry Ward Beecher's advice to "Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you, never excuse yourself." Or they may be the words of a Chinese proverb: "Respect for ones parents is the highest duty of civil life."

Whatever their source, truthful character education quotes have value to the educator as well as to the educated. An adult may inscribe a quote on parchment in beautiful calligraphy, while a child scrawls it on newsprint with a piece of crayon, but both have great value. Both the adult and the child can hang the finished work on a wall and be inspired to achieve the character trait of which it speaks. Both the adult and the child can use the finished work to reinforce lessons being learned about that particular hallmark of character.

Character education quotes may not say the same thing to every reader, but they can cause every reader to think, and therein lies their value. Surround yourself with them. Use them on your children's walls. Hang the school walls with them. You will be hard-pressed to find such character education value at so little cost.