Character Strengths and Virtues Quotes

“Several studies have found that people are less likely to persist on difficult or unsolvable problems if they have already exerted self-control on a prior task, such as attempting to control their thoughts or emotions or resisting the temptation to eat chocolates and cookies. Some recent evidence suggests that the capacity for self-control is enhanced by positive emotions, and there is evidence that people in good moods persist longer (and perform better) at solving tasks.”
― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

“Of course, perseverance does not guarantee success, but success is often unattainable without it.”
― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

“Encouragement as a concept in psychology has been most influenced by Adler (1946), who proposed that discouragement was at the root of many mental health problems and the seed of destruction in many interpersonal relationships.”
― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

“True self-respect, according to Mencius, is based on the vales of benevolence, dutifulness, conscientiousness, truthfulness, and delight in what is good. Bravery, in Chinese philosophy, is the quality that allows people to pursue those values, hold steadfast to them in times when they are challenged, and remain true to them when faced with conventional social ideals that conflict with full human excellence.”
― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

“Putnam argued that the concept of psychological bravery has not been properly recognized in ethics and asserted that the psychological bravery involved in facing fears generated by our own habits is essential to well-being.”
― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

“Bravery raises the moral and social conscience of a society.”
― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

“Vitality directly reflects eudaimonia—the inherent fulfillment produced by virtuecongruent activity—and reminds us that fulfillment is not an abstract judgment but an experienced psychological state. Vitality is how self-actualization feels. Vitality is a way to describe the engagement and absorption of flow.”
― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

“Indeed, if the good life entails nothing more than the joyless performance of good deeds, then it is not a life that is lived but merely one that is ploddingly enacted. How can we urge good character upon individuals and devise strategies for encouraging character if there is not an experiential payoff?”
― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification