Character Quotes
Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing.
"Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing."— Abraham Lincoln
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Meaning of this quote
Character is distinguished from the public impression formed around it.
Key takeaway:
Work on conduct as well as reputation.
Origin of the quote
A Lincoln saying reported posthumously in an 1879 Scribner’s Monthly article.
Who actually said this?
Commonly attributedThe historical report supports a related tree-and-shadow comparison, but the post modernizes it. It is not a surviving autograph statement.
