I find there to be profound wisdom in proverbs, sayings and quotes and I marvel at the way they are so succinct in communicating messages to the reader. Mostly anonymous, they come to us from past generations and from across cultures. They speak of the experiences of lives lived and lessons learned. Quotes, like proverbs, make us think more deeply about something.
Each Thursday, I post a Proverb or Saying and a quote that I find thought-provoking.
I hope you will too.
Live your own life, for you will die your own death.
– Latin Proverb
Challenge doesn’t build character, it reveals it – Unknown
Do you agree?
Something to Ponder About this Thursday
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Published by Forestwood
A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word.
Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, I enjoy photography and craft, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.
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Something to Ponder About 
When I read how bad smoking was I stopped reading.
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You were reading about smoking, Gerard?
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Two excellent, profound quotes! I agree that challenges reveal character, but I think challenges also build character. Two sides of the same coin? Anyway, I like to say challenge builds character, and see what a character I’ve become! 😉
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I contemplated this quote before I posted it, Hildegard. Because I thought exactly like you. But then I became a little pedantic, thinking that the growth actually might come well after the challenge, not when it presents itself? In the throws of a challenge, we have our existing character, much that we keep hidden from view, and these character traits, both good and bad, may be publicly displayed during the challenge itself! We are in the moment and all controls/bets are off! We are highly reactive and revert to primitive, ingrained instincts revealing our true character?! What do you think? Splitting hairs? I guess it depends on the context of the subsequent discussion??? I am not one to relish challenges and I don’t cope too well with crises, so my hidden wildness is revealed, but with each challenge, I do feel my character grows!! But i fail to be objective in my opinion!!! Lol!
Thanks for a great comment!
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Two very interesting quotes this week, Amanda. The first quote reminds me of being unique, that each of us are our own individuals with our own strengths and talents. Thinking about death metaphorically, in life we will each experiences different chapters and phases – that is we will each go down different paths and end up in different places, and different things will matter to us.
The second quote: I agree with it. Challenges in life show our true character. Challenges can be expected and often we might need to act on the spur of the moment or quickly under pressure. If we have strongfast values, then we would probably make decisions with no hesitation and act with certainty.
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So true, Mabel. Absolutely agree that as our priorities are different only we can truly decided what is the right decision for us! We are all unique individuals and everyone has value and a right to be here! So we must not live out lives just for others, we must live it for ourselves! This sounds incredibly egocentric but I think it is important to consider ourselves as long as it does not disadvantage others,and consider others, as long as it does not disadvantage ourselves. ( Perhaps, I have said this before). I think it is a question of balance and respect.
You also make an important point in regards to values! None of us wants to hesitate; we all want to act with certainty, yet sometimes that doesn’t happen, particularly with a person of a weak character ( who lacks confidence). Is there something stopping us? We can look to our values for answers! Are our values fixed? I think it is intertwined, as Raewyn alludes to. Challenges create experiences that reveal our character, but may in turn alter and build our character. Hildegard asked the question: What character did I become? Perhaps only the individual can answer that completely?
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I think there has always been a negative connotation when it comes to hesitation. As you said, it can imply weakness but on the other hand, it can also imply that one is cautious and aware of their surroundings.
Are you values fixed? That is such a good question. I suppose it depends on our experiences and lessons learnt over time, and perhaps how a certain group treats us can either make us like or dislike a certain value or belief more over time.
I don’t think we can really answer Hildegard’s question fully since we are all changing all the time in some way.
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That is for certain. Statements are made about character, and personality and values, by me as much as anyone else, however, as life is dynamic therefore, these things logically must also be dynamic! Ah! I love the way these discussions stretch parts of my brain!!!
You are right about Values being influenced by how others/certain groups treat us, although I feel that values are very deeply ingrained and not too easily affected unless the experience itself reinforces that!
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Interesting quotes. I think our experiences do have a profound affect on us, whether we realise it or not. They both tie in together – we all have unique life paths and similar challenges will affect us differently, depending on our characteristic traits.
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I do also feel that the quotes are a little connected and that is why I posted them together. I could not agree more with you, Raewyn. Each day of our lives, bring possibilities of new experiences which can bring change with it. Our character traits, seem fixed, but this is not guaranteed to stay that way. For some people, challenge is too burdensome, and it breaks their character. They must rebuild their lives and perhaps re-form their values? What do you think?
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The first quote makes me think of the concept of accepting who we are and making the most of ourselves and what we have. It’s futile to spend our days envying others and wishing we were someone else. We only have one life, so we must make the most of it – and enjoy!
I believe the second quote is true. Facing, tackling and persevering with the challenge does reveal the person we are.
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Thanks for your comment, Millie. Much appreciated. I do think that envying other people’s lives is futile and the road to sadness, depression and feelings of worthlessness. For we can never be content in our life if we continue to feel disappointment because we wish that we were someone else or even somewhere else. And yet, so many of us continue to do just that. To idolise celebrities, people in the public eye, or romantic destinations. Some even try to emulate or dress like those they admire, when really it is ok to be inspired but not to slavishly copy another as your character must come from within yourself and yourself alone. To connect to the second quote in doing so they’re not only reveaing a person”s character, they are building it. Amazing how a few words such as is in these quotes can inspire a whole train of thought, isn’t it?
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