Synopses & Reviews
An inescapable truth lies at the heart of this simple yet profound book: The quality of our lives is not determined by the happenstance of genetics or by the influence of environment; it is not measured in material possessions or in the trappings of youth; it is not dependent on personality or social acclaim. On the contrary, the intrinsic value of the lives we lead reflects the strength of a single trait: our personal character.
Character Is Destiny, a sort of self-help guide for the soul, shows how we can lead richer lives simply by being better people.
"This profound book reminds us how utterly central character is to all else in life . . . I plan to stay in touch with this book for many years." Shelby Steele
Russell W. Gough, a nationally prominent writer and speaker, describes the steps to personal growth from examining our lives to taking responsibility for our actions, from discarding selfishness to embracing the greater good, from becoming a better role model for our loved ones to finding the courage to do the right thing naturally and consistently. By cultivating the habits of virtue, we will strengthen not only ourselves but, more important, our families and our world. Character Is Destiny shows how to overcome the most formidable obstacle to an ethical life: ourselves.
Each and every day we are faced with scores of choices that, in subtle yet discernible ways, can either enrich or impoverish our personal character. The choices we make, and the manner in which we make them, illuminate the paths our lives will take. Character Is Destiny can be our compass.
About the Author
Russell W. Gough is a professor of ethics and philosophy at Pepperdine University. He lectures frequently across the country and is a chairman for the annual White House Conference on Character Building. His articles on ethics and character have appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and elsewhere. In addition, he is the author of the book Character Is Everything: Promoting Ethical Excellence in Sports.
Table of Contents
ContentsForeword
Preface
Introduction
1. Character is destiny.
2. The unexamined life is not worth living.
3. Character is what you are in the dark.
4. The final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.
5. Character is higher than intellect.
6. Excellence is habit.
7. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, fix your thoughts on such things.
8. To enjoy things we ought to enjoy . . . has the greatest bearing on excellence of character.
9. No one who desires to become good will become good unless he does good things.
10. Example is not the main thing in life – it is the only thing.
11. A man never describes his own character so clearly as when he describes another's.
12. You can follow all the rules and still be unethical.
13. Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.
14. I have found who is responsible for our ethical poverty, and it is I.
An Ethics Checklist
Notes