--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You cannot have a good character today…" description: "\"You cannot have a good character today and at the same time have a small mind and a little heart. You cannot have a good character today and be merely ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/a-powell-davies-43752_character_you-cannot-have-a-good-character-today-a_2454803.png" --- # You cannot have a good character today and at the same… ![“You cannot have a good character today and at the same time have a small mind and a little heart. You cannot have a good character today and be merely a petty reformer.” quote by A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/a-powell-davies-43752_character_you-cannot-have-a-good-character-today-a_2454803.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/a-powell-davies-43752_character_you-cannot-have-a-good-character-today-a_2454803.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/a-powell-davies-43752_character_you-cannot-have-a-good-character-today-a_2454803.png) > “You cannot have a good character today and at the same time have a small mind and a little heart. You cannot have a good character today and be merely a petty reformer.” [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good character requires a generous mind and heart; smallness limits moral impact. **In simple terms:** Character needs generosity, not smallness. Key Takeaway Cultivate a big mind and heart. Themes character generosity morality personal growth Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - leadership - community service - personal development Key Concepts ethical development self‑expansion Questions to Reflect On - How can you expand your mind and heart? - What actions reflect a generous character? A Different Perspective Small mindset can be a protective coping mechanism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Good character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-character/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reformers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reformers/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [A good character today is shaped by greatness, greatness in vision, greatness in courage, greatness in insight, greatness in purpose and devotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/a-good-character-today-is-shaped-by-greatness-greatness-in-vision/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) > [Everyday has to be different for me. Even if people are like, "You dressed up like a character today, it's not Halloween."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-shumpert/everyday-has-to-be-different-for-me-even-if-people-are-like-you/) [Iman Shumpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-shumpert/) > [Tomorrow's character is made out of today's thoughts. Temptation may come suddenly, but sin does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/tomorrow-s-character-is-made-out-of-today-s-thoughts-temptation-may/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [“God calls big trees out of small seeds, so He prepares great monuments out of small minds. He will definitely call those wonderful things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/god-calls-big-trees-out-of-small-seeds-so-he-prepares-great-monuments/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [One can change the small minds, but it is tad difficult to do it with the small heart whose soul is in small mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-can-change-the-small-minds-but-it-is-tad-difficult-to-do-it-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never let small minds convince that your dreams are too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-let-small-minds-convince-that-your-dreams-are-too-big/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Consistency is the virtue of small minds, and Spinoza had a great mind—he was inconsistent all over the place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-holt/consistency-is-the-virtue-of-small-minds-and-spinoza-had-a-great-mind/) [Jim Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-holt/) > [Small minds are subdued by misfortunes, greater minds overcome them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/small-minds-are-subdued-by-misfortunes-greater-minds-overcome-them/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [“Great minds talk about ideas; small minds talk about people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/great-minds-talk-about-ideas-small-minds-talk-about-people/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [“Racism is a big problem Created by small minds”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-gonzales/racism-is-a-big-problem-created-by-small-minds/) [Gil Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-gonzales/) > [Small minds just like light winds can never create giant waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/small-minds-just-like-light-winds-can-never-create-giant-waves/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Small minds blame others for their misery. Maturity comes when we take ownership of our own destiny and take responsibility for our own happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/small-minds-blame-others-for-their-misery-maturity-comes-when-we-take/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [Dont let small minds persuade you that your dreams are too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-let-small-minds-persuade-you-that-your-dreams-are-too-big/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't let small minded people dictate how you should look and be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-molko/don-t-let-small-minded-people-dictate-how-you-should-look-and-be-free/) [Brian Molko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-molko/) > [Things aren't what they used to be' is the rallying cry of small minds. When men say things used to be better, they invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/things-aren-t-what-they-used-to-be-is-the-rallying-cry-of-small-minds/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) ## More by A. Powell Davies > [You can't find God before an altar if that is the only place you look for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/you-can-t-find-god-before-an-altar-if-that-is-the-only-place-you-look/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) > [Life is just a chance to grow a soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/life-is-just-a-chance-to-grow-a-soul/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) > [Let us be done with the notion that religion is confined to petty pieties and small constraints. All too often people who have possessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/let-us-be-done-with-the-notion-that-religion-is-confined-to-petty/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) > [Religion is not something separate and apart from ordinary life. It is life - life of every kind viewed from the standpoint of meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/religion-is-not-something-separate-and-apart-from-ordinary-life-it-is/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) > [The world is now too small for anything but brotherhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/the-world-is-now-too-small-for-anything-but-brotherhood/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) > [Life must have its sacred moments and its holy places. We need the infinite, the limitless, the uttermost -- all that can give the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/life-must-have-its-sacred-moments-and-its-holy-places-we-need-the/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) > [A good character today is shaped by greatness, greatness in vision, greatness in courage, greatness in insight, greatness in purpose and devotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/a-good-character-today-is-shaped-by-greatness-greatness-in-vision/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) > [True religion, like our founding principles, requires that the rights of the disbeliever be equally acknowledged with those of the believer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-powell-davies/true-religion-like-our-founding-principles-requires-that-the-rights/) [A. Powell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) [Explore all 9 A. Powell Davies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-powell-davies/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You cannot have a good character today and at the same time have a small mind and a little heart. 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