--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is character, if not a man's measure…" description: "\"“What is character, if not a man's measure of himself against his friends and enemies?”\" — Christopher Moore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/christopher-moore-353_character_what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure_288717.png" --- # What is character, if not a man's measure of himself… ![“What is character, if not a man's measure of himself against his friends and enemies?” quote by Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/christopher-moore-353_character_what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure_288717.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/christopher-moore-353_character_what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure_288717.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/christopher-moore-353_character_what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure_288717.png) > ““What is character, if not a man's measure of himself against his friends and enemies?”” [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Character is defined by how we compare ourselves to both allies and rivals, revealing self‑identity through social contrast. **In simple terms:** Character shows through comparing with friends and foes. Key Takeaway Assess yourself against both supporters and challengers. Themes identity comparison self‑perception relationships Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - teamwork - conflict resolution - leadership development - personal growth Key Concepts social psychology self‑evaluation Questions to Reflect On - How do your friends shape your self‑view? - Do rivals inspire improvement or resentment? A Different Perspective May overlook internal values in favor of external comparison. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Friends and enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends-and-enemies/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) ## Related quotes > [Friends and enemies have a lot in common, you will never know when they will slaughter you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friends-and-enemies-have-a-lot-in-common-you-will-never-know-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He who treats his friends and enemies alike, has neither love nor justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/he-who-treats-his-friends-and-enemies-alike-has-neither-love-nor/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“Your friends and enemies are defined the moment you come to this world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/your-friends-and-enemies-are-defined-the-moment-you-come-to-this-world/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Brothers and sisters, friends and enemies: I just can't believe everyone in here is a friend, and I don't want to leave anybody out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/brothers-and-sisters-friends-and-enemies-i-just-can-t-believe/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I will never cease advising my friends and enemies to read poetry before anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/i-will-never-cease-advising-my-friends-and-enemies-to-read-poetry/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [We say that every man is entitled to be valued by his best moment. We measure our friends so. We know, they have intervals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-say-that-every-man-is-entitled-to-be-valued-by-his-best-moment-we/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“I measure my friends not by being there with me when everything is going well, but embracing me when I'm criticized and when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terraine-francois/i-measure-my-friends-not-by-being-there-with-me-when-everything-is/) [Terraine Francois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terraine-francois/) > [The close relations between the countries send a clear message to our friends and enemies, Israel and Greece stand side by side for regional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoav-gallant/the-close-relations-between-the-countries-send-a-clear-message-to-our/) [Yoav Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoav-gallant/) > [Do good to your friends to keep them, to your enemies to win them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/do-good-to-your-friends-to-keep-them-to-your-enemies-to-win-them/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Here's a jewel love you enemies and hate your friends. Your enemies remain the same friends always change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/50-cent/here-s-a-jewel-love-you-enemies-and-hate-your-friends-your-enemies/) [50 Cent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/50-cent/) > [I have no friends and no enemies - only competitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle-onassis/i-have-no-friends-and-no-enemies-only-competitors/) [Aristotle Onassis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle-onassis/) > [The street game changing watch who you deal with because your friends not your friends they Enemies in Disquise, watching you close for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/the-street-game-changing-watch-who-you-deal-with-because-your-friends/) Frenchqueen > [The difference between your enemies and your friends your enemies envy you because ur completing your friends envy u because ur succeeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-b/the-difference-between-your-enemies-and-your-friends-your-enemies/) [Terri B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-b/) > [“Friends may be enemies, and enemies, friends. Lacking the ability to see into another’s mind and read the motivations that lie within, no man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-myandee/friends-may-be-enemies-and-enemies-friends-lacking-the-ability-to-see/) [Shaun Myandee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-myandee/) > [All are my friends. I have no enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahavira/all-are-my-friends-i-have-no-enemies/) [Mahavira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahavira/) ## More by Christopher Moore > [“Love them all," said Renoir. "That is the secret, young man. Love them all." The painter let go of his arm and shrugged. "Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/love-them-all-said-renoir-that-is-the-secret-young-man-love-them-all/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I tried cutting myself to express my heartbreak over Tommy (Lord Flood) rejecting me, but OMFG it hurts like flaming fuck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-tried-cutting-myself-to-express-my-heartbreak-over-tommy-lord-flood/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Canada is a myth people made up to entertain children, like the Tooth Fairy. There’s no such place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/canada-is-a-myth-people-made-up-to-entertain-children-like-the-tooth/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Sarcasm will make your tits fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/sarcasm-will-make-your-tits-fall-off/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I hope you are not here to ask me to do my bawdy business- the monkey has a nosebleed and the circus, sir, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-hope-you-are-not-here-to-ask-me-to-do-my-bawdy-business-the-monkey/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [The prospect of change is a many-fanged beast, my dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/the-prospect-of-change-is-a-many-fanged-beast-my-dear/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“The night was crisp and the stars shone with a cold blue light like loneliness or infinity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/the-night-was-crisp-and-the-stars-shone-with-a-cold-blue-light-like/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Children see magic because they look for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/children-see-magic-because-they-look-for-it/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Abby Von Normal - And I'm like, "Don't change the subject, Kung Pao, what I want to know is if you're ready to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/abby-von-normal-and-i-m-like-don-t-change-the-subject-kung-pao-what-i/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“You can't just go around blurting out the truth like a prophet with Tourette's syndrome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/you-can-t-just-go-around-blurting-out-the-truth-like-a-prophet-with/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [How could you deal with a creature as devious as woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/how-could-you-deal-with-a-creature-as-devious-as-woman/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“…turning your ankle hurts like hell, even if you're a superhero.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/turning-your-ankle-hurts-like-hell-even-if-you-re-a-superhero/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Lonliness evaporated off of them like the steam off dry ice, and by morning it was just a cloud on the ceiling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/lonliness-evaporated-off-of-them-like-the-steam-off-dry-ice-and-by/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Give us a call or you know, flash a searchlight in the sky with your logo on it, because we monitor everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/give-us-a-call-or-you-know-flash-a-searchlight-in-the-sky-with-your/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“it wasn't so much like the hands of time had stood still here, more like they'd been thrown in the air in exasperation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/it-wasn-t-so-much-like-the-hands-of-time-had-stood-still-here-more/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) [Explore all 591 Christopher Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## 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. 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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": "“What is character, if not a man's measure of himself against his friends and enemies?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Moore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure-of-himself-against-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure-of-himself-against-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/christopher-moore-353_character_what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure_288717.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/christopher-moore-353_character_what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure_288717.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/christopher-moore-353_character_what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure_288717.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is character, if not a man's measure of himself against his friends and enemies?” — Christopher Moore", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Moore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What is character, if not a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure-of-himself-against-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/what-is-character-if-not-a-man-s-measure-of-himself-against-his/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```