--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Character is formed, not by laws…" description: "\"Character is formed, not by laws, commands, and decrees, but by quiet influence, unconscious suggestion and personal guidance.\" — Marion LeRoy Burton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/marion-leroy-burton-77552_character_character-is-formed-not-by-laws-commands_2677488.jpg" --- # Character is formed, not by laws, commands, and decrees… ![“Character is formed, not by laws, commands, and decrees, but by quiet influence, unconscious suggestion and personal guidance.” quote by Marion LeRoy Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/marion-leroy-burton-77552_character_character-is-formed-not-by-laws-commands_2677488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/marion-leroy-burton-77552_character_character-is-formed-not-by-laws-commands_2677488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/marion-leroy-burton-77552_character_character-is-formed-not-by-laws-commands_2677488.jpg) > “Character is formed, not by laws, commands, and decrees, but by quiet influence, unconscious suggestion and personal guidance.” Marion LeRoy Burton ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Character develops through subtle, unconscious influences and personal guidance rather than explicit rules, emphasizing the power of example and environment. **In simple terms:** Character is shaped by quiet influence, not just laws. Key Takeaway Cultivate positive environments and role models. Themes character influence education Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - parenting - leadership - organizational culture - personal development Key Concepts psychology social learning Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment shape your values? - What role do mentors play in your character? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on unconscious influence may ignore the need for clear boundaries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Guidance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guidance/) [Improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvement/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Self improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-improvement/) [Suggestions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suggestions/) ## Related quotes > [Through its influence upon the unconscious, music can have a specific healing effect. 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Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-b-brown/) > [Talent is nurtured in solitude; character is formed in the stormy billows of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/talent-is-nurtured-in-solitude-character-is-formed-in-the-stormy-2/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Character is both formed and revealed by how one deals with everyday situations as well as extraordinary pressures and temptations. Like a well-made tower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/character-is-both-formed-and-revealed-by-how-one-deals-with-everyday/) [Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/) > [The beginning is the most important part...for that is the time character is being formed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-beginning-is-the-most-important-part-for-that-is-the-time/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/good-character-is-not-formed-in-a-week-or-a-month-it-is-created/) [Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/) > [Talent is nurtured in solitude; character is formed in the stormy billows of the world. \[Ger., Es bildet ein talent sich in der Stille,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/talent-is-nurtured-in-solitude-character-is-formed-in-the-stormy/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Character is formed in the stormy billows of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/character-is-formed-in-the-stormy-billows-of-the-world/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > […I'm sorry, and a little dissatisfied as well. Miss Stacy told me long ago that by the time I was twenty my character would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-sorry-and-a-little-dissatisfied-as-well-miss-stacy-told-me-long/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My kinfolks thought more about character than about culture. They said culture could be acquired but character had to be formed. Character had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-robertson/my-kinfolks-thought-more-about-character-than-about-culture-they-said/) [Ben Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-robertson/) > [“but maybe this was just how character formed: by groping whims we had no choice afterward but to commit to as ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-blum/but-maybe-this-was-just-how-character-formed-by-groping-whims-we-had/) Ben Blum ## More by Marion LeRoy Burton > [From self alone expect applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-leroy-burton/from-self-alone-expect-applause/) Marion LeRoy Burton > [Gluttony is the source of all our infirmities and the fountain of all our diseases. As a lamp is choked by a superabundance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-leroy-burton/gluttony-is-the-source-of-all-our-infirmities-and-the-fountain-of-all/) Marion LeRoy Burton Explore all 3 Marion LeRoy Burton quotes ## 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. 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