--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reputation is what people think you are…" description: "\"Reputation is what people think you are. Character is who you really are. Take care of your character and your reputation will take care of itself. The..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/richard-bach-424_care_reputation-is-what-people-think-you-are_879058.png" --- # Reputation is what people think you are. Character is who… ![“Reputation is what people think you are. Character is who you really are. Take care of your character and your reputation will take care of itself. The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” quote by Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/richard-bach-424_care_reputation-is-what-people-think-you-are_879058.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/richard-bach-424_care_reputation-is-what-people-think-you-are_879058.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/richard-bach-424_care_reputation-is-what-people-think-you-are_879058.png) > “Reputation is what people think you are. Character is who you really are. Take care of your character and your reputation will take care of itself. The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reputation reflects others' perceptions; character is your true self, and nurturing character naturally shapes reputation. **In simple terms:** Character defines you; reputation follows. Key Takeaway Focus on integrity, reputation follows. Themes integrity self‑awareness reputation Mood reflective determined Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career building - personal relationships - public speaking - team management Key Concepts personal growth ethics leadership Questions to Reflect On - How can you align actions with your values? - What steps protect character in public life? A Different Perspective Reputation can be damaged by external gossip despite strong character. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Reputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-reputation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reputation/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-moody/if-i-take-care-of-my-character-my-reputation-will-take-care-of-itself/) [D.L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-moody/) > [Worry about your character and not your reputation, because your character is who you are, and your reputation is only what people think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/worry-about-your-character-and-not-your-reputation-because-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Worry about your character, not your reputation. Your character is who you are. Your reputation is who people think you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/worry-about-your-character-not-your-reputation-your-character-is-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Character is what you are. Reputation is what people think you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/character-is-what-you-are-reputation-is-what-people-think-you-are/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [Take care of your character and your reputation will take care of itslef,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-care-of-your-character-and-your-reputation-will-take-care-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/if-i-take-care-of-my-character-my-reputation-will-take-care-of-me/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [What others think about you is reputation.. Who you are, is character and your reputation will take care of itself..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nushra/what-others-think-about-you-is-reputation-who-you-are-is-character/) [Nushra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nushra/) > [“Be more concerned with character than reputation. Character is what you are, reputation is what people think you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/be-more-concerned-with-character-than-reputation-character-is-what/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [Worry about your character, NOT your reputation,Because your character is who you are, and your reputation is what people think of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/worry-about-your-character-not-your-reputation-because-your-character/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Rumor is what people say you are. Reputation is who people think you are. Character is who you really are when no one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/rumor-is-what-people-say-you-are-reputation-is-who-people-think-you/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Reputation is what people think of you but character is what you think you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-mosaic/reputation-is-what-people-think-of-you-but-character-is-what-you/) Keith Mosaic > [Your reputation is that which people think you are; your character is that which you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-reputation-is-that-which-people-think-you-are-your-character-is/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Reputation is seeming; character is being. Reputation is manufactured; character is grown. Reputation is your photograph; There is a vast difference between character and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stuart-macarthur/reputation-is-seeming-character-is-being-reputation-is-manufactured/) Robert Stuart MacArthur > [“Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-more-concerned-with-your-character-than-with-your-reputation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Reputation is what people expect us to do next. It's their expectation of the quality and character of the next thing we produce or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/reputation-is-what-people-expect-us-to-do-next-it-s-their-expectation/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More by Richard Bach > [“Heaven is not a place, and it's not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/heaven-is-not-a-place-and-it-s-not-a-time-heaven-is-being-perfect/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [You'd chosen to be an upright biped on the surface of a small planet of a minor sun on the edge of a minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/you-d-chosen-to-be-an-upright-biped-on-the-surface-of-a-small-planet/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Your harshest truths are dreams, and your gentlest dreams are true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/your-harshest-truths-are-dreams-and-your-gentlest-dreams-are-true/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“Happiness is a choice. It is not always an easy one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/happiness-is-a-choice-it-is-not-always-an-easy-one/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/argue-for-your-limitations-and-sure-enough-they-re-yours/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The world is a dream, you say, and it’s lovely, sometimes. Sunset. Clouds. Sky.” “No. The image is a dream. The beauty is real.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-world-is-a-dream-you-say-and-it-s-lovely-sometimes-sunset-clouds/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-original-sin-is-to-limit-the-is-don-t/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Silly ideas, worth the admission price in smiles, but they're true. Is high-energy physics interesting because it's true or because it's crazy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/silly-ideas-worth-the-admission-price-in-smiles-but-they-re-true-is/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-best-way-to-pay-for-a-lovely-moment-is-to-enjoy-it/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/i-am-tired-of-clinging-though-i-cannot-see-it-with-my-eyes-i-trust/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [If you want to meet someone who can fix any situation you don't like, who can bring you happiness in spite of what other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/if-you-want-to-meet-someone-who-can-fix-any-situation-you-don-t-like/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The space for what you want is already filled with what you settled for instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-space-for-what-you-want-is-already-filled-with-what-you-settled/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The books remind us that way down deep in our hearts, part of us knows that we are creatures of light and we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-books-remind-us-that-way-down-deep-in-our-hearts-part-of-us-knows/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Part of us is always the observer, and no matter what, it observes. 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I've spent so many years waiting for publishers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/kindle-singles-is-publishing-on-skates-it-prints-like-lightning-our/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) [Explore all 539 Richard Bach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) ## More Care quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. 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