--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He might be a man without character, but…" description: "\"He might be a man without character, but she was a woman without courage. Of the two, which was worse?\" — Sue Grafton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/sue-grafton-1640_character_he-might-be-a-man-without-character-but_1371776.png" --- # He might be a man without character, but she was a woman… ![“He might be a man without character, but she was a woman without courage. Of the two, which was worse?” quote by Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/sue-grafton-1640_character_he-might-be-a-man-without-character-but_1371776.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/sue-grafton-1640_character_he-might-be-a-man-without-character-but_1371776.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/sue-grafton-1640_character_he-might-be-a-man-without-character-but_1371776.png) > “He might be a man without character, but she was a woman without courage. Of the two, which was worse?” [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A comparison of moral failings, questioning which is more damaging: lack of character or lack of courage. **In simple terms:** Choosing between moral weakness and cowardice. Key Takeaway Reflect on personal values and bravery. Themes ethics gender character courage morality Mood thoughtful serious Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership decisions - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts integrity fear social expectations Questions to Reflect On - Which quality do you value more in yourself? - How does society judge these flaws differently? A Different Perspective Both traits can coexist, making the judgment complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose it is because woman's courage is mental and man's physical, that in times of great strain women always make the better showing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/i-suppose-it-is-because-woman-s-courage-is-mental-and-man-s-physical/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [To me, the real marks of beauty in a woman are courage, character, kindness, and personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/to-me-the-real-marks-of-beauty-in-a-woman-are-courage-character/) [David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/) > [“It takes Wonder Woman courage and Superman strength to heal the wounds of our abuse... because it brings change... and we are inclined to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-mcelvaney/it-takes-wonder-woman-courage-and-superman-strength-to-heal-the/) [Jeanne McElvaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-mcelvaney/) > [For the courage of self-sacrifice, woman is any time superior to man, as I believe man is to woman for the courage of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/for-the-courage-of-self-sacrifice-woman-is-any-time-superior-to-man/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“No, but you have courage. Not battle courage perhaps but . . . I don’t know . . . a kind of woman’s courage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/no-but-you-have-courage-not-battle-courage-perhaps-but-i-don-t-know-a/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Each time a woman has the courage to act and share her truth, she plants wonderful seeds. Each such seed offers freedom and power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-evans/each-time-a-woman-has-the-courage-to-act-and-share-her-truth-she/) [Jodie Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-evans/) > [The best protection any woman can have... is courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-best-protection-any-woman-can-have-is-courage/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [“woman. Courage like a mountain lion. All of that is inside you, Tori Burton,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loreth-anne-white/woman-courage-like-a-mountain-lion-all-of-that-is-inside-you-tori/) [Loreth Anne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loreth-anne-white/) > [“The trust in her voice made his confidence wobble. He had no idea what he was doing. The faith and bravery that nestled inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-lynn-perry/the-trust-in-her-voice-made-his-confidence-wobble-he-had-no-idea-what/) [Amber Lynn Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-lynn-perry/) > [The voice is not only indicative of man's character, but it is the expression of his spirit. Other sounds can be louder than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/the-voice-is-not-only-indicative-of-man-s-character-but-it-is-the/) [Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/) > [“In matters of the heart and endings, a man's character is defined not by the act of parting ways with a woman but by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-apetsi/in-matters-of-the-heart-and-endings-a-man-s-character-is-defined-not/) [Emmanuel Apetsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-apetsi/) > [If a man has character, he has also his typical experience, which always recurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-a-man-has-character-he-has-also-his-typical-experience-which/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I never really thought of myself as being an action hero or a leading man or any of that. I'm a character actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-paul/i-never-really-thought-of-myself-as-being-an-action-hero-or-a-leading/) [Aaron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-paul/) > [It is the property of things seen for the first time, or for the first time after long, like the flowers in spring, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-the-property-of-things-seen-for-the-first-time-or-for-the-first/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Every man's own character is written so all who will may read it, in the expression of his eyes, the tone of his voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/every-man-s-own-character-is-written-so-all-who-will-may-read-it-in/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) ## More by Sue Grafton > [“Life is hard. Life hurts. So what? You tough it out. You get through and then you'll feel good again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/life-is-hard-life-hurts-so-what-you-tough-it-out-you-get-through-and/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“nothing wrong with a lie or two when the situation demanded it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/nothing-wrong-with-a-lie-or-two-when-the-situation-demanded-it/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I can just about promise you Philip Marlowe was never as dainty as I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-can-just-about-promise-you-philip-marlowe-was-never-as-dainty-as-i/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“You can always push people around, but it's not a good idea. Better to let them volunteer information for reasons of their own. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/you-can-always-push-people-around-but-it-s-not-a-good-idea-better-to/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [You can't make anyone love you and you can't stop anyone from dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/you-can-t-make-anyone-love-you-and-you-can-t-stop-anyone-from-dying/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“Some people die accidentally. It's a fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/some-people-die-accidentally-it-s-a-fact/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Thinking is hard work, which is why you don't see many people doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/thinking-is-hard-work-which-is-why-you-don-t-see-many-people-doing-it/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Pay enough for anything and it passes for taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/pay-enough-for-anything-and-it-passes-for-taste/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“It’s hard to have faith in your fellow man when you’re forced to look at some of his handiwork.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/it-s-hard-to-have-faith-in-your-fellow-man-when-you-re-forced-to-look/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Insecure people have a special sensitivity for anything that finally confirms their own low opinion of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/insecure-people-have-a-special-sensitivity-for-anything-that-finally/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“I wondered if I'd ever be nice enough to volunteer for anything. I was hoping not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/i-wondered-if-i-d-ever-be-nice-enough-to-volunteer-for-anything-i-was/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Ideas are easy. It's the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/ideas-are-easy-it-s-the-execution-of-ideas-that-really-separates-the/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“You can't believe everything you hear. Sometimes, you can't even believe your eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/you-can-t-believe-everything-you-hear-sometimes-you-can-t-even/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“It wasn’t about finding the right answer; it was about patience and diligence. I surrendered to the process, ascribing the same importance to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/it-wasn-t-about-finding-the-right-answer-it-was-about-patience-and/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“Life is simple. You're the one making things complex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/life-is-simple-you-re-the-one-making-things-complex/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) [Explore all 217 Sue Grafton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) ## 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": "He might be a man without character, but she was a woman without courage. 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