---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good character may not make us happy…"
description: "\"“A good character may not make us happy, but it does make us worthy of happiness (XXV 1174). He also maintains that people of character have an inner w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/timmermann-jens-190124_character_a-good-character-may-not-make-us-happy-b_577300.jpg"
---

#  A good character may not make us happy, but it does make…

![“A good character may not make us happy, but it does make us worthy of happiness (XXV 1174). He also maintains that people of character have an inner worth, while people of talent have a market value (XXV 1174), and emphasizes that this worth is created by the person himself. Most importantly…” quote by Timmermann Jens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/timmermann-jens-190124_character_a-good-character-may-not-make-us-happy-b_577300.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/timmermann-jens-190124_character_a-good-character-may-not-make-us-happy-b_577300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b9/timmermann-jens-190124_character_a-good-character-may-not-make-us-happy-b_577300.jpg)

> ““A good character may not make us happy, but it does make us worthy of happiness (XXV 1174). He also maintains that people of character have an inner worth, while people of talent have a market value (XXV 1174), and emphasizes that this worth is created by the person himself. Most importantly, however, he claims that character ‘consists in the basic characteristic \[GrundAnlage\] of the will’ (XXV 1174).””

[Timmermann Jens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timmermann-jens/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Character defines inner worth, whereas talent offers market value; true worth arises from the will.

**In simple terms:** Character is inner worth, not external talent.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate character, not just talent.

Themes

character worth will philosophy value

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive serious

Type

Character:1 Good character:1 Happiness:0 Kant:1 Value:1 Worth:1 People Character:0 Character Consists:1 Claims Character:0 Character Inner:1

When to use this quote

- personal development
- career planning
- ethical leadership

Key Concepts

Kantian ethics inner worth moral philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to have inner worth?
- Can talent be aligned with character?

A Different Perspective

Character alone may not guarantee happiness.

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[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Consists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-consists-653787/) [Character Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-inner-4751730/) [Claims Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims-character-4751729/) [Good character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-character/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant/) [People Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-character-306053/) [Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/)

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[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

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