Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is … — Abraham Lincoln

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

Abraham LincolnPresident · American · 1809 – 1865

More from Abraham Lincoln

A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation. — Mark Twain
There is nothing in which people more betray their character than in what they laugh at. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
If a man's character is to be abused there's nobody like a relative to do the business. — Alexander Pope
The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. — Abraham Lincoln
My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth. — Abraham Lincoln
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence. — Abraham Lincoln