I'm not looking to be famous, but I want a body of work and a moral character that is deserving of fame.

High moral character is not a precondition for great moral accomplishments.

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.

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).

So far as regards their moral character, the Finns have as little cause for reproach as any other people.

Up until the Depression, recession had a moral character: it was supposed to purge the body economic of the greed and excess that attends a business expansion.