Character by Samuel Smiles CHAPTER I.-INFLUENCE OF CHARACTER. "Unless above himself he can Erect himself, how poor a thingis man"-DANIEL."Character is moral order seen through the medium, of anindividual nature.... Men of character are the conscience ofthe society to which they belong."-EMERSON."The prosperity of a country depends, not on the abundanceof its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications, nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but it consistsin the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men ofeducation, enlightenment, and character; here are to befound its true interest, its chief strength, its realpower."-MARTIN LUTHER. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.