What do you think defines character? What other leaders have had character? Do any of our current leaders possess it, in your opinion?

The authors state that Washington "may not have come from wealth, he may not have come from a noble family, but he would always have character." What do you think defines character? What other leaders have had character? Do any of our current leaders possess it, in your opinion?

Of course, the first person that comes to mind is Lincoln. Character to me is choosing the honorable way, even at a personal cost. Being able to see past how you may have been brought up, being able to look at the benefits for those you may not have the ability to fully understand, and choosing the noble solution is character.

If you are looking for current leaders, I would probably think of Nelson Mandela, and Volodymyr Zelensky.

Character, to me, means acting with humility and respect, even when the road is not easy. I do not believe that many of our current leaders possess a strong sense of character. Unfortunately, character has been swept aside by many people in search of power and greed. In my opinion, we could all learn a great deal from General Washington.

Acting with integrity and without self interest defines character. Nelson Mendola is a more recent example of integrity. I can think of no recent US leaders with character.

I can think of no recent leaders in our current world that possess the character necessary to stand the test of time other than Zelensky, Mandela, George VI (who stayed in Britain during the war), Elizabeth II who put duty above all else including family, Martin Luther King, Jr, Ghandi, Churchill, Mother Teresa…
Character means standing for one’s beliefs in the face of danger, the willingness to put what is right ahead of personal gain or ideology, fortitude, compassion for those who have no voice or who are at risk, selflessness, standing up to those who are despots.
We have ZERO persons of character in our polarized political world…ZERO. The current cadre of politicians are heinous, self serving, sycophants who care not one iota for the citizens.

Character consists of one's moral and ethical qualities on which they base their life and actions. Such a person cares for others and is honest in their endeavors. Instead of naming past leaders with character, I'd like to uphold the common citizen who lives their life with honor. When it comes to our current leaders, it's all about power and manipulation.

I confess I had to look up a definition for it. While I instinctively feel I know what character is, I found that actually putting it into words was challenging. So, Britannica says, "the good qualities of a person that usually include moral or emotional strength, honesty, and fairness." I like that, and it seems to mesh with many of the sentiments above.

I'd add the Obamas to the list of people I feel have character. Although they're not perfect, they acknowledge their failures (which I think is also a mark of character). I think they weathered the challenges of being in the public eye better than most political leaders. I think that their scandal-free tenure should be a model of what a 21st-century presidency should look like.

I agree with kimk regarding the character of recent political figures, especially regarding the Obamas. For the most part, I also agree with everyone regarding Mandela and Zelensky- the US political scene is currently very much lacking in anything resembling character.

I agree with several of the above posts. I think the Obamas have demonstrated character through their tenure and beyond. I will add Nancy Pelosi. To me, she has persevered against personal attacks as well as physical attacks upon her husband. She has been vilified because she is a woman and she had a powerful position. Yet, she has stood up to power and exhibited bravery in the face of threats and actual violence. When the Capitol was under siege she worked to get additional police support and pushed to get the certification completed. She spoke truth to power multiple times and did her best to protect our country from an attempted coup and the threat posed by a wanna be dictator and his enablers. She has held true to her mission to try to protect women and children. While she is not perfect, when I search for a few “ good men” in our legislative bodies , and there are VERY few, I choose a woman, I choose Nancy Pelosi.

I believe character is being honest, honorable and considerate. I don't think any of our current politicians in the US have these traits. I do believe Obama had character and I think as others that Zelensky has character.

I agree with the previous comments here. When thinking of leaders other than Washington with good character or integrity, Mandela is the first to come to my mind. These men seem to be hard acts to follow.