A Person of High Character

This morning I found the following words in Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic:

Cherish some man of high character, and keep him ever before your eyes, living as if he were watching you, and ordering all your actions as if he beheld them.

Epicurus, quoted by Seneca in Letters from a Stoic

The sentiment immediately reminded me of Napoleon Hill’s “Invisible Counselors”. In his book Think and Grow Rich Hill describes his method of learning from his heroes:

Long before I had ever written a line for publication, or endeavored to deliver a speech in public, I followed the habit of reshaping my own character, by trying to imitate the nine men whose lives and life-works had been most impressive to me… My purpose was to rebuild my own character so it would represent a composite of the characters of my imaginary counselors.

Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

Beyond Hill and the Stoics this idea is also obviously at the heart of many of humanity’s religions and spiritual traditions. Jesus, Buddha and many others fit the mold.

The common thread is humility, learning from one another and modeling ourselves after those we admire.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬