There was a day when a dollar bill was worth a certain amount of gold. For every dollar that was printed, there was gold to give value to the printed money. Character is the gold that backs up the paper money which is personality, which is your public image. I can develop a positive mental attitude and read books on human and public relations which will lubricate the processes of human interaction. But that doesn't mean that I have character.
Character grows like rings on a tree, slowly and deliberately.
Character is what I am when no one is looking. It is what I think about in the still darkness of the night. Character is the most important ingredient I can bring to any relationship. Character is the gold of my life. When you mis-represent and slander me, you are stealing my gold.