building character
Forging inner strength
Building character is what difficult experiences supposedly do for a person—developing resilience, discipline, or moral strength through hardship.
The phrase often carries an ironic edge, acknowledging that the "character-building" experience is genuinely unpleasant: Running laps in the rain builds character.
Parents and coaches invoke it to justify ordeals that seem pointless to those enduring them.
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- moral compassInner ethical guidance system
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- hard workSustained strenuous effort
- adaptabilityAbility to adjust readily
integrity · core values · communication · teamwork · focus · honesty · inner strength · fortitude · mental toughness · habit formation · courage · leadership · moral fiber · humility · grit · hardship · tough love · rising above
building charactercoddling
Overindulgent, protective treatment
spoiling · overprotecting · pampering · enabling · mollycoddling
building charactermoral decay
Decline in ethical standards
character assassination · debasement · demoralization · leading astray
building characterstagnation
Absence of flow or progress
self-indulgence · instant gratification · path of least resistance · learned helplessness · atrophy
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