character vs attitude

I respect someone with CHARACTER -- this is how a person portrays themself no matter what the situation.

ATTITUDE can change with the situation and it may not always be good.

In my opinion, character is something you cannot change. Just as you grow up to become the person you are, you grow into the character you become.

Attitude it the way you choose to portray yourself. You can choose what your attitude will be, whether it is happy or sad or any other emotion. Unlike character, attitude can be changed. It's just a matter of choosing the way you wish to be.

Hope this helps.

Character is like an operating system of a computer.
We have different operating systems like Mac OS,
Xenix, Linux, Windows etc. The software of one is not
compatible with another.

Every operating system has a set of softwares used for
the need of the hour. They can be word processors,
spread sheets, graphics, photo editing, etc. Attitude
is like the software used for the need of the hour.

A man's character never changes radically from youth to old age. What happens is that circumstances bring out characteristics which have not been obvious to the superficial observer - Hesketh Pearson

Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character - Henry Clay

Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries - James A. Michener

A man's character is his fate - Heraclitus

Classifying the mind of people into types can be found in the folk wisdom of most
cultures. A few persons are called calm type, the majorities are known to have
some degree of nervousness, and the remaining are called unsettled type. Every
person is influenced by the three collective psychic energies in varying degrees.
In Sanskrit, Guna means physio-psychological factor. The Upanisads say that Satwa
(order, symmetry, harmony, illumination, knowledge) represents lightness, is
pleasing, and is capable of manifesting others. Rajas (activity, power) is
dynamic, exciting, expansive, but also capable of hurting. Tamas (darkness,
static, inertia, concealing) is characterized by heaviness, and causes obscurity
and sadness. Persons who are mostly influenced by the lower collective psychic
energy are called Tamo Guna (activities of darkness) type persons. They belong to
the unsettled type according to folk wisdom.

Attitude is the differentiating factor used for a specific purpose. Character is
the integrating factor which defines what a person's mind is.

character:

distinctive qualities: the set of qualities that make somebody or something distinctive, especially somebody's qualities of mind and feeling

http://encarta.msn.com/.../...onaryResults.aspx

the qualities distinctive to an individual.

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/character

the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual.

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person.

http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/character

Attitude:

personal view of something: an opinion or general feeling about something

challenging manner: an arrogant or assertive manner or stance assumed as a challenge or for effect

http://encarta.msn.com/.../...onaryResults.aspx

a position assumed for a specific purpose

a mental position with regard to a fact or state

a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state

an organismic state of readiness to respond in a characteristic way to a stimulus (as an object, concept, or situation)

a negative or hostile state of mind

a cool, cocky, defiant, or arrogant manner

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of the mind - a negative attitude; group attitudes.

Character is what the person is deep inside and as a whole. It flavors everything they do.

Attitude is a surface emotion that can change.

Character is like climate, Attitude is like weather

Attitude is just how you approach a particular situation.
Character is what makes you do the right thing even when no one is looking ... or when no one will find out that you did it.

Someone with character decides when to use his inner strength while someone with attitude separates themself from the rest of the world

Character is a trait, attitude is a behaviour.

From: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/432456