4 ms·

The true test of character is how you treat someone who can't possibly do anything for you (anything big, I mean, not bringing your food). As for the language

The true test of character is how you treat someone who can't possibly do anything for you (anything big, I mean, not bringing your food). As for the language barrier: a smile is pretty universal.

ethbr0 4y ago
There was a quip about an actor selecting an agent on the basis of how the agent treated food service employees, for the same reason. It doesn't take much effort to be respectful and decent, regardless of whether someone has something you want.
- ryandrake 4y ago
  When I was single and dating, I found a high correlation between how a dating partner treated service workers (including waiters) and how nice/desirable a partner they were. Garbage people tend to treat service workers as their personal servants, to bully and abuse.
maxFlow 4y ago
> Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. (...) -- Ingersoll
- Cupertino95014 4y ago
  Funny, I thought Lyndon Johnson said that. Maybe he was just quoting it.
  - maxFlow 4y ago
    I also had it wrong, and thought it came from Lincoln originally. Per Reuters Fact Check team: > Misattributed. There is no evidence Lincoln ever made such a statement about testing a man’s character. The author appears to be Robert G. Ingersoll, who used this phrase to describe the 16th president of the United States on several occasions in the 1890s [1]. [1] https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abrahamlincoln-power/fact-check-test-a-mans-character-quote-misattributed-to-abraham-lincoln-idUSL1N2PA1V7 https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abrahamlincoln-pow...
- P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
  There's a difference between knowing and understanding and the older I get the more I understand just how true this is. I would also add the cliche that with power comes responsibilities and most people don't respect that responsibility. Mistakes happen and obliviousness is a thing (communication is never perfect), but I've been shocked by how cavalierly some people will wield power that has real effects on other human beings many times in the past.

The true test of character is how you treat someone who can't possibly do anything for you (anything big, I mean, not bringing your food). As for the language barrier: a smile is pretty universal.

ethbr0 4y ago

There was a quip about an actor selecting an agent on the basis of how the agent treated food service employees, for the same reason. It doesn't take much effort to be respectful and decent, regardless of whether someone has something you want.

ryandrake 4y ago
When I was single and dating, I found a high correlation between how a dating partner treated service workers (including waiters) and how nice/desirable a partner they were. Garbage people tend to treat service workers as their personal servants, to bully and abuse.

maxFlow 4y ago

> Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. (...) -- Ingersoll

Cupertino95014 4y ago
Funny, I thought Lyndon Johnson said that. Maybe he was just quoting it.
- maxFlow 4y ago
  I also had it wrong, and thought it came from Lincoln originally. Per Reuters Fact Check team: > Misattributed. There is no evidence Lincoln ever made such a statement about testing a man’s character. The author appears to be Robert G. Ingersoll, who used this phrase to describe the 16th president of the United States on several occasions in the 1890s [1]. [1] https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abrahamlincoln-power/fact-check-test-a-mans-character-quote-misattributed-to-abraham-lincoln-idUSL1N2PA1V7 https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abrahamlincoln-pow...
P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
There's a difference between knowing and understanding and the older I get the more I understand just how true this is. I would also add the cliche that with power comes responsibilities and most people don't respect that responsibility. Mistakes happen and obliviousness is a thing (communication is never perfect), but I've been shocked by how cavalierly some people will wield power that has real effects on other human beings many times in the past.