What is the difference between character and personality?

Something we don’t generally think about.

There is one key difference.

“You can have many personalities, but you can only have one character at any given time”

Let’s think about it. When you are at home, you may be very confident and funny. At work, you may be shy and reserved. With your friends, you may be the person your friends turn to for guidance and you speak calmly. In an emergency situation, you may be very authoritative, loud and decisive. These are all examples of different personalities.

Your character, to love, to care, to have high morals, to not lie, to be trusted is the fundamental of makes you you, that is the same.

Now character can change over time, through external influences (society) and internal influences (making mistakes, experiences etc). But at any one point you can have many personalities but you only have one character.

Or think about it this way. Personality is what other people see. Character is what you see.