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"We lift ourselves by our thought, we climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always, everywhere - your ideal of what you long to attain."

India's Mahatma Gandhi was a giant political and spiritual force in the 20th century. His vision of non-violence shaped the thinking and actions of America's civil right's leaders, most specifically Dr. Martin Luther King.

After graduating from a prestigious law school in England, Gandhi experienced a defining moment in his life. Traveling in a railroad car defined by racial class, he was forcibly removed from the train when he challenged the segregated seating. As he sat at the side of the rails in the dark of night, with anger burning uncontrollably inside, Gandhi vowed that he would spend the rest of his life in commitment to transform the anger he felt in that moment to bring positive change for the oppressed.

History reveals Gandhi did transform his anger. His non-violent philosophy influenced not only his native land but became a driving force in world politics. Gandhi never described himself as the saint that others were quick to call him. Rather, Gandhi knew himself as a simple man of singular vision. He kept his eye on a way to walk in the world with respect for all, emptying his mind and heart of the poisoning influence of uncontrolled anger.

Where can we find the lesson of character genius in this great leader? We might simply say, Gandhi lived his daily life with his inner eye focused on the big picture. He held a vision for ethical and moral behavior. He defined a standard of behavioral excellence that he put into practice. He did not lose sight of the fact that it is in the small, daily, seemingly inconsequential acts that we test the strength of our character resolve.

Surely, every kid-of-character-in-the-making discovers the genius thinking of character development: Character is the engraving of virtues in our thoughts and actions