Don’t tell anyone, but I had a huge insight today that I owe to this board. 
And now I’m on this train…I’m thinking a lot about the people in my life whom I admire, and why. I’m wondering if these characteristics are universal?
I admire good aim, everyone needs an ace second shooter, everyone
I admire those persons who had the good fortune to have died quite suddenly, quite unexpectedly while quite rich and quite famous and quite young.
Innate talent which allows a person to overcome adversity (when necessary) and be successful. Entrepreneurs who start numerous companies and build them all to success as an example. I don’t have the ability to do that and I admire those who do.
Disregard my entire post quoted above. I was going to make some profound conjecture about how often persons were admired because they did not live long enough to completely mess up and become unadmirable but lost my train of thought in the editing restrictions. Four of the Kennedy clan probably had this good fortune and the last Senator Kennedy isn’t all that well admired.
Intellect, humility, skilled at either singing or playing an instrument (though preferably both), and pudgy about the waistline.
I got all those except the pudge. 
But I have a huge food baby goin down right now so does that count? 
People who can separate the person from the behavior
People who admit when they were wrong, and own it (though I think “wrong” is a weird word)
People who hold close that the may be more than meets the eye
People who hold strong their convictions but respect that others do too…and that is ok
More to come later, but those pop up initially. 
This thread has got me desperately trying to think of someone I admire…
(bolding mine)
Yeah, you’ve got that humility thing in the bag.
Generosity. Kindness. Sense of humor. I’m sure there are more, but off the top of my head, those are three that matter a great deal to me.
Communication skills combined with total honesty…even to the point of volunteering information that others would not likely volunteer.
Like everyone else, I admire people who share my talents and attributes. I could list these traits but it would seem a little arrogant.
I notice an almost autonomic reaction by posters to look for someone famous, well known, a celebrity etc. Stephen Hawkings for example.
But you have referred to people in your life and I think that is a much more interesting field. People whom we personally know and admire.
I have one very good friend who is a world respected scientist in sheep genomics. Yes it sounds arcane but animal genetics are cutting edge and sheep are referable to goats, pigs, cattle and..humans.
Anyway if you met this guy you’d think he was a farmer or a geologist whatever. But you’d also think he was a decent chap. What strikes me about him is that he is humble. Always has been. He reads Paul Krugman because he wants to. He has traced his own geneology through blood DNA analysis. But you’d never know.
He’ll weed the garden, split firewood, and help his wife with the laundry while talking to some other scientists in Iceland, Scotland or Malaysia. And he’s there for others when we need help.
I respect intelligence, imagination and courage.
That said I have grown out of having heroes anymore, I have found that the sorts of people I hero worshipped when younger are just as human as everyone else.
The most honest people will on ocassion lie, the most modest people brag and boast, the most decent people commit mean acts, and the bravest of the brave act in a cowardly fashion.
I’m not talking about people doing this as a regular thing, that they’re public persona is only a show, I’m saying that everyone can be mostly brave, mostly honest, mostly decent, but never as a totality.
And as a result where I would judge their lapses very harshly when younger, I now accept it as part of their humanity.
Though at the other end of the spectrum sociopaths tend not to surprise us by suddenly doing something noble, honest or heroic for the sake of it.
And speaking completely truthfully and as probably one of the most modest people that you’ll ever meet in your lives, I can say that it is easier for me to be magnaminous in my outlook because my innate courage, coupled with my superior intelligence, deeply caring nature and, lets face it, incredible good looks embuesin me a certain sort of sympathy for the rest of you .
Fare well lowly Humans.
I am not a religious man but I do admire those who strive to follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi, as laid out in his memorable prayer:
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace;
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
In short, I’d like to be a lot more other-directed and much less self-serving, and admire those who have some succeed at this.
[sub]the eternal life part is nice, but not believable to me[/sub]
As I have grown older, and possibly wiser, I have come to share your admiration for these traits. Especially kindness, as an expression of a gentle nature.
Unlike D47C, I think many or most people admire characteristics that they strive for but still lack. This is certainly the case with me. I am still acerbic and borderline cynical in my interactions with others much of the time; I would rather be otherwise. There is one person at work who is probably the kindest and most gentle person I have ever known. I think I love him (it is perforce Platonic, however, as he is very much in love with his wife, not to mention young enough to be my grand-nephew, if not grandson). I wish I could be more like him; perhaps with continued exposure I will learn how.
Roddy
Definitely a good sense of humor. Someone who can get nailed by a bus and laugh about it in the hospital. A person can be a greatly admirable and generous and courageous, but if they don’t have a good sense of humor I find it hard to truly respect them. I know a lot of people look up to courage and decisiveness, but I actually can really admire a sense of caution. It shows some humility in that that person is willing to show they don’t know something or how to deal with a certain situation.
Confidence, brutal honesty, initiative, and just a general attitude geared toward getting it done. One of the most important people in my life is my Aunt, and I admire all these things about her. She is friendly and popular and can take charge of any situation when everybody else is wringing their hands and wondering what to do.
I also admire people who go out and do new things all the time - like my friends with their SCUBA certification who went spelunking in Hawaii. People who take good care of their health. People who never get sick.
There are so many traits I admire: curiosity for its own sake; a sense of humor; a critical mind; a sense of purpose that is more than self-serving; a devotion to behaving ethically; drive …
But probably the one trait I admire most is grit. That ability to see a problem as a challenge and to persevere when things look bad.
In contrast to some others here I do not admire honesty for its own sake. Honesty does not excuse cruelty.