Quotes About Integrity

Is the truth too poor a thing for us? Is any man innocent of embellishing it at times, or even of abandoning it entirely?

when he took his stand on the draft, refusing to go to 'Nam, sacrificing his title, risking jail, putting it all on the line for a principle, he became, well, awesome. In those days the word still meant what it was supposed to mean, "inspiring great admiration/awe," and Ali did that.

Vecina y amiga. ¿Qué más tengo que decir? Por supuesto que las maliciosas revistas de escándalo de la ciudad llenaron columnas con insinuaciones y frases de doble sentido, pero ello no nos autoriza a ponernos a su nivel.

Conscience never dies the cricket said There will always be a cricket for those who deserve, who are worthy.

Of course, the liar often imagines that he does no harm as long as his lies go undetected.

By lying, we deny others a view of the world as it is. Our dishonesty not only influences the choices they make, it often determines the choices they can make—and in ways we cannot always predict. Every lie is a direct assault upon the autonomy of those we lie to.

To agree to keep a secret is to assume a burden

Unlike statements of fact, which require no further work on our part, lies must be continually protected from collisions with reality.

Honest people are a refuge: You know they mean what they say; you know they will not say one thing to your face and another behind your back; you know they will tell you when they think you have failed—and for this reason their praise cannot be mistaken for mere flattery.

Honesty is a gift we can give to others. It is also a source of power and an engine of simplicity.

To lie is to intentionally mislead others when they expect honest communication.

we do our friends no favors by pretending not to notice flaws in their work, especially when those who are not their friends are bound to notice these same flaws.

When we presume to lie for the benefit of others, we have decided that we are the best judges of how much they should understand about their own lives—about how they appear, their reputations, or their prospects in the world.

A wasteland of embarrassment and social upheaval can be neatly avoidedby following a single precept in life: Do not lie

Of course, the liar often imagines that he does no harm as long as his lies go undetected. But the one lied to almost never shares this view. The moment we consider our dishonesty from the point of view of those we lie to, we recognize that we would feel betrayed if the roles were reversed.

People lie so that others will form beliefs that are not true. The more consequential the beliefs—that is, the more a person's well-being demands a correct understanding of the world or of other people's opinions—the more consequential the lie.

Every lie is an assault on the autonomy of those we lie to.

You don't get anything worth getting by pretending to know things you don't know.

Honesty can force any dysfunction in your life to the surface. Are you in an abusive relationship? A refusal to lie to others – How did you get that bruise? – would oblige you to come to grips with this situation very quickly. Do you have a problem with drugs or alcohol? Lying is the lifeblood of addiction. If we have no recourse to lies, our lives can unravel only so far without others noticing. Telling the truth can also reveal ways in which we want to grow but haven't.

I don't always communicate the truth in the way that I want to—but one of the strengths of telling the truth is that it remains open for elaboration. If what you say in the heat of the moment isn't quite right, you can amend it. I have learned that I would rather be maladroit, or even rude, than dishonest.

Mentir es, casi por definición, negarse a cooperar con los demás. Mentir combina en un único acto la falta de confianza y de honradez. Es al mismo tiempo un fallo de comprensión y una falta de voluntad de ser comprendido. Mentir es dar un paso atrás en la relación.

How would your relationships change if you resolved never to lie again? What truths about yourself might suddenly come into view? What kind of person would you become? And how might you change the people around you? It is worth finding out.

Nothing is more sacred than the facts.

Few of us are murderers or thieves, but we have all been liars.