Honesty

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Quotations about honesty.

[edit] Sourced

  • "All other knowledge is hurtful to him who has not the science of goodness."
  • "But if he does really think that there is no distinction between virtue and vice, why, Sir, when he leaves our houses let us count our spoons."
  • "Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard. And mostly what I need from you."
  • "Honesty is the best policy."
    • English proverb, 16th century
  • "When men cease to be faithful to their God, he who expects to find them so to each other will be much disappointed."
    • Bishop Horne, A Commentary on the Book of Psalm, psalm XII
  • "No man is bound to be rich or great, no, nor to be wise; but every man is bound to be honest."
  • "Let honesty be as the breath of thy soul, and never forget to have a penny, when all thy expenses are enumerated and paid: then shalt thou reach the point of happiness, and independence shall be thy shield and buckler, thy helmet and crown; then shall thy soul walk upright nor stoop to the silken wretch because he hath riches, nor pocket an abuse because the hand which offers it wears a ring set with diamonds."
  • "The man who is so conscious of the rectitude of his intentions as to be willing to open his bosom to the inspection of the world, is already in possession of one of the strongest pillars of a decided character. The course of such a man will be firm and steady, because he has nothing to fear from the world, and is sure of the approbation and support of Heaven."
    • William Wirt, An Address delivered Before the Peithessophian and Philoclean Societies of Rutgers College 20 July 1830
  • "Honesty is the best policy;" but he who acts on that principle is not an honest man.
    • Richard Whately, On Some Obstacles to the Attainment of Truth, and to its Progress in the World
  • "The leading idea is, nothing really succeeds which is not based on reality; the sham, in a large sense, is never successful; that in the life of the individual, as in the more comprehensive life of the state, pretension is nothing and power is everything."

[edit] Unsourced

  • "No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar."
  • "We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger."
  • "Honesty is not so much a credit as an absolute prerequisite to efficient service to the public. Unless a man is honest we have no right to keep him in public life, it matters not how brilliant his capacity, it hardly matters how great his power of doing good service on certain lines may be."
  • "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything."
  • "The first step toward greatness is to be honest, says the proverb; but the proverb fails to state the case strong enough. Honesty is not only "the first step toward greatness,"—it is greatness itself."
  • "The man who pauses in his honesty wants little of a villain."
  • "The more honesty a man has, the less he affects the air of a saint."
  • "There are people who think that honesty is always the best policy. This is a superstition; there are times when the appearance of it is worth six of it."
  • "What is becoming is honest, and whatever is honest must always be becoming.”
  • "Fire is the spirit of candle and honesty is the spirit of man. Without spirit, there shall be no light but darkness."
  • “If you act like an honest person, you won't get very far like that."
  • “Honesty: The most important thing in life. Unless you really know how to fake it, you'll never really make it.”
  • “It's easier to be dishonest for two than for one.”
  • "Prefer loss before dishonest gain; for that brings grief but once; this forever."
  • "A straight line is the shortest in morals as well as in geometry."
  • "The shortest and surest way to live with honour in the world is to be in reality what we should appear to be."
  • "Money dishonestly acquired is never worth its cost, while a good conscience never costs as much as it is worth."
  • "He who says that there is no such thing as an honest man is himself a knave."
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