We explain what is honesty and some examples of this human virtue. Also, honest phrases and what is respect.
-
What is honesty?
Honesty or honesty is understood as a human virtue consisting in the love of justice and truth over personal gain or convenience . Honest or honest people are expected to tell the truth above all, to be fair and reasonable, to work in full or to be transparent in their motivations.
According to a more philosophical point of view, honesty would consist in acting and speaking according to what one feels or thinks , and not to what is more convenient to do or say to others.
It is, then, a form of coherence between thought and action, but also between the individual and the norms that are considered correct by the community in which it operates.
On the contrary, dishonesty is the lack of commitment to truth and justice, so dishonest people are usually prone to lies , theft, deception, falsehood or pretense.
Various thinkers of human antiquity valued honesty as one of the greatest virtues of the human being. From Marco Tulio Cicero, in ancient Rome, to the Chinese Confucius, the codes of conduct proposed for the foundation of human societies include in some measure honesty as an even divine value, rewarded with elevation and its faults instead sanctioned with the punishment.
-
Honesty examples
Some everyday examples of honesty are the following:
- A person on the street drops a few bills. Although it means an economic gain to itself, the honest individual will return it to its rightful owner.
- Honest witnesses of an event or a crime, inform the police or the judges with the truth, so that the facts prevail over opinions or conveniences.
- Honest politicians, if any, would be those whose commitment to the common good and whose respect for their people prevent them from accepting kickbacks or bribes, and therefore do not leave the public office become millionaires.
- When a merchant is wrong in the return in our favor, we will indicate the mistake made if we are honest people.
- Honest students are those who do not copy themselves from their classmates, nor from the book, nor do they make tricks to deceive the teacher, because they are committed to their truth and knowledge: if they do not know the answer, they do not know it.
- Honest people do not blame third parties for their mistakes, but instead face them and stick to the consequences.
- An honest individual does not accept commitments (labor, affective, of any kind) knowing that he cannot or does not intend to fulfill them.
- An honest couple tells their better half the truth of what they feel, even if it means being alone.
- The honesty of a seller is tested when he has to offer a product. If you are an honest person, you will not exaggerate the benefits of your product, nor will you lie about its use or its quality, without trying to finalize the sale.
- An honest worker does not try to get others to do his job, but knows how far his responsibilities go.
-
Honesty phrases
Some phrases regarding honesty are:
- “What laws do not prohibit, can be prohibited by honesty”
Seneca (2 BC-65 AD) - “The honest man fears neither the light nor the darkness”
Thomas Fuller (1610-1661)
- “Honesty: the best of the lost arts”
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
- “There’s no legacy richer than honesty”
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
- “Nothing looks more like an honest man than a rogue who knows about his trade”
George Sand (1804-1876)
- “Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom”
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
- “Honesty is a very expensive gift, don’t expect it from petty people”
Warren Buffet (1930-)
- “The secret of life is honesty and fair treatment. If you can fake that, you’ve done it. ”
Groucho Marx (1890-1977)
-
Respect
Respect is a complicated cultural concept, which varies according to culture or civilization, but which broadly involves consideration, submission and deference by a specific person , institution or idea, which is considered worthy of being tolerated.
A respectful person is one who does not exceed the limits, who is considered with others and who abides by the social rules of what is considered correct, honorable or honest.
