quotations about honesty
A few honest men are better than numbers.
OLIVER CROMWELL
letter to Sir W. Spring, Sept. 1643
If you wanted to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone.
RICHARD YATES
Revolutionary Road
A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.
OSCAR WILDE
The Critic as Artist
An honest man is like a plain coat, which, without welt or guard, keepeth the body from wind and weather, and being well made, fits him best that wears it; and where the stuff is more regarded than the fashion, there is not much ado in the putting of it on. So the mind of an honest man, without trick or compliments, keeps the credit of a good conscience from the scandal of the world and the worm of iniquity, which, being wrought by the workman of heaven, fits him best that wears it to his service; and where virtue is more esteemed than vanity, it is put on and worn with that ease that shows the excellency of the workman. His study is virtue, his word truth, his life the passage of patience, and his death the rest of his spirit. His travail is a pilgrimage, his way is plainness, his pleasure peace, and his delight is love. His care is his conscience, his wealth is his credit, his charge is his charity, and his content is his kingdom. In sum, he is a diamond among jewels, a phoenix among birds, an unicorn among beasts, and a saint among men.
NICHOLAS BRETON
A Bower of Delights
Honesty is never seen sitting astride the fence.
LEMUEL K. WASHBURN
attributed, Quote Unquote
The man who pauses in his honesty wants little of a villain.
H. MARTYN
attributed, Many Thoughts of Many Minds
Honest hearts produce honest actions.
BRIGHAM YOUNG
Discourses of Brigham Young
Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, and yet all the honesty in the world ain't lawful tender for a loaf of bread.
JOSH BILLINGS
attributed, The Modern Handbook of Humor
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
KENT M. KEITH
The Silent Revolution
The line of honesty is so differently drawn by different persons, that one would be led to think that there was an honesty in the abstract. Practical honesty, however, in the strictest sense, will always be the object of him who wishes to settle a just account with himself.
WILLIAM DALBY
attributed, A Homiletic and Illustrative Treasury of Religious Thought
Honesty maketh rich, but she works slowly.
GERMAN PROVERB
Sneakiness and underhanded dealing are doubtless to be reckoned among the arts of self-advancement. Honesty is, in many cases, unquestionably the very worst policy. But though honesty be so, honesty is the right thing after all. But honest men sometimes think to possess together two inconsistent things. They think to possess the high sense of scrupulous integrity, and at the same time the favour, patronage, and profit which can be had only by parting with that.
ANDREW KENNEDY HUTCHISON BOYD
The Commonplace Philosopher in Town and Country
If a man lived properly, not according to what any priests said, but according to what seemed decent and honest inside, then it would, at the end, more or less, turn out all right.
TERRY PRATCHETT
Small Gods
An honest man's word is as good as the king's.
PORTUGUESE PROVERB
I'm going to tell it like it is. I hope you can take it like it is.
MALCOLM X
speech at founding rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, Jun. 28, 1964
Honesty pays, but it don't seem to pay enough to suit a lot of people.
KIN HUBBARD
Abe Martin: Hoss Sense and Nonsense
Where is the man who has the strength to be true, and to show himself as he is?
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
Conversations of Goethe
I'm just honest, I like that I don't have to worry about what I say. I really don't have the time or energy to pretend and I don't want to live that way.
ANGELINA JOLIE
interview, Jun. 13, 2001
I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.
LEE IACOCCA
U.S. News & World Report, 1985
An honest man is the man who keeps his own counsel, and will not divide the plunder.
HONORÉ DE BALZAC
Father Goriot