An honesty box on Dartmoor, England. Photo by Loop/Getty
The virtue of honesty requires more than just telling the truth
by Christian B Miller + BIO
Listen to this Idea.
Honesty has fallen out of fashion, yet it is essential to self-improvement. How can we cultivate this neglected virtue?
There is little controversy that honesty is a virtue. It is an excellence of character. It also promotes trust, fosters healthy relationships, strengthens organisations and societies, and prevents harm.
Sadly, though, honesty has gone missing in recent decades. It is largely absent from academic research. It seems to be rare in society. And it is not commonly found in discussions of how to become a better person.
What is honesty? How is honesty related to integrity, courage and tact? Is it always best to be honest? What are the ways of failing to be honest? These are important questions, but you will be hard pressed to find discussions of them among scholars. In my field of philosophy, for instance, outside of the work of my own team, there have been only two articles on honesty published in the past 50 years .
So what is honesty? It is a character trait that leads us to think, feel and act in honest ways. Let’s focus on the acting for a moment. Naturally, honesty stands in contrast to lying. But it is much broader in scope than that. It also is opposed to cheating, stealing, promise breaking, misleading, bullshitting, hypocrisy, self-deception, and still other forms of wrongdoing. It works against all of them, and so is extremely broad and impactful in scope.
What do all these behaviours have in common? What is at the core of honesty that enables it to cover so much moral ground? The answer, I think, is that honest behaviour is a matter of not intentionally distorting the facts as the honest person sees them.
Consider a student who lies about his grades to his parents. He is misrepresenting his academic performance on purpose to his parents. Or consider an athlete who knowingly uses a banned substance. She is mispresenting her performance as being due to her own efforts, rather than in part to the contribution of the substance.
Honest behaviour is tied to how a person sees the world, to the facts as subjectively understood. If someone genuinely believes the Earth is flat, then, when he reports that belief to a friend, he is being honest, even though the statement is false. Were he to say that the Earth is round, he would be acting dishonestly, even though the statement is true.
If the only reason why the shopkeeper doesn’t cheat his customers is that he is worried about losing business, then he is doing the right thing for the wrong reason
That’s a bit about honest behaviour. How about motivation? In order to be a virtuous person, it is not enough just to act well. One’s heart behind the action matters too. Honesty is no exception. Telling the truth, even if one is reliable in doing so, won’t be an expression of the virtue of honesty if it is done just to make a good impression on others, or to avoid getting punished, or to secure rewards in the afterlife.
Indeed, in my view, any self-interested motive isn’t going to count as a virtuous motive for honesty. The philosopher Immanuel Kant made a similar observation with his example of the shopkeeper who charges fair prices even when he has a chance to overcharge certain customers. Kant claims that if the only reason why the shopkeeper doesn’t cheat his customers is that he is worried about losing business, if he were to be found out, then this would be a case of doing the right thing for the wrong reason. The same point applies for any other self-interested reason.
What would count as a right reason for honest behaviour, then? A variety of other motives, including:
- loving motives (eg, ‘because I care about you’)
- justice motives (eg, ‘because it would be unfair if I cheated on the test’)
- friendship motives (eg, ‘because he’s my friend’)
- dutiful motives (eg, ‘because it was the right thing to do’)
- honesty motives (eg, ‘because it would be honest’)
If someone tells the truth for any of these reasons, it is hard to fault the person’s character. But they are rather different reasons. I think we should be pluralists here, and allow any or all of these to count as what could motivate an honest person to act.
There is much more to say about the contours of this virtue. But already I have said more than most have in a long while.
Here is another way that the virtue of honesty has gone missing – it seems to be rarely possessed by people today. You might conclude this from the nightly news or from your own lived experience. But I am especially interested in what can be concluded from empirical research in psychology and behavioural economics. In a variety of different types of experiments – using die rolls, coin flips, self-graded exams, and other measures of honest behaviour – participants regularly exhibit a pattern of behaviour that does not fit with our expectations of an honest person.
For instance, in a commonly used experimental set-up for assessing cheating, participants are given a 20-problem maths test, and are told that they will be paid for every answer they get right. In a study by Lisa Shu and colleagues, this was $0.50. In the control condition, there was no opportunity to cheat, and participants scored a 7.97 out of 20. In the experimental condition, participants got to grade the test themselves and shred their materials. Given the freedom to cheat if they wanted to, participants ‘scored’ a 13.22 out of 20. That’s a big difference.
As in many areas of psychology, some cheating studies have failed to be replicated
To take another example, online participants in a study by Christopher Bryan and colleagues had to flip a coin 10 times , knowing they would be paid $1 for each heads. The average ‘performance’ was 6.31 heads , well above chance. Even when another group of participants was warned, ‘Please don’t cheat and report that one or more of your coin flips landed heads when it really landed tails! Even a small amount of cheating would undermine the study,’ the average was still 6.22 in that group.
How do these findings line up with our expectations about honesty? A person who is honest will not cheat in situations where she is a free and willing participant and the relevant rules are fair and appropriate, even if by cheating she is assured of acquiring some benefit for herself. That’s what you might expect of an honest person, but it’s not what we see happening in these results.
Of course, these are only two examples. To draw any conclusions about character from just a few results such as these would be very unwise. Fortunately there are dozens and dozens of additional findings that I have reviewed elsewhere , including many more studies using shredder and coin-flip paradigms. The important point here is not what any one study shows, but rather what the patterns of behaviour look like in general and whether they align with our expectations for honesty.
This is also relevant to recent worries about the replication crisis and about fraudulent data. As in many areas of psychology, some cheating studies have failed to be replicated. For instance, a well-known shredder study initially found that recalling the Ten Commandments was effective in reducing cheating, but this result did not hold up in an attempted replication with many more participants from 19 separate labs. Furthermore, it was well documented that an influential study, which purported to show that insurance customers were more honest in their mileage reports if they signed at the top of a form rather than the bottom, was fraudulent.
Again, this is why it is so important to not rely on just a few studies when trying to think about how honest people tend to be. It is the broader patterns that hopefully tell a reliable story.
Finally, this story is about what the majority of people tend to be like. It is based on average performances. But averages can cover up exceptional behaviour. So we may have a bell curve, with some people who are highly honest and others who are highly dishonest, while the rest of us are somewhere in the middle. Furthermore, the story should be taken to apply, in the first instance, only to inhabitants of North America and Europe, since they tend to be the participants in the existing studies. The story may apply more broadly, but we don’t have nearly enough research yet to say.
Assuming that many of us are not honest people in a variety of circumstances, and assuming that honesty is an important virtue that we should cultivate in ourselves and others, it is important to take practical steps to do so. And here is a third place where the virtue of honesty has gone missing. For very little has been said about strategies for growing in honesty, and about testing those strategies to see if they are really successful.
In my own classes, we all read aloud the honour code before the students sign it and begin their exam
Here are three preliminary suggestions that might be fruitful, but that also need empirical confirmation. One is seeking out and better understanding exemplars of honesty. These can be historical exemplars such as Abraham Lincoln, or contemporaries such as a family member, friend, co-worker or community leader. Admiring role models for their honesty can lead to a desire to emulate those people, to make our own character better reflect the exemplars’ character. Sustained engagement with the exemplars can typically be more effective than one-time interactions, and relatable and attainable exemplars can have a greater impact than their opposites.
Another suggestion is to have regular moral reminders of honesty in our lives. Such reminders can make our moral norms salient, such that they more actively work against a desire to cheat, lie or steal. Honesty reminders can take a wide variety of forms, including diaries, readings, signs and emails. There can also be institutional reminders, which we encounter at work or school. One such moral reminder in many schools is an honour code, which students have to sign before taking a test. And there is some very preliminary experimental evidence that such a reminder can be effective in preventing cheating. Returning to Shu’s research, she and her colleagues also had groups of participants take the maths test after reading or signing an honour code. When there was an opportunity to cheat, the honour code made a difference: participants who did not read the honour code gave themselves an average score of 13.09 out of 20; those who only read the honour code scored 10.05; while those who both read and signed the honour code scored 7.91 (a realistic score for the test, suggesting that they did not cheat at all). In my own classes, we all read aloud the honour code before the students sign it and begin their exam.
A final suggestion is to work against our desire to cheat, a desire that can be especially powerful when we think we can get away with cheating, and benefit in the process. Such a desire seems to be at work in studies such as those by Shu and Bryan, mentioned earlier, and introspectively we can all recognise moments in our lives when it has influenced us as well. One straightforward way to try to reign it in is to increase the policing of cheating and impose harsher penalties on those found guilty. For instance, with the move in education towards take-home exams during the COVID-19 pandemic, computer surveillance of students taking those exams has become a big business, although not without giving rise to a number of moral and psychological concerns.
Increased policing and punishment for cheating might be effective in curbing dishonest behaviour, although that, too, is an empirical claim that needs further study. But, even if it does, that’s not enough to foster the virtue of honesty. As I said earlier, motivation matters too. Here, the motivation for not cheating would be punishment avoidance, and that is a purely self-interested motivation. While I tried to be very ecumenical about what can count as an honest motivation, this is one that’s not going to make it on the list.
Instead, the desire to cheat could be diminished in a more virtuous manner by fostering other virtues alongside honesty, such as friendship and love. If someone is genuinely my friend, I want what’s best for that person, even if it is at the expense of my own self-interest. Similarly, if I love others and care deeply for them, then I am concerned about their own good. The deeper the friendship and love, the less likely it is that we would be dishonest with others for our own gain.
This article draws on Christian B Miller’s book Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue (2021), with permission from Oxford University Press.
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6 Traits of an Honest Person & Why It’s Hard to Be One
- Post author: Sherrie Hurd, A.A.
- Post published: August 6, 2020
- Reading time: 7 mins read
- Post category: Personality
It’s hard to find a truly honest person. Most people who claim to be honest are usually telling white lies and omitting things.
True honesty is rare. I could make a comparison, but everything I think of is either too rare or not rare enough. Honestly, it’s hard to gauge the number of honest people in the world unless one person spends lots of time with everybody.
That’s not possible. You can conduct questionnaires and surveys to find a truly honest person, but you’re still going to be limited.
Unfortunately, and I say this with sadness, true honesty almost doesn’t exist if you’re speaking about telling the truth every single moment of your life.
Now, you do have those who tell fewer lies than others, and those who tell different kinds of lies than others, but it all just gets so complicated. Honesty is just rare, plain, and simple.
Traits of an honest person
So, just to get an idea of what an honest person might act like, we can go over a few traits of a person who tries to tell the truth – you might say this kind of person has integrity .
1. A normal tone of voice
Let’s start with this one. Have you noticed how some people get loud when you ask them a question? Well, I hate to tell you this, but there’s a high probability that the person is lying because they are being so defensive. It may not be true in every occasion , but I’ve noticed a correlation.
Honest people tend to have a calm tone of voice when asked a question. The reason for the difference – they have nothing to worry about or pressure to fabricate a story. Ask them a question and they will answer you in a consistent manner.
2. They seem rude
An honest person may sometimes come across as mean. This is because if you ask them a question, they usually tell the raw truth. Many truth-tellers don’t try to candy-coat the truth to preserve your feelings. They rather just get it over and done with so you will get the real information you need.
If you ask them a question, get ready for what might be a hard truth. It might sting, and they may seem like some of the rudest people ever, but it will be honesty.
3. They’re good friends
A really good friend of integrity would also be an honest person. They tend to be there when you need them, and if they cannot be there for some reason, they will be honest about the reason.
If they have a problem with you or something you said, they will tell you to your face and not behind your back . While honest people may not have loads of friends, the ones they have are dependable like they are.
4. Strong beliefs
An honest person has a strong belief system . Their morals and standards are pretty much rock solid, and they don’t mind telling you about them. It’s sometimes hard for people like this to get a job because of the way they believe, but that just means the job isn’t good enough for them.
Employers with integrity may be taken aback by this honesty at first but appreciate this mindset after hiring an honest person. It usually benefits the company to have someone who goes against the majority sometimes.
These strong beliefs aren’t just good for the workplace, but they also work for weeding out the wrong people for relationships as well, plus many other situations .
5. Their skin is thick
If a person is honest, they have thick skin, not in the literal sense of course. But they have to be like this. Why? It’s because people who tell the truth are sometimes disliked for doing so.
The truth can be shocking to those with hidden insecurities because the truth contradicts the whole façade of the insecure person pretending to be okay with themselves.
When insecure people start getting defensive , watch out! They can be volatile, even becoming verbally abusive . Truth tellers use their thick skin to shield them from these things and preserve peace of mind.
I will say, sometimes an honest person has to grow this thick skin over time. They may not have it at first and may become wounded when telling the hard truth.
6. Cares not for popularity
Are honest people trying to win the contest of most beautiful, most liked, or the coolest person around? Nah, they don’t care about that stuff.
If they do something, they do it for themselves , or to help others. While others fight for popularity, an honest person is busy trying to better themselves. They usually have amazing self-worth and know exactly who they are .
Why is honesty so hard?
I covered some reasons why honesty is hard, but there are other reasons as well. Did you know that most of us who lie, do it to protect ourselves, not the feelings of others?
Since we, as humans, are into self-preservation , it’s easier to lie than tell the truth. And so many of us will choose the long term burden of a lie over the short term pain of the truth. Honesty is hard because many of us are cowards .
When we’ve done something wrong to someone, and they’ve been hurt, it takes a lot of energy to reconcile the truth to the person we’ve hurt. It takes the power of our thinking and emotion. What is a tactful way to tell them? How do I show I am sorry?
There are so many questions that need answers before we tell the truth. We could just blurt it out, and that would not be wrong, but tact and empathy are much better.
It’s sometimes hard, to tell the truth like this. So often, we use blame , projection , and other deceitful ways to shirk our responsibilities. But we almost always pay for it later.
It’s also hard to be honest because we’re not even honest with ourselves . Half the things we believe about ourselves are lies we’ve ingrained for years. It can take many more years of work to remove those lies.
Most people don’t want to do this work either. Look, meditation and such won’t even work without first facing who you are . Do you see how honesty can be so hard to practice?
What you need to know
Although these traits may seem daunting to learn , and the difficulty of truth may scare you, you should strive to be an honest person anyway. The world needs honesty.
Without people telling the truth about themselves, situations and others, we will never be able to solve all the problems we’ve gotten ourselves into. You would be surprised at how much influence honesty and lying has over your life.
Let’s start examining ourselves a bit better.
References :
- https://www.inc.com
- https://goop.com
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This Post Has 17 Comments
I’m not sure honesty needs to sound so harsh. Telling the truth doesn’t necessarily require having a thick skin if you’re not being abrupt or confrontational about it. Some people will react badly but that’s their issue. Being honest doesn’t need to be “cut-to-the-chase, I don’t have time for this”. Honesty can be handled gently and not alienate most people.
You are right. A little finesse can make the truth easier to swallow. And you do have those people who no matter how you tell the truth always feel victimized. If you think someone will be hurt, take the extra time to sort through your words. Good, no great idea, Kelly.
Hi Sherrie, Lovely and very informative article! I just wanted to ask you if you might know the reason why it is much more easier for some to be truthful to themselves than others?
You know, I’ve been asking myself this question for a long time. In a nutshell, I believe those who lie frequently actually have a personality disorder, sometimes a pretty severe one. Then you have people who occasionally lie, and I will admit, I told lies here and there, but still working on it. Then you have people who absolutely refuse to lie, and I think they are really strong people. It’s the mindset. You must set your mind on telling the truth no matter what, and you can decide how to do this to spare feelings. You can actually be truthful without hurting someone. Most of my lying comes from being in toxic relationships. If you’re in those types of relationships, you will eventually start lying to protect your interests…because toxic people seem to lie, steal, and cheat. Those traits, unfortunately, can rub off on you if you’re not careful. Just a thought.
Thank you for this article of clarity, I sent the following to my wife of 30+ years…
“6 reasons you dislike talking to me, living with me, listening to me.
She’s right, it’s a lonely and difficult disease; honesty.
But; it’s who I am now, and compulsive liars will NEVER like or associate with me.
I keep giving you the opportunity to find someone better/different for your chosen lifestyle.
This IS WHO I AM, I was upfront and honest when I first hooked up with you at UOP, I haven’t changed.
(she explains why liars are popular & business leaders ((presidents))(((people you admire))))
IF, if, If you read & digest 95% of this article, you might learn why you have no respect for me.
(I still have LOADS of respect for myself so I don’t care)
You just keep being honest. Liars do not really win in the end. The more lies you tell, the deeper you get into sadness, hurt, and loneliness. Plus, if you tell a lie, you usually end up having to lie more and more to cover up the original lie. It’s exhausting. I did lots of lying when I was younger.
I’m impress with the author’s idea, surely touched a chord.
Always good to be honest. Thanks for reading, Dennis.
Nice article, sent to my granddaughters! Thank you,
Thank you for reading, Kathleen, and thank you for spreading the honest word around. I appreciate you sharing the post. I hope it helps and inspires someone.
So true. I was always blamed for telling the truth and people was pointing at my @rudeness all my life. So hard to live with it. But that’s how I am and I wouldn’t change it. Candy-coating … thank you for this article.
Honesty is a rare thing. It seems like it’s becoming so normal to just lie about any and everything. And people do seem to treat you worse when you’re honest or don’t agree with everything they say. It’s really aggravating when they call you a liar and they are the ones lying.
Thank you for reading, Sam
We have to be honest on our lifes. Being honest with ourselves and with people that sorround us
Unfortunately, there is a severe lack of honesty in our world today. Thank you for reading, Marcelo
Wow! I was laughing out loud at the accuracy of this article. It takes one to know one. Courage isn’t just helping kitties out of trees; it’s doing the right thing when no one is looking. Thick skin is developed through all sorts of pain, as you similarly stated. The reward comes through perseverance. There’s a term used in an old organization I used to be a part of that we either heard or screamed to one another; “pain is weakness leaving the body!” I wholeheartedly agree. We have to be honest with ourselves first to find who we truly are. IMO, that sets a standard to begin living life to the fullest. Most people can’t even be honest with themselves, so it’s no wonder why society is so starved for love and attention yet seemingly full of hate. You had me at “Nah, they don’t care about that stuff.” You hit it right on the nail. Fantastic article and great read!
I hope all is well with you. Honesty is difficult for some people, I suppose. I mean, I’ve lied too. However, I am not a liar, as I don’t find it necessary to be deceptive. Lately, I’ve been observing certain people in my life doing things that are deceptive, and they think I don’t see it. I do. I just don’t understand the logic of lying about such small things and blaming others for things they’ve done. I am so imperfect, YES, and I want people to know that I have imperfections like jealousy, control issues, anger issues, etc. However, I try to be a good person. I am guarded, and hesitant to help in certain situations for fear of my own wellbeing, but I want to help…preferably anonymously. I do not want others to know because I don’t want them to think that I want attention. I’ve seen too many people help for that reason, taking pictures and posting on social media and such. So, honesty is deep, sometimes difficult, and in most cases, the preferred and right thing to do. Thank you for reading.
I’m not alone in the world? Thank you
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How to Be a Good Person Essay
- To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
- As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
- As a template for you assignment
What does it mean to be a good person? The essay below aims to answer this question. It focuses on the qualities of a good person.
Introduction
What does it mean to be a good person, qualities of good person, works cited.
The term “good” has relative meanings depending on the person who is defining it. Several qualities can be used to define what constitutes a good person. However, there are certain basic qualities that are used to define a good person. They include honesty, trust, generosity, compassion, empathy, humility, and forgiveness (Gelven 24).
These qualities are important because they promote peaceful coexistence among people because they prevent misunderstandings and conflicts. A good person is fair and just to all and does not judge people. He or she is nice to everyone regardless of religion, race, social and economic class, health status, or physical state (Gelven 25).
A good person treats other people with respect, care, and compassion. Respect shows that an individual values and views the other person as a worthy human being who deserves respect. Compassion is a quality that enables people to identify with other people’s suffering (Gelven 27). It motivates people to offer help in order to alleviate the suffering of others. A good person has compassion for others and finds ways to help people who are suffering. Showing compassion for the suffering makes them happy.
It promotes empathy, understanding, and support. In addition, good people are forgiving. They do not hold grudges and let go of anger that might lead them to hurt others. They think positively and focus their thoughts on things that improve their relationships (Needleman 33). They avoid thinking about past mistakes or wrongs done by others. Instead, they think of how they can forgive and move on.
A good person is honest and trustworthy. This implies that they avoid all situations that might hurt the other person, such as telling lies, revealing secrets, and gossiping (Needleman 34). As such, their character or personality cannot be doubted because they do not harbor hidden intentions.
They act in open ways that reveal their true characters and personalities. On the other hand, good people are kind and respectful. They offer help voluntarily and work hard to improve the well-being of other people. In addition, they treat all people equally despite their social, physical, or sexual orientations. Good people do not discriminate, hate, deny people their rights, steal, lie, or engage in corrupt practices (Tuan 53).
Good people behave courageously and view the world as a fair and beautiful place to live in (Needleman 40). They view the world as a beautiful place that offers equal opportunities to everyone. Good people believe that humans have the freedom to either make the world a better or worse place to live in. They act and behave in ways that improve and make the world a better place.
For example, they conserve the environment by keeping it clean for future generations. A popular belief holds that people who conserve the environment are not good but just environmental enthusiasts. However, that notion is incorrect and untrue. People conserve the environment because of their goodness. They think not only about themselves but also about future generations (Tuan 53). They are not self-centered and mean but generous and caring.
Good people are characterized by certain qualities that include trust, honesty, compassion, understanding, forgiveness, respect, courage, and goodwill. They do not steal, lie, discriminate, or deny people their rights. They think about others’ welfare and advocate for actions that make the world a better place. They promote justice and fairness because they view everyone as a deserving and worthy human being.
Gelven, Michael. The Risk of Being: What it Means to be Good and Bad . New York: Penn State Press, 1997. Print.
Needleman, Jacob. Why Can’t We be good? New York: Penguin Group US, 2007. Print.
Tuan, Yi-Fu. Human Goodness . New York: University of Wisconsin Press, 2008. Print.
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11 Best Honesty Examples in a List (At School & Work)
Chris Drew (PhD)
Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]
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Honesty is about telling the truth. It’s easy to be honest most of the time.
But sometimes it can be really hard. Usually, people tell small lies to preserve social relationships, protect others’ feelings. or their own self-image.
Nevertheless, being honest when it is tough shows our character. It shows people that you are someone who has integrity.
Below are some examples of honesty, both times when it’s hard and easy!
- Examples of Honesty
1. Admitting when you were Wrong
Honest people are willing to say that they were wrong about something. But this isn’t just an issue of honesty. It’s also an issue of having the strength to change and grow as a person.
Too often, people will realize they were wrong but they’ll be too stubborn to admit it. They will defend the indefensible just so they don’t look bad.
An honest person will say “you know what, I changed my mind!” This may be a little embarrassing at first, but in the long-run, people will respect you and trust that you tell the truth no matter what.
2. Choosing not to Cheat
Cheating is dishonest while following the rules is honest. Sometimes we get the opportunity to cheat (and might even know we can get away with it!) But an honest person will follow the rules no matter what because they know it’s the right thing to do.
By following the rules, you’ll make sure you don’t put yourself in a situation where you have to tell a lie. You can always say “yes, I followed the rules”.
It also means that when you win in games, you can be happy with yourself knowing you won because you are a talented person and not because you cheated.
3. Saying when you’ve had your Fair Share
An honest person will choose not to take more than their fair share.
You often see children trying to sneak extra bites of cake or more treats than they were allowed to have. This is an example of dishonesty.
But you also see honest people making sure everyone get their fair share. They don’t need someone to tell them not to take more than they’re entitled to.
For example, if you are sharing a meal with someone, you would make sure that the person you’re sharing with gets their half. If you’ve had your half, you can stop rather than continuing to eat and tell the person you’re sharing with: “the rest is yours!”
4. Speaking up when Something Upsets You
Sometimes honesty means having the courage to speak when you don’t have to. Many people are so polite or shy that they won’t speak up when they really should.
A classic example of this is when someone is doing something that is upsetting. They might be saying something offensive without realizing it or they might keep using your things.
You can speak up and say “this is how I feel about this situation”. This is honest. But many people will stay quiet or even pretend that they aren’t upset. They do this with good intentions (to be polite) but this doesn’t resolve the problem. We have an idiom for this: “you’re being walked over”.
5. Saying an Unpopular Truth
Throughout history, brave people have been honest about sharing the truth even if it was harmful to them.
One example is Galileo. He was oppressed for sharing his research. The authorities didn’t like what he was saying because it undermined their power.
This doesn’t mean that you should make things up. Be sure that the things you are saying are true and you really believe them. But by speaking up about the truth, you’re choosing to be true to who you really are, and you might even change the world like Galileo.
6. Showing Disappointment and Emotions
People who hide their emotions, even when asked how they feel, are often being dishonest so they don’t appear weak. But the reality is that everyone feels sad at times, and we should be okay with that!
We’re often taught to hide our disappointment, and sometimes that’s the right thing to do. At the end of a game that you lose, most people think you should be humble and happy for the winner.
But sometimes it’s brave to show your emotions. For example, if you’re feeling sad about something, you might need to share this with people who can talk about it with you so you can start feeling better.
7. Returning Something that Belongs to Others
If you have something that doesn’t belong to you, the right thing is to return it. In childhood, most people stole something small. The honest thing would be to give it back to the person it rightly belongs to.
This is another example of an instance where it’s hard to be honest. In this situation, being honest will probably hurt your reputation in the short-term. You’re admitting that you did something that reflects poorly on your character.
But you also need to remember that being honest when it hurts you actually says something big about your character. It shows that you have integrity.
8. Sharing Constructive Feedback
When we give people feedback, we need to be careful to be honest. The best example of this is when people ask us what the meal they cooked was like.
Our feedback might highlight some negative elements. But if we aren’t honest, then the person’s cooking will never improve!
A good balance between being polite and honest is to give constructive feedback. This is feedback that is carefully chosen so you’re not being rude. You’re giving help. You can say “maybe next time add a little more salt” instead of just saying “it was disgusting”.
9. Doing the Right Thing (When you Didn’t Have To)
An honest person chooses to do the right thing even when people aren’t watching.
For example, if you are in the store and knock something off the shelf and it breaks, you might be able to just walk away and pretend you didn’t do it.
But a person who is honest might take it to the customer service desk and let them know that you broke it (or at least put it back on the shelf, if it wasn’t broken!). Unfortunately, too many people in this world won’t do the right thing if they aren’t held accountable by others.
10. Correcting a Mistake that Benefited You
The best example for this is when the cashier gives you too much money in change at the supermarket.
Some people will choose to walk away with the extra money because they got away with something!
But honest people go back and let the cashier know that they were given too much change. They do the right thing not because it benefits them, but because they know it is moral and honest to do so.
11. Not Misrepresenting yourself on Social Media
Today, many people choose to present a fake and unrealistic version of their identity online. We might do this to try to make us look better to other people.
Some of us might consider this dishonest. At the very least, it’s not sharing the whole truth!
Sharing an unrealistic version of yourself can have many negative consequences. It can make other feel bad thinking you’re amazing and comparing themselves to you. But, when people really get to know you and realize you’re not the perfect thing you’ve portrayed, they will think you’re a liar!
So, an honest person would make sure they’re not trying to misrepresent themselves as a “perfect” or idealized version of themselves on social media.
Related Required Skills For Students And Employees
Here are some other skills you might need to be able to demonstrate as a successful employee or college student:
- Examples of Talents
- Examples of Integrity
- Proactive Examples
- Adaptable Examples
- Types of Skills
- Skills for Teachers
- Soft Skills for Teachers
- Examples of Patience
- Morals Examples
- Persistence Examples
- Passionate Examples
There are countless examples of honesty, but I think the above 11 are some of the best and most common that demonstrate you have great personal qualities . They show how sometimes being honest can be really hard. It’s sometimes easier to lie.
In our culture, telling little ‘ white lies ’ is seen as not a bad thing. Sometimes it preserves social relationships and prevents people from getting hurt. But, in other times, people lie just for their own advantage. And this, I think, is the worst example of dishonesty .
- Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 101 Class Group Name Ideas (for School Students)
- Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 19 Top Cognitive Psychology Theories (Explained)
- Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 119 Bloom’s Taxonomy Examples
- Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ All 6 Levels of Understanding (on Bloom’s Taxonomy)
1 thought on “11 Best Honesty Examples in a List (At School & Work)”
Thank you for putting these ideas into words and then putting them out there into the public forum. This is such a constructive way to deal with the integrity failure all around us these days. In our heart of hearts we all understand the importance of integrity but only a few are courageous enough to push through the difficulties encountered in our false society. This article encourages us to do just that.
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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Honesty / Honesty: A Virtue That Cannot Be Overemphasized
Honesty: A Virtue That Cannot Be Overemphasized
- Category: Life , Philosophy
- Topic: Honesty , Moral , Values of Life
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