Honesty or truthfulness is a
facet of
moral character that connotes positive and
virtuous attributes such as
integrity
Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values.
In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Inte ...
,
truthfulness, straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft, etc. Honesty also involves being trustworthy,
loyal,
fair, and
sincere.
Honesty is valued in many ethnic and religious cultures.
"Honesty is the best policy" is a
proverb of
Edwin Sandys (died 1629)
Sir Edwin Sandys ( ; 9 December 1561 – October 1629) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1589 and 1626. He was also one of the founders of the proprietary Virginia Company of London, which in 16 ...
, while the quote "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of
wisdom" is attributed to
Thomas Jefferson, as used in a letter to
Nathaniel Macon. April 30 is national
Honesty Day Honesty Day is a holiday in the United States falling on April 30. It aims to encourage honesty and straightforward communication in politics, relationships, consumer relations and historical education. It was invented by M. Hirsh Goldberg, who cho ...
in the
United States.
William Shakespeare famously described honesty as an attribute people leave behind when he wrote that "no legacy is so rich as honesty" in act 3, scene 5 of "
All's Well that Ends Well
''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the ''First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangin ...
."
[William Shakespeare]
All's Well That Ends Well
MIT Shakespeare.
Others have noted, however, that "too much honesty might be seen as undisciplined openness". For example, individuals may be
perceived as being "too honest" if they honestly express the negative
opinions of others, either without having been asked their opinion, or having been asked in a circumstance where the response would be trivial. This concern manifests in the concept of
political correctness
''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...
, with individuals refraining from expressing their true opinions due to a general societal condemnation of such views. Research has also found that honesty can lead to interpersonal harm because people avoid information about how their honest behavior affects others. If you plant Honesty you will reap trust.
Definitions
Merriam-Webster defines honesty as "fairness and straightforwardness of conduct" or "adherence to the facts."
[Merriam-Webster (2017]
Honesty
Merriam-Webster.
The ''
Oxford English Dictionary'' defines honesty as "the quality of being honest."
[Oxford English Dictionary (2017]
Honesty
OED. Honest is, in turn, defined as "Free of deceit; truthful and sincere...Morally correct or virtuous...(attributive) Fairly earned, especially through hard work...(of an action) done with good intentions even if unsuccessful or misguided...(attributive) Simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated.
[Oxford English Dictionary (2017]
Honest
OED.
See also
References
External links
{{Authority control
Deception
Virtue
Truth