Honesty and integrity are the two most important traits one needs to have in order to be successful and happy in life.
It’s not surprising that great leaders throughout history are often described as trustworthy and full of integrity.
You’ll also notice that opportunities for career advancement are numerous for those who are people of integrity.
Honesty and integrity cultivate peace and tranquility. There’s nothing to hide, so there’s nothing to be stressed out about.
How else does living honestly and with integrity affect our lives?
The Impact of Honesty and Integrity in All Aspects of Life
1. The workplace. In a workplace where honesty and integrity are held in high regard, you’ll notice that the working environment is tranquil and the energy is positive. Workers tend to express a higher level of satisfaction in their jobs.
2. Personal relationships. In personal relationships, when both parties are honest, the level of trust is high. Couples who trust each other have a higher likelihood of staying together longer.
3. In relation to ourselves. Being honest and living with integrity does not only apply to our dealings with others. It is also important when we are dealing with ourselves.
Ask yourself:
When we live our truths, it is easier for us to recognize situations where we give away our personal power. Being honest also means doing everything we can to live authentically, in pursuit of our own happiness rather than pleasing others.
Here are 55 inspiring quotes about honesty and integrity. We hope you enjoy reading this collection as much as we enjoyed compiling it.
- “We learned about honesty and integrity, that truth matters.. that you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own rules.. and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square.” – Michelle Obama
- “Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself.” – William Shakespeare
- “If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.” – Virginia Woolfe
- “Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don’t expect it from cheap people.” – Warren Buffet
Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don’t expect it from cheap people.” – Warren Buffet
- “Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.” – James E. Faust
- “Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.” – Mother Teresa
- “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” – Albert Einstein
- “Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it’ll always get you the right ones.” – John Lennon
- “One of the few things in life that cannot possibly do harm, in the end, is the honest pursuit of the truth.” – Peter Kreeft
- “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the earth.” – William Faulkner
- “To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Honesty is often very hard. The truth is often painful. But the freedom it can bring is worth the trying.” – Fred Rogers
- “In a world of lies and liars, an honest work of art is always an act of social responsibility.” – Robert McKee
- “Honesty is the fastest way to prevent a mistake from turning into a failure.” – James Altucher
- “Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “The truth cuts like the sharpest knife I’ve ever known.” – Tomi Adeyemi
- “The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love, and loyalty.” – Zig Ziglar
- “Oh, what a tangled web we weave…when first we practice to deceive.” – Walter Scott
- “No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” – Oscar Wilde
- “The elegance of honesty needs no adornment.” – Mary Brown
- “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “Let’s tell the truth to people. When people ask, ‘How are you?’ have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully.” – Maya Angelou
- “The liar’s punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.” – George Bernard Shaw
- “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
- “Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable.” – Albert Camus
- “Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world.” – Thomas Carlyle
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world.” – Thomas Carlyle
- “Simple honesty of purpose in a man goes a long way in life, if founded on a just estimate of himself and a steady obedience to the rule he knows and feels to be right.” – Samuel Smiles
- “In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.” – Czesław Miłosz
- “Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” – Maya Angelou
- “The main trouble with being an honest man was that it lost you all your illusions.” – James Jones
- “It’s difficult to be honest with others when you continue lying to yourself.” – Carlos Wallace
- “Honest people don't hide their deeds.” – Emily Brontë
- “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” – Marcus Aurelius (Check out this post for more Marcus Aurelius quotes.)
- “Early in my career… I had to choose between honest arrogance and a hypercritical humility… I deliberately choose an honest arrogance, and I’ve never been sorry.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
- “Our lives improve only when we take chances – and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.” – Walter Anderson
- “Better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.” – Khaled Hosseini
- “The real source of inner joy is to remain truthful and honest.” – The 14th Dalai Lama
- “I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy.” – George Washington
- “If you tell the truth, you don’t need a long memory.” – Jesse Ventura
- “You should not honor men more than truth.” – Plato
- “Honest hearts produce honest actions.” – Brigham Young
- “Tell the truth, or someone will tell it for you.” – Stephanie Klein
- “Love is honesty. Love is a mutual respect for one another.” – Simon Elkeles
- “There is one way to find out if a man is honest – ask him. If he says ‘yes’, you know he is crooked.” – Groucho Marx
- “Always tell the truth. That way you don’t have to remember what you said.” – Mark Twain
- “You’re only responsible for being honest, not for someone else’s reaction to your honesty.” – Kelli Jae Baeli
- “The truth may not set you free, but used carefully, it can confuse the hell out of your enemies.” – Laurell K. Hamilton
- “When you’re dishonest with yourself, you’re disconnected from reality. You’re going to make poor decisions. You’re going to drop out of the moment and you’re going to be less happy and you’re going to be wrong.” – Naval Ravikant
- “You are honest enough by nature to be able to see and judge your own self clearly – and that is a great thing. Never lose that honesty – always be honest with yourself.” – Enid Blyton
- “The truth needs so little rehearsal.” – Barbara Kingsolver
- “Be bad, but at least don’t be a liar, a deceiver!” – Leo Tolstoy
- “Leading your life honestly and truthfully will create trust and friendship.” – The 14th Dalai Lama
- “Truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economize it.” – Mark Twain
Final Thoughts on Quotes About Honesty
There you have it—55 inspiring quotes about honesty and integrity.
Striving to embody these traits in your day-to-day life can bring peace of mind and happiness. After all, when you are trustworthy, it’s no longer necessary to remember a thousand lies in order to support the first one made.
You might also enjoy reading quotes about integrity for building character, which you can check out here. Or if you want to listen to some inspiring music, here's our list of favorite songs about honesty.
If you love any of the artwork featured in today’s post, feel free to share them. We appreciate the share very much!
And if you want more eye-opening quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 108 Never Give Up Quotes for When Life Gets Hard (2023)
- 77 Integrity Quotes to Build Your Character
- 47 Perspective Quotes to Get a Fresh Look on a Life Challenge
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's truly important to you..
