Honestly quoting

Honesty in the service of someone that uses it to get what they want isn't really honesty, is it?
I think because of the manipulation.
If I blog a story with the intention of pulling you into my way of thinking, persuading you with the story I'm telling-isn't it the truth to achieve an end? Is that honest?
Still sometimes a story seems to better serve a truth.
And that, partially, is why blogging becomes harder for me these last few years.
I've thought about this. Quite a lot.


Someone just told me they want to live honestly.

The last person that said that to me, once, had a whole thing about authenticity, but really struggled with honesty.


I went and found some quotes that spoke to me , personally, about honesty.
I got these from Goodreads. I don't know why, a page opened there. Writers on honesty.
Rather an interesting thought.

“As you grow up, always tell the truth, do no harm to others, and don't think you are the most important being on earth. Rich or poor, you then can look anyone in the eye and say, 'I'm probably no better than you, but I'm certainly your equal.”
― Harper Lee

Can anyone top Harper Lee?
Really?

 

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
― Jess C. Scott, The Intern


I love the image of your name being SAFE in the mouth of someone that loves you.
That they will speak honestly of you remembering all your contributions to their health and welfare, all the thoughts, kindnesses, maybe all the ways they treated you with trust and reverence.

“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.”

― Virginia Woolf


My advise, don't blog truthfully-read Thomas Wolfe if you really need to understand. 

That kind of truth would be hard wouldn't it. Truth would not be "used" in such a universe to serve a retaliatory act or a cover for poor behavior, or the feeling of real connection.

“The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

I read Little House on the Prairie when I job shared a third grade.
I was tricked into the job share-did it with integrity and heart-and to serve someone who decided she needed it. Honestly I'd like to know who has ever done something like that for me?
 I needed a lot of courage last year.

 

“To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

I believe in love.

 

“Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
― Franz Kafka


Obsessions -I keep reading that.

 

“This is a difficult balance, telling the truth: how much to share, how much to keep, which truths will wound but not ruin, which will cut too deep to heal.”

― Ally Condie, Matched

I think every person has to struggle with this.

 

“When a man is penalized for honesty he learns to lie.”
― Criss Jami, Salomé: In Every Inch In Every Mile

I haven't read this book so I don't know the context for the remarks. But I do know the truth of this.
From my own childhood experiences.

 

“We can be redeemed only to the extent to which we see ourselves.” 
― Martin Buber

We can be redeemed.
 

 

“[H]iding how you really feel and trying to make everyone happy doesn't make you nice, it just makes you a liar.”
― Jenny O'Connell, The Book of Luke

 Making everyone happy makes you a liar.
Hum.

 

“To conceal anything from those to whom I am attached, is not in my nature. I can never close my lips where I have opened my heart.”
― Charles Dickens

 

“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to
succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.”
― Abraham Lincoln


We hold light. It's funny how hard some folks fight that realization.

  “Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.”
― Barbara De Angelis

I'd say I've learned this over and over and over.

 

“The answer is good things only happen to you if you're good. Good? Honest is more what I mean... Be anything but a coward, a pretender, an emotional crook, a whore: I'd rather have cancer than a dishonest heart.”
― Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's

Having had cancer I can say cancer is tough.

 

“Can you honestly love a dishonest thing?”
― John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent

No, you can't.

 

“In a room where
people unanimously maintain
a conspiracy of silence,
one word of truth
sounds like a pistol shot.”
― Czesław Miłosz

 Witness public school on test based ed.

 

“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”
― James E. Faust

 

 

“All cruel people describe themselves as paragons of frankness.”
― Tennessee Williams

This is absolutely a perfect observation.

 

 

“Each time we don't say what we wanna say, we're dying.”
― Yoko Ono


I've spent the better part of ten years going to work telling myself to say absolutely nothing today.

 

“The truth needs so little rehearsal.”
― Barbara Kingsolver

 

“Keep your heart clear
And transparent,
And you will
Never be bound.
A single disturbed thought
Creates ten thousand distractions.”
― Ryokan

 

“You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too.”
― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

 

“What you didn't tell someone was just as debilitating as what you did.”
― Jodi Picoult, Handle With Care

I certainly learned that last night.
 

 

 

“Say what you have to say, not what you ought. Any truth is better than make-believe.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

 

“Honesty: The best of all the lost arts.”
― Mark Twain

  “Sincerity is the fulfillment
of our own nature,
and to arrive at it we need
only follow our own true Self.
Sincerity is the beginning
and end of existence;
without it, nothing can endure.
Therefore the mature person
values sincerity above all things.”
― Tzu-ssu

 

“Everyone lies to themselves, but many people do it with good intentions. They want to believe what they tell themselves, it is oftentimes the best possible version of reality for them. Although it may not be accurate, it is a mural of their desires, aspirations, optimism and passion. These people usually either need time or a new experience to discover the truth. People who lie to themselves for different reasons are oftentimes trying to avoid something or escape blame for things they have done.”
― Ashly Lorenzana

 

 

“May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

 

  If you are teaching HONESTY- I really liked this page. yeah I copied it- but here is the link.

Honesty
What is honesty?

• Honesty is telling the truth.
• Honesty is straightforward conduct.
• Honesty is being sincere, truthful, trustworthy, honorable, fair, genuine, and loyal with integrity.

Honest, trusting kids:

• Tell the truth despite consequences
• Voice their opinion in a kind, thoughtful way
• "Tell on" someone only when necessary
• Show and share their feelings
• Know their classmates and teachers care and want the best for them
• Feel and react without guilt
• Express themselves positively as well as critically

You are being honest when you ...

• Do your own homework
• Tell a friend the truth
• Explain the real reason you didn't turn in your homework
• Keep your eyes on your own paper
• Clean up your room after making a promise
• Give the cashier the extra money she gave you by mistake
• Write a report in your own words instead of copying
• Admit you made the mistake
• Keep a friend's secret
• Turn in a wallet full of money that you found

Be honest with yourself

• Accept responsibility for your own actions; don't blame others.
• Be honest about your feelings.
• Face issues as they arise.
• If you are considering lying, try to think of the consequences.
• When confronted with a situation, think of others.

Proverbs and maxims

• Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented. (George Braque)
• The truth is more important than the facts. (Frank L. Wright)
• In the mountains of truth, you never climb in vain. (Nietzsche)
• If you tell the truth, you have infinite power supporting you.

More quotes about honesty

• There is no wisdom like frankness. (Disraeli)
• A harmful truth is better than a useful lie. (Thomas Mann)
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. (Jefferson)
• One falsehood spoils a thousand truths. (Ashanti proverb)

Heroes and heroines

• Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who believed that a person's first duty was to be virtuous.
• Cochise was a Native American leader who was known for his honor and for keeping his word.
• Barbara Jordan was a remarkable Congresswoman who was a model for honesty in politics.
• Martin Luther was a religious leader who led the Reformation movement (against the existing church) with honesty and courage.

Put honesty into action

• Thank someone in your family for being honest.
• Tell your parents about a mistake you've made.
• Tell the truth when you've done something wrong.
• Compliment a friend for being honest.
• Express your real feelings without anger, without blaming others, without exaggerating, and without hurting the feelings of someone else.
• Turn in something that is lost and encourage others to do the same.
• When someone wants to copy your work, politely explain that it isn't right and that it's best to do your own work.
• Admit a mistake or error in judgment you have made and apologize to anyone it might have affected.
• Do your schoolwork honestly
• Be truthful with your friends and thank them for being truthful with you.
• When you ask someone to be honest with you, don't get angry with them if their honesty isn't what you wanted to hear.

Community service ideas

• Write a letter of thanks to a politician or community leader who has taken a stand on a controversial issue.
• Visit a senior citizen center to play board games with the residents. Make very honest moves as you play.
• Share the meaning of honesty with your family. Ask them to share their ideas with you.
• Remind members of your community to be honest. Decorate public areas with signs telling about the value of honesty.
• Create a classroom honor code. Write it down and hang it up in the classroom, so that everyone can see it all year long.
• Plan a class field trip to a daycare center to tell stories with themes of honesty to young children.

8 great reasons to tell the truth

1. Telling the truth lets everyone know what really happened. There's less chances of misunderstandings, confusion, or conflict.
2. Telling the truth protects innocent people from being blamed or punished.
3. Telling the truth allows everyone to learn from what happened.
4. You usually get into less trouble for telling the truth than for lying (and getting caught).
5. Other people trust you more when you tell the truth.
6. You don't have to tell more lies to keep your story straight.
7. You gain a reputation for being truthful - a trait that most people value.
8. Telling the truth helps you feel secure and peaceful inside.

10 tips for being more truthful

1. Make a commitment to tell the truth and honor it.
2. Tell someone about your commitment and progress.
3. Think before you give a dishonest answer, explanation, or reason.
4. Be careful of when and how you use exaggeration, sarcasm, or irony. 
5. Be careful not to twist the truth or leave out part of it.
6. Don't indulge in little white lies; don't get caught in cover-ups.
7. Watch out for silent lies. When you know about a lie and keep quiet, the lie lives on.
8. When you catch yourself lying, throw your mouth into reverse and tell the truth.
9. Talk to yourself quietly and ask what is the best thing to do.
10. Treat your to something special with you tell the truth even when it's hard.

More activities

• Write and perform a skit in which you and others debate the saying "Honesty is the best policy."
• Discuss what is means to "live a lie."
• List examples of what honesty means to you and role-play.
• Research whistle-blowers or people who go public about an unfair, unsafe, or unethical practice in the workplace or other place.
• Study honesty and dishonesty in advertising. Read or look at ads - in the news, magazines, on tv.
• Learn about the relationship of honesty and (mental) health.
• Learn about honesty in scientific or medical research.
• Compare national honesty (crime statistics) with local honesty. Which is higher?
• Research cultures past and present to learn their views of honesty.
• Find out how your school handles dishonesty. Are there student guidelines about cheating, stealing, lying, plagiarism, and other issues?
• Survey your class to find out how honest students are.
• Collect pictures of people throughout history who have been known for their honesty.
• Write a jingle about honesty or dishonesty.
• Read stories about honesty.