James Stockdale Quotes

A man has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.

The imperative is to define what is right and do it.

Perfect Valor is to do, without a witness, all that we could do before the whole world.

Integrity means you do what you do because it is right and not just fashionable or politically correct.

The determined scholar and the man of virtue will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their virtue. They will even sacrifice their lives to preserve their virtue complete.

Do well and right and let the world sink.

There is a yearning for people to return to elementary moral virtues, such as integrity and commitment. We distrust people who have no centering of values. We greatly respect businessmen, for example, if they display those virtues, even if we don't necessarily agree with the people.

Doing the right thing has power.

Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.

Virtue has its own reward, but no sale at the box office.

One of the great things about my mother is she really valued people's character more than what they did.

I was taught growing up that you always do what you believe.

What makes a man is when you go against your own instincts to do to the right thing.

It's not always easy to do the right thing. But, doing the right thing makes you strong, it builds character.

The virtue involved in helping those one loves is not 'selflessness' or 'sacrifice,' but integrity.

Morality is standing by your friends, standing by people when it's not popular. It's sacrificing things on a big international stage, and sometimes it's sacrificing your basic comforts.

Integrity in the Moment of Choice: Quality of life depends on what happens in the space between stimulus and response.

Listen to your conscience regarding something that you simply know you should do, then start small on it - make a promise and keep it. Then move forward and make a little larger promise and keep it. Eventually you'll discover that your sense of honor will become greater than your moods, and that will give you a level of confidence and excitement that you can move to other areas where you feel you need to make improvements or give service.

We manifest character when self-sacrifice for the sake of our principles becomes more important than compromise for the sake of popularity.

A big part of honesty is self-discipline, personal resolve, and taking pride in who you are as a person and what each action means to your character.

Whatever you may suffer, speak the truth. Be worthy of the entire confidence of your associates. Consider what is right as to what must be done. It is not necessary that you should keep your property, or even your life, but it is necessary that you should hold fast your integrity.

Real integrity means an answer. It doesn't just mean - it doesn't mean riding the anger. And this is very difficult to do.

Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains, rather than do an immoral act.

Integrity means having the courage to do what is right, and what is aligned with your values, no matter the situation.