William Styron Quotes

Honor modesty more than your life.

The best and only safe road to honor, glory, and true dignity is justice.

Prefer punishment to disgraceful gain; for the one is painful but once, but the other for one's whole life.

Honor is like the eye, which cannot suffer the least impurity without damage. It is a precious stone, the price of which is lessened by a single flaw.

There is a true glory and a true honor: the glory of duty done--the honor of the integrity of principle.

Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no persuasion move thee, to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollity; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas.

Let honesty be as the breath of thy soul; then shalt thou reach the point of happiness, and independence shall be thy shield and buckler, thy helmet and crown; then shall thy soul walk upright, nor stoop to the silken wretch because he hath riches, nor pocket an abuse because the hand which offers it wears a ring set with diamonds.

We create an environment where it is alright to hate, to steal, to cheat, and to lie if we dress it up with symbols of respectability, dignity and love.

Honor must start in the heart, but if it ends there, it isn’t honor. Honor must be expressed through words, symbols, actions, or gestures. Honor is among the most incarnational of the virtues. It must have feet and hands.

Not honesty alone, but the punctilio of an honor the most sensitive, is then the standard of behavior.

In all this world there is no substitute for personal integrity. It includes honor. It includes performance. It includes keeping one's word. It includes doing what is right regardless of the circumstances

Man is born for uprightness. If a man lose his uprightness and yet live, his escape from death is mere good fortune.

Truth is an homage that the good man pays to his own dignity.

Virtue and integrity are necessary for genuine happiness. Guard your integrity with care.

We are poor in character when we think getting by is a substitute for doing our best.

I would rather go to any extreme than suffer anything that is unworthy of my reputation, or of that of my crown.

If a man suffers ill, let it be without shame; for this is the only profit when we are dead. You will never say a good word about deeds that are evil and disgraceful.

Though I be poor, I'm honest.

More precious is want with honesty than wealth with infamy.

It's impossible to speak what it is not noble to do.

Values are principles and ideas that bring meaning to the seemingly mundane experience of life. A meaningful life that ultimately brings happiness and pride requires you to respond to temptations as well as challenges with honor, dignity, and courage.

I am not one of those senators who feel it is necessary for the Senate to pass a resolution binding the membership to be honorable men. If I thought it was necessary to pass a resolution to make us honorable, I would not want to be a member of this body.

Do not run a campaign that would embarrass your mother.

Always take the high road. You never sacrifice your team. You sacrifice yourself for your team.