149 Honesty Quotes To Honor Yourself

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

Here are 149 of the best honesty quotes I could find. And please remember, the more honest you are, the more self-respect you’ll gain, the more confidence you’ll develop. Enjoy!

honesty quotes very expensive gift dont expect from cheap people warren buffett wisdom

Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don’t expect it from cheap people. Warren Buffett

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Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it’ll always get you the right ones. John Lennon

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Honesty is often very hard. The truth is often painful. But the freedom it can bring is worth the trying. Fred Rogers

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To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable; to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength. Criss Jami

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Honesty is telling the truth to ourselves and others. Integrity is living that truth. Kenneth H. Blanchard

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We are franker towards others than towards ourselves. Friedrich Nietzsche

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No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful. Eleanor Roosevelt

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Let’s tell the truth to people. When people ask, ‘How are you?’ have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully. Maya Angelou

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Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest. Maya Angelou

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If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

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The real source of inner joy is to remain truthful and honest. 14th Dalai Lama

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Leading your life honestly and truthfully will create trust and friendship. 14th Dalai Lama

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Authenticity without empathy is selfish. Authenticity without boundaries is careless. Adam Grant

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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

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Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. Kent M. Keith

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The Best Honesty Quotes

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honesty quotes telling truth making someone cry lie smile paulo coelho wisdom women

Telling the truth and making someone cry is better than telling a lie and making someone smile. Paulo Coelho

Before you can lie to another, you must first lie to yourself. Naval Ravikant

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

When you face a choice between being polite and being honest, err on the side of the truth. It’s better to be disliked but respected than to be liked but disrespected. In the long run, the people we trust the most are those who have the courage to be sincere. Adam Grant

Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen. Brené Brown (The Gifts of Imperfection)

A lie has speed, but truth has endurance. Edgar J. Mohn

The most interesting thing you can say is the most honest. Rorty Witt

honesty quotes love will get through most situations naval ravikant wisdom women group

Honesty plus love will get you through most situations. Naval Ravikant

Create from the heart to produce something meaningful. Speak from the heart to build solid relationships. Live from the heart to have a beautiful life. Maxime Lagacé

The truth is the only thing worth having, and, in a civilized life, like ours, where so many risks are removed, facing it is almost the only courageous thing left to do. E.V. Lucas

It is not easy to keep silent when silence is a lie. Victor Hugo

To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice. Confucius

To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. Will Durant

The good I stand on is my truth and honesty. William Shakespeare

Authenticity is powerful because it is, by definition, impossible to fake. To lead an authentic life is to lead a truly honest life. Ed Latimore

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If you can’t be honest with yourself, you can’t fix yourself. Admitting you have a problem is the first step for a good reason. Ed Latimore

To live a life of honesty and integrity is a responsibility of every decent person. Noam Chomsky

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 express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself; that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee

All other knowledge is hurtful to him who has not the science of honesty and goodness. Michel de Montaigne

People aren’t in awe of your sharp mind? So be it. But you have many other qualities you can’t claim to have been deprived of at birth. Display then those qualities in your own power: honesty, dignity, endurance, chastity, contentment, frugality, kindness. Marcus Aurelius

Be honest, truthful, and altruistic. If you concern yourself with taking care of others, there’ll be no room for lies, bullying and cheating. If you’re truthful you can live transparently, which will enable you to establish trust, the basis for making friends. 14th Dalai Lama

When we are committed to honesty, we help reduce the level of misunderstanding, doubt, and fear throughout society. 14th Dalai Lama

When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion. Abraham Lincoln

When a man is penalized for honesty he learns to lie. Criss Jami

The responsibility is all yours; no one can stop you from being honest or straightforward. Marcus Aurelius

Part 2. Honesty Quotes That Are…

The Most Famous Honesty Quotes (Mother Teresa, Shakespeare, Rousseau, etc.)

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honesty quotes first chapter book wisdom thomas jefferson wisdom man smiling

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. Thomas Jefferson

Honesty is the best policy. Benjamin Franklin

Honesty first; then courage; then brains – and all are indispensable. Theodore Roosevelt

Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself. William Shakespeare

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

I meant what I said and I said what I meant. Dr. Seuss

Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. Mother Teresa

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No legacy is so rich as honesty. William Shakespeare

If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything. Mark Twain

To live outside the law, you must be honest. Bob Dylan

I think honesty is the most heroic quality one can aspire to. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

All kinds of frankness and honesty are terrible crimes in the eyes of society. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one. George Washington

I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. George Washington

There is no foundation like the rock of honesty and fairness, and when you begin to build your life on that rock, with the cement of the faith in God that you have, then you have a real start. Ronald Reagan

No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. Abraham Lincoln

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 challenge today is to convince people of the value of truth, honesty, compassion and a concern for others. 14th Dalai Lama

You ask me what forces me to speak? A strange thing; my conscience. Victor Hugo (Les Misérables)

Unless you’re ashamed of yourself now and then, you’re not honest. William Faulkner

Each time we don’t say what we wanna say, we’re dying. Yoko Ono

Short Honesty Quotes

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One-liners, short honesty quotes, sayings, thoughts, and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, and backgrounds.
honesty quotes truth builds trust marilyn suttle wisdom group people sitting fun

Truth builds trust. Marilyn Suttle

Truth fears no questions. Unknown

You can’t lie to your soul. Irvine Welsh

Frankness invites frankness. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Clarity is a gift of honesty. @AmuseChimp

Be honest rather than clever. Maxime Lagacé

Be silly. Be honest. Be kind. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Honesty saves everyone’s time. Unknown

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Spontaneity is total sincerity. Alan Watts

An honest man’s the noblest work of God. Alexander Pope

Art is to beauty what honor is to honesty. Winston Churchill

Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud. Sophocles

Just be honest with yourself. That opens the door. Vernon Howard

An honest man is always a child. Socrates

If you want to get free, you have to first get honest. Joyce Meyer

Just try, try to be right here, open, honest, straight. Ram Dass

A little candor never leaves me. It is what protects me. Antonio Porchia

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Inspirational Honesty Quotes

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honesty quotes three little duties hard honest help ourselves others ryan holiday wisdom couple

Three little duties – to try hard, to be honest, and to help ourselves and others. Ryan Holiday

It is always helpful to remain honest and truthful in the face of difficulty. 14th Dalai Lama

If in day to day life you lead a good life, honestly, with love, compassion, and less selfishness, then automatically you will find peace. 14th Dalai Lama

If you want to save time, be honest. If you want to save your life, be courageous. Maxime Lagacé

Honesty is the cornerstone of all success, without which confidence and ability to perform shall cease to exist. Mary Kay Ash

The function and duty of a human being, a “quality” human being, that is, is the sincere and honest development of potential and self-actualization. Bruce Lee

Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product. Ed McMahon

Honesty and openness is always the foundation of insightful dialogue. Bell Hooks

We have to be honest about what we want and take risks rather than lie to ourselves and make excuses to stay in our comfort zone. Roy T. Bennett

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There’s just some magic in truth and honesty and openness. Frank Ocean

When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak. Audre Lorde

If you keep hiding your true self, your life becomes like slow death. Once you become free from the lies and the hiding of yourself, then life becomes vibrant again. Ziggy Marley

On the whole, and by and large, if a man lived properly, not according to what any priests said, but according to what seemed decent and honest inside, then it would, at the end, more or less, turn out all right. Terry Pratchett

When you give yourself permission to communicate what matters to you in every situation you will have peace despite rejection or disapproval. Putting a voice to your soul helps you to let go of the negative energy of fear and regret. Shannon L. Alder

Honesty is not only “the first step toward greatness,” – it is greatness itself. Christian Nestell Bovee

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

Be honest about where you are at so that you can get to where you want to be. Joyce Meyer

Related: 5 Qualities of Honest Individuals (inc.com)

Funny And Surprising Honesty Quotes

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honesty quotes people like music some speak truth others just noise bill murray wisdom

People are like music, some speak the truth and others are just noise. Bill Murray

Honesty is the best policy – when there is money in it. Mark Twain

A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar. Mark Twain

If honesty were suddenly introduced into American life, the whole system would collapse. George Carlin

Though I am not naturally honest, I am sometimes so by chance. William Shakespeare

For honesty coupled to beauty, is to have honey a sauce to sugar. William Shakespeare

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A good conscience is a continual Christmas. Benjamin Franklin

It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place. Henry Louis Mencken

Most of what I say is complete truth. My edit button is broken. Myra McEntire

Pretty much all the honest truth telling in the world is done by children. Oliver Wendell

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on. Winston Churchill

He who is not sure of his memory, should not undertake the trade of lying. Michel de Montaigne

Related: A new study linking profanity to honesty shows people who curse are more authentic (qz.com)

Deep Honesty Sayings

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honesty quotes most part less profitable dishonesty plato wisdom man sitting

Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty. Plato

No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous. Henry Adams

When you are truly honest with yourself some people won’t like you. Do it anyway. Maxime Lagacé

If you prefer to not play the game and to always be honest and upfront, do not complain when others call you obnoxious and arrogant. Robert Greene

When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice, you may know that your society is doomed. Ayn Rand

Be kind and honest, and harmful poisons will turn sweet inside you. Rumi

If we were all given by magic the power to read each other’s thoughts, I suppose the first effect would be to dissolve all friendships. Bertrand Russell

Anyone around whom I can’t be fully honest, I don’t want to be around. Naval Ravikant

I want to be able to just be me. I never want to be in an environment or around people where I have to watch what I say. Naval Ravikant

Honesty is an active verb, not a passive noun. Go out of your way to be truthful, beginning with the things that you say to yourself. Joe Tye

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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To be truly positive in the eyes of some, you have to risk appearing negative in the eyes of others. Criss Jami (Killosophy)

The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed. Ernest Hemingway

And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too. Khaled Hosseini

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

If you’re not honest with the world, you can’t really be honest with yourself. Joe Norman

It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Noël Coward

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

Sincerity is irrelevant in a society where many believe their own lies. @orangebook_

If we, as humans, are honest with ourselves, we will, with clarity and serenity, admit that we are failures. Kapil Gupta

If a man examines his life with rare and uncommon honesty, he comes to realize that it is, at once, an empty, societal charade. There is nothing within it that is of any genuine significance. Kapil Gupta

Madame, all stories, if continued far enough, end in death, and he is no true-story teller who would keep that from you. Ernest Hemingway

When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice, you may know that your society is doomed. Ayn Rand

Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure there is one less rascal in the world. Thomas Carlyle

Related: Honest Communication (YouTube video by The School of Life)

Wise Honesty Sayings

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honesty quotes fools avoid conflicts while wise keep telling truth maxime lagace wisdom nature water

Fools avoid conflicts while the wise keep telling the truth. Maxime Lagacé

Truth indeed rather alleviates than hurts, and will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water. Miguel de Cervantes

In the short run, lying is easy and honesty is hard. In the long run, honesty is easy and lying is hard. What you choose today makes your tomorrow. Shane Parrish

If you really want to be happy, you have to be present. One of the core tenets of being present is to be completely honest at all times. Naval Ravikant

What radical honesty just means is that I want to be free. Part of being free means that I can say what I think and think what I say. Naval Ravikant

Being honest doesn’t mean being a jerk. Being nice doesn’t mean avoiding the truth. Blake Emal (Source)

The real honesty is a responsibility to the present moment. It needs tremendous awareness. You have to be honest to the present moment, not to the past, not to the future. Rajneesh

Honesty is the cornerstone of character. The honest man or woman seeks not merely to avoid criminal or illegal acts, but to be scrupulously fair, upright, fearless in both action and expression. B.C. Forbes

The good four. Honest with ourselves and with whatever is friend to us; courageous toward the enemy; generous toward the vanquished; polite-always that is how the four cardinal virtues want us. Friedrich Nietzsche

The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold. Aristotle

Great conversation flows easily with those that are deeply committed to the truth. They attack or defend a position out of honesty, not ego. They seek illumination, not point scoring. They will ruthlessly challenge the accuracy of your mental map of the world. Invaluable. @TheStoicEmperor

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To be honest, speak without identity. Naval Ravikant

Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking. Leo Tolstoy

The honest man falls prey to guilt and conscience far more often than the dishonest one. Even when he has acted honorably. Kapil Gupta

Be honest with yourself. Base your preferences and beliefs on your deepest sense of self. Don’t be swayed by social pressures or a need for affirmation. Uncover your purest ‘you’ through questioning yourself and challenging yourself. @DailyZen

Accuracy is twin brother to honesty, and inaccuracy to dishonesty. Nathaniel Hawthorne

Part 3. Conclusion

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Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity. W. Clement Stone

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Author Bio

maxime lagace

Maxime Lagacé started collecting quotes in 2004 after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident.

In search of meaning, he dived in the self-improvement world, psychology and trail running.

Books, blogs, quotes and nature became his guide.

He started journaling, reflecting, writing his thoughts, feelings and quotes.

His goal was to understand his pain, his depression, his fears, his lack of motivation and inspiration.

He finished his software engineering degree in 2007 at the École de Technologie Supérieure de Montréal.

A few years later, he started his first website to share his love of quotes.

Maxime is a father of two, husband, and INFJ.

Other notable interests of Maxime are health (mental and physical), meditation, bananas, SEO, human potential, and education.

You can find him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Last update

March 30, 2022

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