Essay on Integrity is a Way of Life

If there was one value that everyone should live by, then it surely would be integrity. The meaning of success is ever-changing. In order to assess whether you have been successful, you need to set some benchmarks and subsequently evaluate where you stand. On the other hand, integrity is a way of life, and it is forever.

Integrity essentially means the ability to do the right things all the time, irrespective of whether you are being watched or not. Obviously, this takes a lot of courage and determination. If you are looking to build a reputation of integrity, you should remember that it may take years to form. However, it only takes a second to lose the reputation you have painstakingly created.

Examples from Life

In today’s world, integrity is not talked about as much as it deserves to be. More often than not, the end result is what really matters. If you observe, you can easily spot the lack of integrity in everyday events. Here are some examples:

• Lying on an interview is a common thing today. The urgent need for a job is usually what compels a person to do so.
• Salesmen tend to promise more, but deliver less, in the rat race for achieving their monthly sales quota.
• Companies tend to exaggerate their earnings and projections in order to appear to have met the targets.
• Calling in sick at work is a fairly common practice, when one is really not unwell. In reality, they would just be looking to complete their Diwali shopping. The lack of paid leaves is usually the reason for this act.

In all the examples above, there is an element of dishonesty exhibited by the doer. And he/she would have considered the end result to be a justification for the lack of integrity in each case.

Integrity a Way of Life – Verdict

This brings us to the all-important question – Is it worthwhile to act with integrity in a world where many seem to be lacking it? The answer to this question is a definitive yes. You should remember that it may be possible to achieve what you want quickly if you have no constraints of integrity or honesty. However, this streak of luck may not last forever.

There may be times when you feel that the real path to success is the unscrupulous one, based on life events. Situations like these create a false impression in the minds of youngsters that they should follow the path of dishonesty to achieve success. You should remember that the momentary success that you achieve has far-reaching consequences. Once the truth is revealed (and this is inevitable), people would lose their ability to trust you. This way, you lose one of the most important qualities in life.

In order to be completely honest with others, you first have to be honest with yourself. People with integrity produce the highest quality of work and strive for excellence. When you inculcate integrity as a part of your life, you will also attract like-minded people and pleasant situations. This eventually brings success in everything you do.

In summary, getting a hefty paycheque or immense power through unscrupulous means is temporary. On the other hand, getting people to trust you wholeheartedly is something that would last forever. So, it always pays to adopt integrity as a way of life.

Integrity a Way of Life Quotes

Here are some quotes on integrity from famous personalities over the years:

• “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”
  ― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
• “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters”
  ― Albert Einstein
• “I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.”
  ― Lillian Hellman
• “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
  ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
• “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
• “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”
  ― Oprah Winfrey
• “A quiet conscience makes one strong!”
  ― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
• “We can’t take any credit for our talents. It’s how we use them that counts.”
  ― Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time: With Related Readings
• “The truly scary thing about undiscovered lies is that they have a greater capacity to diminish us than exposed ones. They erode our strength, our self-esteem, our very foundation.”
  ― Cheryl Hughes
• “Integrity is the ability to stand by an idea.”
  ― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

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