Living with Integrity

This program is about living with integrity. Members are encouraged to explore whether or not integrity can be learned, and to examine instances of integrity in their own lives and in the lives of those that they admire.

Member Preparation

In preparation for this session, read through the quotes below, and take some time to think about your own experiences with integrity.

"in·teg·ri·ty – noun 1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values." - Merriam-Webster Online

"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not." - Oprah Winfrey

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."  - William Shakespeare, Hamlet

"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare."  - Mark Twain

"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

"Before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself.  The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."  - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

"It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin." - Ecclesiastes 5.5-6

"Never separate the life you live from the words you speak." – Paul Wellstone

"The time is always right to do what is right."  - Martin Luther King Jr.

"The inferior person thinks small sins do no harm,
and so does not give them up.
This sins accumulate
until they can no longer be covered up,
and guilt becomes so great
that it can no longer be wiped out."
- I Ching, Great Commentary 2.5.8 (from One Heart: Universal Wisdom from the World’s Scriptures)

"Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got." - Janis Joplin

These questions provide ways you may want to approach this topic. Remember to focus on just one or two of the questions, if you choose to use them, as this will allow you to explore the topic in more depth.

  • Does your definition of "integrity" differ from the one provided by Merriam-Webster? How?
  • Do you feel your integrity is learned? innate? Where/who do you think you got it from? How would you teach someone else to live with integrity?
  • Were there times or specific events that you recall where you feel you exhibited integrity above and beyond the norm? Was there an event in your past for which you thought you were doing the right thing at the time, but in retrospect, now feel you did not?
  • Who do you admire that you feel has integrity, famous or otherwise? What about them gives them integrity? Have you personally experienced integrity from someone else?