Honesty is the best policy ppsx

Honesty is the best policy Do you think that “Honesty is the best policy”?. It has a suspiciously worldly flavor, for it means that from a worldly point of view it pays to have honesty..

Honesty is the best policy

Do you think that “Honesty is the best policy”?

This is an old and often repeated proverb, but it is true? It

has a suspiciously worldly flavor, for it means that from a

worldly point of view it pays to have honesty Now a man

of complete honesty will not ask whether honesty pays or

not He feels he must be honest, even if honesty brings

him loss or suffering, simply because it is right to be

honest and wrong to be dishonest This proverb is

therefore of little use to people of sincere honesty: it is

really meant only for those unprincipled men who will be

honest only if honesty pays, and will be dishonest if they

think honesty will pay them worse

Probably honesty does pay in the long run In business,

for example, a man who deals straight forwardly with the

pubic, who sells at fair prices, who gives good quality, and

can be relied upon not to cheat, will generally establish a

reputation that will be a fine business asset People will be

glad to deal with him; and though he may not make a

fortune he will have a sound and satisfactory business

On the other hand, there is no doubt that success is often

due to trickery, and great fortunes have been built up upon

dishonesty Too many successful rogues have proved by

experience that for them dishonesty had been the best

policy Of course some of these people come to a bad

end, and lose all they have gained by their lies; but many

maintain their worldly success is more due to ability, lucky

opportunities, and business cunning, than to honesty

And many examples could be given of men who, from a

worldly point of view, have failed because they have

scrupulous honesty A martyr who prefers to be burned at

the stake rather than say what he believes to be false,

may be a hero; but in the eyes of a worldly man, who

thinks only of worldly success, he is a sad failure

But if we look at such cases from the spiritual point of view

– if we consider that truth and righteousness are far more

important than wealth and rank and prosperity – then, in

the highest sense, honesty is the best policy in the end

“For what it shall profit a man if he gain the whole world

and lose his own soul?”