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Integrity quotes: Building honesty and trust



Parenting kids to be trusted...

Strong family values help children adjust to challenges they will face growing toward adulthood. Peer pressure, relationship issues, performance expectations, fear of failure, and various temptations can be overwhelming trials. It is imperative that parents have a clear understanding of what is important and then live out their beliefs for their children. Integrity quotes can be a reminder to keep diligence, trust, honesty, honor, truthfulness, sincerity, and loyalty as a priority for youth as well as adults.

It is also important to be honest about how things are in the home. Do our values actually take priority and become evident in the life of each child. Or are they just a vision to be put into practice at some time in the future?



Key Sections





Modeling integrity in an imperfect world

Children are born selfish and self centered. Lying, cheating, and stealing can easily be picked up at a young age. Being disrespectful, defiant, and disobedient is something that is just around the corner. Treating others fairly without teasing or bullying. How can a child learn integrity and honesty.

Integrity should be an integral part of each parent's lifestyle. The best way for teaching values to children is through everyday passion and example. This includes on the job, work done around the home, and dealing with neighbors and friends. Consistent behavior, aligned with principles, is what is needed. Making it a practice to tell the truth, the whole truth, without deception.

Life lessons are a critical part of child development. The question is: When facing severe tests requiring integrity, will you child know the difference between right and wrong and hold strong to their beliefs? Repeated failure of parents can tear down trust in relationships and lead to a lack of integrity. This is often difficult to rebuild.





Definition of Integrity

What are the most important things in life? Is it money? Is it a person or persons? Is it my Faith? Is it meeting the needs of others? Is it education or a job? Is it being a good person or serving others? Personal integrity is essential in this process. What is integrity? An online dictionary definition of integrity is included here. The meaning of integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy which is "Say one thing, but do something else". My words should match my thoughts and intentions.

The following integrity quotes can be an encouragement to both parents and children.

Integrity quotes about good role models
Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

A life lived with integrity - even if it lacks the trappings of fame and fortune is a shinning star in whose light others may follow in the years to come. - Denis Waitley

Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people. - Spencer Johnson

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. - Douglas Adams

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

Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do - Don Galer

There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity - Tom Peters

Healthy children will not fear life if their elders have integrity enough not to fear death. Erik Erikson, Dr.

I have found that great people do have in common an immense belief in themselves and in their mission. They also have great determination as well as an ability to work hard. At the crucial moment of decision, they draw on their accumulated wisdom. Above all, they have integrity. - Yousuf Karsh



Integrity quotes about growing up

Here are same examples of quotes about children growing up being taught principles of integrity.

“You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.” ---Abraham Lincoln

“I've heard that it's possible to grow up - I've just never met anyone who's actually done it. Without parents to defy, we break the rules we make for ourselves. We throw tantrums when things don't go our way, we whisper secrets with our best friends in the dark, we look for comfort where we can find it, and we hope - against all logic, against all experience. Like children, we never give up hope...” --- Meredith Grey

“Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you.”--- H. Jackson Brown, Jr

"Children learn more from what you are than what you teach…. So live your life such that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you. !!!" ---Author unknown

"After all, it’s not important what you leave to your children; it’s what you leave in your children…." ---Author unknown



Integrity quotes on trust

High integrity implies high moral values. True values are what drives us minute by minute. It influences thought processes, decision making, and direction. Some values may be ingrained and are manifested without thinking. There are other noble attributes that we aspire to, but just have not been able to make them part of our lives. This is what we want to teach our children.

For kids, it would be nice to have the assurance that when we are not around their actions and decisions will still be sound. We would like a high level of certainty that they will conscientiously carry out their tasks and responsibilities to the best of their ability. Their desire would be to finish completely the work in front of them.

When they say that they will do something, they commit to it. You can believe in them. They are accountable to those in authority and can be depended on to handle unexpected hurdles and roadblocks. Kids with integrity will stay devoted to assignments until done. They report back with results in a reasonable fashion. They are credible and believable.

Putting appropriate integrity quotes out in front of us could be a valuable reminder. In addition, trust and honesty are closely related to integrity. Here are some trust quotes specifically applicable for children:

Integrity quotes about trust
You can have all kinds of problems and disagreements with another person, but as long as the trust and respect are still there, the relationship can endure. - Brian Tracy
Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him. - Booker T. Washington

Trust has to be earned, and should come only after the passage of time.

- Arthur Ashe

Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.

- Albert Schweitzer



Integrity quotes related to honesty

Another related catagory is honesty. Honesty will lead to trust. A person of high integrity will be known for their honesty and will soon be trusted. This is something that children need to see and to experience. The following honesty quotes may be an inspiration to either parent or child.

Integrity quotes about honesty
There is always a way to be honest without being brutal.

- Arthur Dobrin

People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.

- Robert Louis Stevenson

An honest answer is the sign of true friendship. - Proverbs 24:26

Set aside time to assess what your true values are. Since children are impacted by both parents, it is important to have both partners participate. This will also give you a sharper picture of what is real. The following steps will help clarify values for both partners:

Integrity quotes related to effort

Doing a good job with assigned tasks is a great training opportunity for kids. The tendency is to do the minimum or nothing at all. Developing the discipline and perseverance to complete tasks with the best effort possible is not natural. The issue of integrity comes when no one is watching. Will there be full effort? Will the task be done with diligence, focus, and enthusiasm? Will laziness, boredom, and idleness take over?Kids need to know when the result or outcome is not up to speed. Fair consequences will teach valuable lessons that will stay with them. It is also good to set reasonable expectations as well.

The work may be too boring or just be a grind. The skill to do the job may require more talent. People often look for ways to get out of the work or pass it on to someone else. This also happens to adults on a far too frequent basis. It is all the more critical to teach children the importance of completing their work and doing the very best job they can.

Here are some integrity quotes about effort, commitment, and concentration:

The ones who do things without being told draw the most wages. -Edwin H. StuartMen

To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true to certain ideals - this alone is worth the struggle. -William Penn

Achievement is not always success while reputed failure often is. It is honest endeavor, persistent effort to do the best possible under any and all circumstances. -Orison Swett Marden

Laziness may appear attractive but work gives satisfaction. -Ann Frank

Do not wait; the time will never be "just right'. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along. -Napoleon Hill

Developing list of integrity values

Values should be reviewed honestly and with an open mind. Make a list of values indicate the level of importance. These can be specific activities (ie. sport, family time, church) that are important. There are also general human attributes (ie. courage or commitment) that are held in high esteem. The list can be long. The following table is a sample of characteristices and personal values that are related to a person of integrity:

List of character traits related to Integrity quotes
Accuracy Cooperation Honesty Responsibility
Beauty Courage Hospitality Safety
Calm Courtesy Faith Sacrifice
Change Discipline Money Sports
Cleanliness Education Neithborliness Sincerity
Collaboration Fairness Organization Tolorance
Commitment Family Perseverance Tradition
Communication Fitness Privacy Trust
Compassion Friendliness Respect Wisdom

Go through the list a denote for each item whether you always exhibit the characteristic, sometimes, or never. Review this list and select 10 or 12 that you honestly feel relate to your life and are important to you. They should define who I am and what is most important to me. Have your spouse build the same kind of list independently. From the list above, you can see that most of the qualities listed are key in relationships.

Sort by importance and prominence

Sort your own list in the order of importance or priority to you. Have your spouse also sort your list, independently, in the order they percieve you. This can be a challenging exercise, but can give valuable information to the other partner. How your spouse perceives you is often what children will see as well.

Discuss with spouse

Discuss together whether the values are reality. Do they line up with the way we act? Are they what we want or are they part of our life now? Is there a conflict between values, such as family and work.

This is a good opportunity to evaluate and make adjustments. There are family values that are important, but have not been acted upon. It may require changing priorities and taking definite actions to change course. This may take courage and humility.

Build one joint list

Then merge the lists for both spouses to form a new list for family values. There should agreement between you and your spouse on this list. This list could also require life style changes to actually become a reality and make your top values effective!

The message sent to children will now be clearer. It is good to establish important values early because there are other influences that children face that impact attitudes and direction. Television, movies, friends, school, and neighborhood can be major contributors in their lives. Be an example of integrity. Use integrity quotes to reenforce.

Building family through men and women of integrity

Family time and parent interaction are critical. Parents may have the most noble and impressive lifestyle, but the children suffer with lack of contact. Teaching children family values is often lacking in today's fragmented society.



There is no substitute for being together. Job responsibilities and other outside activities can severely limit interaction. Spending significant time together is the vehicle for parents to share their lives and their values. Children will also develop better social skills with communication, sharing, and cooperation.

Better family relationships will lead to better relationships beyond the immediate family. Parents need wisdom in guiding and encouraging their children as they begin to select friends. Teen relationships can be especially fragile. Getting them to select companions carefully starts with a good foundation of family values. Inviting others into your life is best done when both sides values the same things.



Integrity quotes about Relationships
There isn't any formula or method. You learn to love by loving - Aldous Huxley
It is one of the severest tests of friendship to tell your friend his faults. So to love a man that you cannot bear to see a stain upon him, and to speak painful truth through loving words, that is friendship. - Henry Ward Beecher
Love is blind, but friendship closes its eyes.

- Anonymous

Friendship is a horizon - which expands whenever we approach it.

- Anonymous

Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute.

- Josh Billings

It takes one person to forgive, it takes two people to be reunited.

- Lewis Smedes

When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.

- William Arthur Ward

Dont walk behind me, I may not lead. Dont walk in front of me, I may not follow. Walk beside me and be my friend.

Author : Albert Camus



The Integrity quotes for kids and relationship quotes mentioned above can be a great encouragement for both parents and children. Having children that are independent, trustworthy, keep their promises, and doing their tasks completely and thoroughly, is a blessing. It is important to show what integrity looks like to your children.

Judging others with integrity

Interpersonal relationships and treating others fairly. There is a temptation for kids to have favorites and not recognizing the contributions of others. Children need to be impartial. Fairminded people will treat others justly, giving them what they deserve. A person of integrity will also stand up for what is right. When a person has a choice in how to treat an enemy, and chooses to treat them fairly, that is true integrity. Here are some examples of integrity quotes related to fairness:

Fairness Integrity quotes
~ It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not. ~ Oscar Wilde
Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you. ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

It's time for greatness -- not for greed. It's a time for idealism -- not ideology. It is a time not just for compassionate words, but compassionate action. ~ Marian Wright Edelman



The value of personality tests

Some children are outgoing and engage others easily. More introverted children may have a harder time. As kids grow up, they develop their own perferences and unique style of dealing with their environment. Personality tests designed for children can help parents work more effectively with their children in the areas of friendships and relationships. Murphy-Meisgier type indicator for children is part of the Meyers-Briggs family of assessments. Developing people skills is an important complement to family values and being socially responsible.

Other resources for building character....



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