About this quote

Strip away the surface and conduct rests on some idea of right and wrong, and that idea in turn rests on being truthful. Skip the honesty and the whole moral structure goes hollow — decent-looking from the outside, with nothing solid holding it up.

When to use it

• A business that honors its refund promise long after the sale, and earns lasting trust.
• A friendship that survives hard news because neither person hides the truth.
• Turning down a lucrative shortcut because taking it would mean lying to a client.