Frankness: Be Honest and Speak Plainly
FRANKNESS.—Be frank with the world. Frankness is the child of honesty and courage. Say just what you mean to do on every occasion, and take it for granted that you mean to do what is right. If a friend asks you a favor, you should grant it if it is reasonable; if it is not, tell him plainly why you cannot; you will wrong him and yourself by equivocation of any kind. Never do a wrong thing to make friends or to keep one. The man who requires you to do so is dearly purchased and at a sacrifice. Deal kindly and firmly with all men, and you will find it the policy which wears the best. Above all, do not appear to others what you are not. If you have fault to find with any one, tell him, not others, of what you complain. There is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to do one thing to a man's face and another behind his back. We should live and speak out of doors, as the phrase is, and do what we are willing should be known and read by all men. It is not best as a matter of policy, but as a matter of principle. IN my pursuits of whatever kind, let this come to mind, “How much shall I value this on my death-bed?”