Virtue index · Classical virtue
Honor
Living worthily of esteem: integrity, keeping one’s word, and a right regard for a good name, given and received for true excellence.
Definitions from the tradition
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics IV.3; I.5: Honor is the prize of virtue, but it depends more on those who give it than on him who receives it; good men seek it from the wise and on the ground of their virtue.
Cicero, Tusculan Disputations III.3; De Officiis II.43: True glory is the firm consent of good men praising true excellence; the shortest road to it is to be what you wish to be thought.
Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 103, 131-132: Honor is due to excellence, and to God above all; the vice of vainglory seeks praise for things not worthy of it or without referring it to God.
Scripture, Proverbs 22:1 (KJV): “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches”
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version as given in the library’s text. Other definitions are summarized, not quoted.
Opposing vices
- Dishonor: Breaking faith or acting basely.
- Vainglory: Seeking praise for its own sake or for what is not praiseworthy.
Works that show honor (71)
Pericles' Funeral OrationPericlesHe tells the aged parents that only the love of honour never grows old and that their sons' fame will cheer them.delivered 431 BC; recorded by Thucydides c. 431-400 BCThe RamayanaValmikiRama leaves for the forest on the morning of his consecration rather than let his father's promise to Kaikeyi be broken. Opposing vice: Dishonor.c. 5th century BC-3rd century AD (traditional)The Histories, Book VIPolybiusThe Senate sends back in chains the envoy who tried to slip out of his oath to Hannibal by a trick (ch. 58).c. 150 BCThe Agricola and the GermaniaTacitusTacitus praises his father-in-law Agricola for integrity and moderation under Domitian.98 CEThe Fall of the Roman Republic: Six LivesPlutarchPlutarch’s Lives of Cato the Younger, Cicero, and Brutus show men acting on principle as the Republic falls.c. 100 CEThe HistoriesTacitusOtho chooses to die at Brixellum rather than send his army into another battle, and Tacitus says his death earned him a noble name.c. AD 100-110The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga)Anonymous (Old Norse)Sigurd, dying, insists that he always held fast to his oath with Gunnar and never wronged him.13th centuryThe Travels of Marco PoloMarco Polo (with Rustichello da Pisa)The three Polos guard the princess Cocachin on the long voyage as if she were their own daughter until they deliver her safely in Persia.c. 1298–1300The MabinogionAnonymous (Middle Welsh)Pwyll lies beside Arawn's wife every night of his year in Annwvyn without touching her, keeping faith with a friend who will never see what he does.11th-14th century (manuscripts c. 1350-1410)Sir Gawain and the Green KnightAnonymousGawain keeps his word and seeks the Green Chapel to receive the return blow.late 14th centuryThe Fall of Constantinople, 1453: Eyewitness AccountsNicolo Barbaro, George Sphrantzes, Doukas, and othersSphrantzes served the emperor faithfully to the end and wrote his memory into his chronicle after captivity.1453Le Morte d'ArthurThomas MaloryThe knights renew each Pentecost their oath to give mercy, flee treason and never fight in a wrongful quarrel.1485 (Caxton; completed c. 1469-70)Julius CaesarWilliam ShakespeareBrutus acts from love of Rome rather than envy, and Antony calls him the noblest Roman of them all.1599The St Crispin's Day SpeechWilliam ShakespeareHenry confesses that if it be a sin to covet honour he is the most offending soul alive, and makes honour the prize of the day.1599OthelloWilliam ShakespeareEmilia defies Iago in the last scene and tells the truth about the handkerchief, though it costs her life.c. 1603-04 (published 1622)Don QuixoteMiguel de CervantesDon Quixote tries to live by the chivalric code of honor in an unchivalric age.1605–1615Hamilton's Reports and Opinion on the BankAlexander HamiltonThe First Report treats the Revolutionary debt as a pledge of national faith made with special solemnity, to be redeemed for the country's reputation.1790-1791Love and Freindship and Other Early WorksJane AustenBy mocking Edward's refusal to oblige his father and the heroines' theft from Macdonald, the story sets out by contrast the duties of a dutiful child and grateful guest.1790 (published 1922)Reflections on the Revolution in FranceEdmund BurkeThe lament for Marie Antoinette praises the generous loyalty and sense of honour that once made obedience free and power gentle.1790Perpetual PeaceImmanuel KantThe sixth preliminary article forbids assassins, poisoners and treachery in war so that trust remains possible when peace returns.1795Tales from ShakespeareCharles and Mary LambCordelia refuses to flatter Lear for a share of his kingdom and tells him only that she loves him as a daughter should.1807Faust, Part OneJohann Wolfgang von GoetheValentine fights to defend his sister's good name against her seducer, though it costs him his life.1808Fletcher v. PeckSupreme Court of the United StatesMarshall holds Georgia to its executed grant, treating a state's conveyance as a promise that binds it like any other party.1810Trustees of Dartmouth College v. WoodwardSupreme Court of the United StatesThe opinion treats the obligations of the 1769 charter as surviving the Revolution, so that the new state keeps the promises made in the Crown's name.1819Hayne's Reply to Webster (Speech on Foot's Resolution)Robert Y. HayneHe defends South Carolina's record in the Revolution and the War of 1812 against the charge that its doctrines were disloyal.1830Second Reply to HayneDaniel WebsterHe answers attacks on New England by pointing to Massachusetts' sacrifices at Concord, Lexington, and Bunker Hill rather than by abusing South Carolina.1830Worcester v. GeorgiaSupreme Court of the United StatesThe opinion treats repeated treaty pledges as binding obligations of the nation's faith rather than temporary expedients.1832Oliver TwistCharles DickensOliver refuses to steal for Fagin and runs from the scene of the first theft rather than join in.1838The Three MusketeersAlexandre DumasD'Artagnan spares Lord de Winter's life after disarming him, and the Englishman becomes an ally.1844Jane EyreCharlotte BrontëJane insists to Rochester that she is his equal in soul and refuses to be dressed up or kept as an ornament.1847Bleak HouseCharles DickensSir Leicester, struck down by a stroke, declares before his household that his wife has his full forgiveness and that his regard for her is unchanged.1852–53Hard TimesCharles DickensStephen Blackpool keeps his promise not to join the union and refuses to inform on his fellow workers, though both refusals cost him his place.1854House Divided SpeechAbraham LincolnHe disclaims any wish to misrepresent Douglas or question his motives while still opposing him firmly.1858The Woman in WhiteWilkie CollinsLaura keeps her promise to her dying father and marries Sir Percival, telling him honestly beforehand that she loves another.1859–60Considerations on Representative GovernmentJohn Stuart MillChapter X asks that the vote be cast openly as a public trust, under the eye and criticism of fellow citizens.1861Apologia Pro Vita SuaJohn Henry NewmanHe answers Kingsley's charge of dishonesty by laying open the whole history of his opinions for public judgement.1864Notes from UndergroundFyodor DostoevskyLiza preserves her dignity by leaving the five-rouble note on the table rather than accept payment for her love.1864Hans Brinker, or the Silver SkatesMary Mapes DodgeHans returns Peter's lost purse of sixty guilders and refuses a reward.1865No TreasonLysander SpoonerSpooner defines treason as breach of faith and praises those who give open warning before becoming enemies, as he says the patriots of 1776 did.1867-1870The MoonstoneWilkie CollinsRachel keeps silent about what she saw, accepting suspicion herself rather than expose the man she loves. Opposing vice: Dishonor.1868Treasure IslandRobert Louis StevensonJim Hawkins keeps his word to Silver even when he could escape.1883The Jungle BookRudyard KiplingMowgli keeps his word to the Pack by bringing Shere Khan's hide to the Council Rock.1894Cyrano de BergeracEdmond RostandCyrano refuses de Guiche's patronage rather than flatter a powerful man for advancement.1897 (French)Lord JimJoseph ConradJim spends his life seeking to redeem his lost honor after abandoning the Patna. Opposing vice: Cowardice.1900Cuchulain of MuirthemneLady GregoryCuchulain alone keeps his word in the beheading test of the Championship of Ulster, kneeling for the stranger's blow. Opposing vice: Dishonor.1902Five Children and ItE. NesbitAnthea gives the Psammead her solemn promise never to ask for another wish, and the children keep it.1902The Story of King Arthur and His KnightsHoward PyleArthur insists on fighting by his own strength and keeps Excalibur only for serious battle in defense of his people.1903The Scarlet PimpernelBaroness OrczyHaving pledged to Marguerite at Richmond that Armand shall be safe, Percy keeps his word and brings her brother aboard the Day Dream.1905BotchanNatsume SōsekiHe insists on repaying Porcupine the one and a half sen for a glass of ice water so as to owe nothing to a man he distrusts.1906SanshirōNatsume SōsekiSanshirō takes care to repay Mineko's loan in person, settling his debt even when it means their parting.1908Citizenship in a Republic ("The Man in the Arena")Theodore RooseveltHe defines character as force and courage joined to good faith and sense of honor, and denies any separate morality for public life. Opposing vice: Dishonor.1910In Flanders FieldsJohn McCraeTo break faith with the dead would be a betrayal of the trust they placed in their comrades.1915The Waning of the Middle AgesJohan HuizingaThe knights of the Golden Fleece bind themselves by elaborate vows and statutes to an ideal of loyalty and noble conduct, as Huizinga recounts in the chivalry chapters.1919The Great GatsbyF. Scott FitzgeraldNick ends his romance with Jordan face to face, telling her he is too old to lie to himself and call it honour.1925Norman v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. (Gold Clause Cases)Supreme Court of the United StatesMcReynolds insists that a government's solemn promises bind it and that public honesty is part of justice.1935The Sword in the StoneT. H. WhiteKay, after first claiming to have drawn the sword, tells his father the truth that the Wart pulled it out.1938Mike Mulligan and His Steam ShovelVirginia Lee BurtonMike stakes his pay on a promise to Henry B. Swap and keeps it before the last light fades.1939We Shall Fight on the BeachesWinston ChurchillHe gives public credit to the Navy, merchant seamen, rearguard, and RAF pilots who made the rescue possible.1940Mother Courage and Her ChildrenBertolt BrechtSwiss Cheese guards the regimental cash box with his life because he feels responsible for it.1941Adam of the RoadElizabeth Janet GrayAdam leaves the company of strolling players when they steal food, though he has nowhere else to go.1942The StrangerAlbert CamusMeursault refuses to tell the magistrate or the jury that he feels remorse or belief he does not have, even when a lie might save his life.1942West Virginia State Board of Education v. BarnetteSupreme Court of the United StatesFrankfurter held to his considered view of the judicial role at the cost of being on the losing side of a celebrated decision.1943Little BritchesRalph MoodyAfter lying about the trapped pheasant, Ralph confesses to the sheriff and promises Father never to lie again.1950Prince CaspianC. S. LewisReepicheep asks to have his tail back for the sake of a mouse's honor, and his followers offer to cut off their own tails rather than keep what their chief has lost.1951The Last BattleC. S. LewisAfter killing two Calormenes in anger, Tirian and Jewel refuse to hide and give themselves up to be judged.1956SEC v. Capital Gains Research Bureau, Inc.Supreme Court of the United StatesThe opinion draws on the investment counselors' own professional canons, which held that an adviser should avoid any act that subjects his impartiality to challenge.1963New York Times Co. v. SullivanSupreme Court of the United StatesSullivan's suit rested on the ancient conviction that a public servant's good name deserves protection from falsehood.1964Chiarella v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United StatesBurger's dissent stresses that information entrusted in confidence should not be turned to private profit.1980Address to the Nation on the Challenger DisasterRonald ReaganHe names each of the seven and ranks their complete dedication with that of Drake, who lived and died at sea.1986Shearson/American Express Inc. v. McMahonSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Court holds the parties to the arbitration bargain they made, treating a signed promise as binding.1987United States v. O'HaganSupreme Court of the United StatesThe theory rests on fidelity: a lawyer's loyalty to his firm and its client is the duty O'Hagan was found to have betrayed.1997
In Plutarch’s Lives
Marcus Porcius Cato (the Elder), Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Marcus Porcius Cato (the Younger), Marcus Junius Brutus
Quotations
“Truth, Independence, are my fluttering plumes.”
“I am no beggar, mynheer”
Frequently cited
“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong!”
Frequently cited
“never to do outrageousity nor murder, and always to flee treason; also, by no means to be cruel, but to give mercy unto him that asketh mercy”
“I would," said he, "much rather be asked, why I have not one, than why I have one”
“For it is only the love of honour that never grows old; and honour it is, not gain, as some would have it, that rejoices the heart of age and helplessness.”
Frequently cited
“Mr. President, I shall enter on no encomium upon Massachusetts; she needs none. There she is. Behold her, and judge for yourselves.”
“For I know well that ye are Sir Gawain, whom all the world worships, wheresoever ye may ride”
Frequently cited
“that you may, like it, shine as lights to those about you; that, in all your actions, you may justify the beauty of the taper by making your deeds honourable and effectual in the discharge of your duty to your fellow-men.”
“Leap, fellow soldiers, unless you wish to betray your eagle to the enemy. I, for my part, will perform my duty to the commonwealth and my general”
“Look well, O Wolves. Have I kept my word?”
“I believe that a knight should fight by means of his own strength, and not by means of magic”
“Whoever does what she is bound to do, be she the dirtiest little girl in the street, is a princess, worshipful, honorable.”
Frequently cited
“The only safe rule is to promise little, and faithfully to keep every promise; to "speak softly and carry a big stick."”
Discussion questions
- Is honor something you have or something others give you?
- When does the love of honor become vainglory?
- Which character in your reading kept his word at a cost?
- How does Christian humility change the ancient idea of honor?
Other virtues: Prudence · Justice · Fortitude · Temperance · Faith · Hope · Charity · Piety · Industry · Humility · Magnanimity · Friendship