Let your word be as good as your thought, and
your deed as good as your word. Who is the man who is respected?
Who is the man who has influence? The complaisant man--the cringing
man--the man who cannot say No, or dare not say No? Not he. The
passionate man who loses his temper when anything goes wrong, who
swears and scolds, and instead of making others do right, himself
does wrong, and lowers himself just when he ought to command
respect? My experience is--not he: but the man who says honestly
and quietly what he thinks, and does fearlessly and quietly what he
knows. People who differ from him will respect him, because he acts
up to his principles. When they are in difficulty or trouble, they
will go and ask his advice, just because they know they will get an
honest answer. They will overlook a little roughness in him; they
will excuse his speaking unpleasant truths: because they can trust
him, even though he is plain-spoken.
For your neighbour's sake, I say; and again, for your children's
sake; for the sake of all with whom you have to do, be honest and
brave. For our children--O my friends, we cannot do a crueller
thing by them than to let them see that we are inconsistent. If
they hear us say one thing and do another--if, while we preach to
them we do not practice ourselves, they will never respect us, and
never obey us from love and principle.
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