Honesty is the Best Policy
Proverb-Type Essays, Expansion of Ideas
Outline: The meaning of the proverb - examples - a British national proverb.
According to religious preachers and moralists, a man should be honest. He should be straightforward and just in his dealings with others, whatever the consequences of his conduct. He should not only resist the temptation to get rich quickly by being dishonest, but be ready to face the suffering and loss that may be caused by honesty. This is the point of view of morality. The proverb, however, recommends honesty not as a moral ideal, but as a practical policy. We are called upon to be honest, not because it is moral to be so, but because it is profitable to be so.
From one point of view, it is indeed true that honesty is the best policy. Consider, for example, a shopkeeper who, in order to get easy and quick profits, sells things at higher prices and cheats his customers in other ways. He may seem to prosper for some time, but, sooner or later, his customers are bound to see through his tricks and cease to patronise him. On the other hand, an honest shopkeeper is likely to flourish gradually and steadily, attracting more and more customers because of his reputation for honesty. It is true that several black marketers have amassed huge fortunes. But they have to spend large chunks of their illicit gains on trying to prevent the detection of their crimes. Besides, they live in constant dread of being found out. It is generally true that dishonesty creates more problems than it solves.
'Honesty is the best policy' is a national proverb of the British. It reflects their practical character. The British are nothing if not practical, and this quality enabled them to found a far-flung empire. In the colonies which they ruled they tried to be as honest and trustworthy as possible; at least they succeeded in creating this image of themselves in the minds of many people. If the British as a nation are affluent and influential today, it is in no small measure due to the fact that they try to live up to their national proverb.
Difficult Words:
Resist - oppose.
See through - not be deceived by.
Illicit - illegal.
Affluent - rich.
Live up to - put into practice.
Key Terms from the Essay Explained:
Moralists: People who have strong ideas about right and wrong behavior and try to make others behave according to these ideas. (Easy meaning: People who teach about good behavior.)
Straightforward: Honest and direct, not trying to hide anything. (Easy meaning: Clear and honest.)
Consequences: The results or effects of an action. (Easy meaning: What happens because of something you do.)
Resist: To fight against something or try to stop it from happening. (Easy meaning: Oppose or fight against.)
Temptation: A strong desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise. (Easy meaning: A strong urge to do something, often bad.)
Proverb: A short, well-known saying that states a general truth or piece of advice. (Easy meaning: A wise old saying.)
Practical policy: A course of action chosen for its effectiveness and usefulness rather than for moral reasons. (Easy meaning: A smart plan that works well.)
Profitable: Resulting in a benefit or advantage, often financial. (Easy meaning: Bringing good results or money.)
Prosper: To be successful and fortunate, especially financially. (Easy meaning: To do well and become successful.)
See through (someone's tricks): To understand someone's true intentions or that they are trying to deceive you. (Easy meaning: Not be fooled by.)
Patronise: To be a regular customer of a shop or business. (Easy meaning: To regularly shop or use a service.)
Flourish: To grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way. (Easy meaning: To grow strong and successful.)
Steadily: Gradually and continuously. (Easy meaning: Slowly but surely.)
Reputation: The beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something. (Easy meaning: What people think of someone or something.)
Amassed: Gathered together or accumulated a large amount of something, especially money or information, over a period of time. (Easy meaning: Collected a lot of.)
Chunks: Large pieces of something. (Easy meaning: Big parts.)
Illicit: Forbidden by law, rules, or custom. (Easy meaning: Illegal or not allowed.)
Detection: The action or process of identifying the presence of something concealed. (Easy meaning: Finding out about something hidden.)
Dread: Great fear or apprehension. (Easy meaning: Strong fear.)
Far-flung empire: An empire that covers a vast geographical area. (Easy meaning: A very large kingdom spread over many places.)
Colonies: Countries or areas under the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country. (Easy meaning: Lands ruled by another country.)
Trustworthy: Able to be relied on as honest or truthful. (Easy meaning: Can be trusted.)
Affluent: Having a great deal of money; wealthy. (Easy meaning: Rich.)
Influential: Having great influence on someone or something. (Easy meaning: Powerful, able to change things.)
Live up to (a proverb/ideal): To behave in a way that is as good as or matches (an ideal or expectation). (Easy meaning: To act according to a belief or rule.)