6 Nathaniel Hawthorne Quotes on Integrity

Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes on integrity

26. I do detest all offices, -- all, at least, that are held on a political tenure. And I want nothing to do with politicians. Their hearts wither away, and die out of their bodies. Their consciences are turned to india-rubber, or to some substance as black as that, and which will stretch as much.

45. A pure hand needs no glove to cover it.

52. Among many morals which press upon us from the poor minister's miserable experience, we put only this into a sentence: - 'Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!'

65. Accuracy is the twin brother of honesty; inaccuracy, of dishonesty.

68. You can get assent to almost any proposition so long as you are not going to do anything about it.

75. The truth seems to be, that like many other geniuses, this Man of Mosses takes great delight in hoodwinking the world, - at least, with respect to himself. Personally, I doubt not, that he rather prefers to be generally esteemed but a so-so sort of author; being willing to reserve the thorough and acute appreciation of what he is, to that party most qualified to judge - that is, to himself. Besides, at the bottom of their natures, men like Hawthorne, in many things, deem the plaudits of the public such strong presumptive evidence of mediocrity in the object of them, that it would in some degree render them doubtful of their own powers, did they hear much and vociferous braying concerning them in the public.