Honest business wisdom in 22 integrity quotes for work

March 07, 2025

Honest business wisdom in 22 integrity quotes for work

Honesty matters everywhere, but it’s especially crucial at work where trust builds or breaks careers. Global attitudes on workplace integrity show that while cultures may differ on business practices, nearly everyone values truthfulness at their core. Leaders who stand behind ethical standards often find themselves accelerating business performance as team trust grows and customers recognize genuine value. If you’re looking for more inspiration from ethical leaders, explore these insightful business ethics quotes that highlight the power of integrity in action.

Whether you’re leading a team through tough decisions or trying to stay true to your values under pressure, sometimes you need inspiration from those who’ve walked this road before. That’s why we’ve collected these integrity quotes for work that go beyond empty platitudes, offering real wisdom for those moments when doing the right thing isn’t necessarily the easy thing.

22 integrity quotes for work 

Here are some powerful integrity quotes for work to guide your decisions when ethical dilemmas arise and you need that extra courage to stand by your principles.

  1. “Leading with integrity and empathy requires vision and a connection to your deepest self.”- Karla McLaren
  2. “Develop your character so that you are a person of integrity.”- Peter Cain
  3. “It takes courage to create a meaningful life of integrity. It also requires good company. And practice.”- Shelly Francis
  4. “With many overhead schemes for the world’s salvation, everything rests back on integrity and driving power in personal character.”- Harry Emerson Fosdick
  5. “Creating a culture of integrity and accountability not only improves effectiveness, it also generates a respectful, enjoyable, and life-giving setting in which to work.”- Tom Hanson
  6. “Customer retention may be best supported by operational integrity. After all, when you think about your personal relationships as well as your business relationships, you tend to stick with the folks who are really good at showing they sincerely care about you, and doing what they say they’re going to do. It boils down to trust.”- L.Hunsaker
  7. “It’s easy to have principles when you’re rich. The important thing is to have principles when you’re poor.”- Ray Kroc
  8. “Think P.I.G. – that’s my motto. P stands for Persistence, I stands for Integrity, and G stands for Guts. These are the ingredients for a successful business and a successful life.”- Linda Chandler
  9. “To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.”- Donald A. Adams
  10. “I don’t know a more dignified and effective workforce than one operating from a position of worth, integrity, and confidence, as well as one that excels in language of appreciation.”- Tan Sri Francis Yeoh
  11. “Some things are kind of obvious when it comes to leadership. You have to be a great communicator, have very high integrity and have tremendous perseverance and stamina.”- Suresh Basandra
  12. “Integrity is the seed for achievement. It is the principle that never fails.”- Earl Nightingale
  13. “Here’s a truth: principled leaders solve moral problems. They have the courage to act rightly. They consistently demonstrate principled conduct under pressure.”- Gus Lee
  14. “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”- Jimmy Carter
  15. “The first law of leadership is that your foundation is built through integrity, character, and trust.”- Brian Cagneey
  16. “Admitting one’s own faults is the first step to changing them, and it is a demonstration of true bravery and integrity.”- Philip Johnson
  17. “If you want to influence others, the most important thing you can do is be a living example of the principles, ideals, and faith that you advocate.”- Nick Vujicic
  18. “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”- Ray Kroc
  19. “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”- Alan K. Simpson
  20. “In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.”- Czesław Miłosz
  21. “Integrity is the ability to stand by an idea.”- Ayn Rand
  22. “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.”- Marcus Aurelius

Conclusion

The choice to act with honesty shapes not just your career but who you become along the way. So, our advice is to keep these integrity quotes for work handy for those moments when your moral compass needs a little recalibration.

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