In the movie, True Grit, the integrity of Rooster Cogburn was suspect at times. If you are going to live a life of integrity, it will take moral and ethical grit.

The person of integrity is one who strongly adheres to moral and ethical principles.  Solomon said:  “Many people profess their loyalty, but a faithful person—who can find? The righteous person behaves in integrity; blessed are his children after him (Proverbs 20:6-7).”

I wonder if H. Jackson Brown, Jr. had this verse in mind when he said, “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.”

To live a balanced life, Zig Ziglar said integrity is one of several essentials:  “The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.”

Ziglar was not alone in espousing the benefits of integrity:

• Aristotle: “Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.”
• Samuel Johnson: “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.”
• Warren Buffet: “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”

I’ll close with the words of Abraham Lincoln:   “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.”  Live in such a way that people will see the light of your integrity.