--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man of true honor protects the…" description: "\"A man of true honor protects the unwritten word which binds his conscience more scrupulously, if possible, than he does the bond a breach of which subj..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/grover-cleveland-6120_breach_a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritt_196852.jpg" --- # A man of true honor protects the unwritten word which… ![“A man of true honor protects the unwritten word which binds his conscience more scrupulously, if possible, than he does the bond a breach of which subjects him to legal liabilities, and the United States, in aiming to maintain itself as one of the most enlightened nations, would do its citizens…” quote by Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/grover-cleveland-6120_breach_a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritt_196852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/grover-cleveland-6120_breach_a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritt_196852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/grover-cleveland-6120_breach_a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritt_196852.jpg) > “A man of true honor protects the unwritten word which binds his conscience more scrupulously, if possible, than he does the bond a breach of which subjects him to legal liabilities, and the United States, in aiming to maintain itself as one of the most enlightened nations, would do its citizens gross injustice if it applied to its international relations any other than a high standard of honor and morality.” [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Honor demands protecting moral principles even when legal consequences are absent. **In simple terms:** Honor means upholding conscience over law. Key Takeaway Prioritize integrity. Themes honor morality conscience law citizenship national identity Mood serious reflective Type ethical political When to use this quote - political decision making - international diplomacy - personal dilemmas Key Concepts ethics political philosophy social contract Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance honor with practicality? - Can honor be compromised for greater good? A Different Perspective High moral standards may conflict with pragmatic interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Binds Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binds-conscience-2066687/) [Breach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breach/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Conscience Scrupulously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience-scrupulously-2066686/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gross/) [High standards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-standards/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Honor Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor-morality-2066685/) [Honor Protects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor-protects-2066688/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [International](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international/) [International relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international-relations/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Liability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liability/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [Standards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standards/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Unwritten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwritten/) [Written word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-word/) ## Related quotes > [Formerly, leaders of states practiced realism, but did not honor it. With them morality was violated, but moral notions remained intact. The modern governor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-benda/formerly-leaders-of-states-practiced-realism-but-did-not-honor-it/) [Julien Benda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-benda/) > [“This is your fault. F\*cking flirting with another guy in front of me, practically offering up your p\*ssy to him. But it's not yours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-i-lynn/this-is-your-fault-f-cking-flirting-with-another-guy-in-front-of-me/) [K.I. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-i-lynn/) > [How did Abraham know that it was God that bid him offer his son, being a breach of the sixth commandment?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hutchinson/how-did-abraham-know-that-it-was-god-that-bid-him-offer-his-son-being/) [Anne Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hutchinson/) > [To heal the breach between the rich and the poor, it is necessary to distinguish between justice and charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-x/to-heal-the-breach-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-it-is-necessary-to/) [Pope Pius X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-x/) > [Errors of knowledge are not breaches of morality; no proper moral code can demand infallibility or omniscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/errors-of-knowledge-are-not-breaches-of-morality-no-proper-moral-code/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [But as the clerical pretensions are more exacting than all others, being put forward with an assertion that no answer is possible without breach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/but-as-the-clerical-pretensions-are-more-exacting-than-all-others/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [The attack upon Korea was an outright breach of the peace and a violation of the Charter of the United Nations. By their actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/the-attack-upon-korea-was-an-outright-breach-of-the-peace-and-a/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [There's a War Crimes Act in the United States passed by a Republican Congress in 1996, which says that grave breaches of the Geneva…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-a-war-crimes-act-in-the-united-states-passed-by-a-republican/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We regard an action of Contract as an action to prevent or compensate for a breach of a promise; an action of Tort as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jenks/we-regard-an-action-of-contract-as-an-action-to-prevent-or-compensate/) [Edward Jenks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jenks/) > [If is a custom, More honor'd in the breach than the observance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-is-a-custom-more-honor-d-in-the-breach-than-the-observance/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/an-unjust-law-is-itself-a-species-of-violence-arrest-for-its-breach/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [It should be obvious that this pattern of systematic holes and gaps in Iraq's declaration is not the result of accidents, editing oversights or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-negroponte/it-should-be-obvious-that-this-pattern-of-systematic-holes-and-gaps/) [John Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-negroponte/) > [We can reveal that John's 85 That's a well known fact Telling Kathy's age would be a breach Of the Official Secrets Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/we-can-reveal-that-john-s-85-that-s-a-well-known-fact-telling-kathy-s/) [John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/) > [But once a fool always a fool, and the greater the power in his hands the more disastrous is likely to be the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/but-once-a-fool-always-a-fool-and-the-greater-the-power-in-his-hands/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [There is no breach of European rules committed by companies from Romania or on Romanian territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-ponta/there-is-no-breach-of-european-rules-committed-by-companies-from/) [Victor Ponta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-ponta/) ## More by Grover Cleveland > [I have considered the pension list of the republic a roll of honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/i-have-considered-the-pension-list-of-the-republic-a-roll-of-honor/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [It is no credit to me to do right. I am never under any temptation to do wrong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/it-is-no-credit-to-me-to-do-right-i-am-never-under-any-temptation-to/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution, and I do not believe that the power and duty of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/i-can-find-no-warrant-for-such-an-appropriation-in-the-constitution/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [Communism is a hateful thing, and a menace to peace and organized government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/communism-is-a-hateful-thing-and-a-menace-to-peace-and-organized/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [Some day I will be better remembered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/some-day-i-will-be-better-remembered/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [Under our scheme of government the waste of public money is a crime against the citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/under-our-scheme-of-government-the-waste-of-public-money-is-a-crime/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [If you are still in school, do not neglect your grades. Internships and other activities are fine, but when legal employers have to decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/if-you-are-still-in-school-do-not-neglect-your-grades-internships-and/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [A truly American sentiment recognizes the dignity of labor and the fact that honor lies in honest toil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/a-truly-american-sentiment-recognizes-the-dignity-of-labor-and-the/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [I would rather the man who presents something for my consideration subject me to a zephyr of truth and a gentle breeze of responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/i-would-rather-the-man-who-presents-something-for-my-consideration/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [In calm water every ship has a good captain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/in-calm-water-every-ship-has-a-good-captain/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [No man has ever yet been hanged for breaking the spirit of a law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/no-man-has-ever-yet-been-hanged-for-breaking-the-spirit-of-a-law/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [He who takes the oath today to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States only assumes the solemn obligation which every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/he-who-takes-the-oath-today-to-preserve-protect-and-defend-the/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [The lessons of paternalism ought to be unlearned and the better lesson taught that while people should patriotically and cheerfully support their Government its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/the-lessons-of-paternalism-ought-to-be-unlearned-and-the-better/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [“Communism is a hateful thing and a menace to peace and organized government; but the communism of combined wealth and capital, the outgrowth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/communism-is-a-hateful-thing-and-a-menace-to-peace-and-organized-2/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [Sometimes I wake at night in the White House and rub my eyes and wonder if it is not all a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/sometimes-i-wake-at-night-in-the-white-house-and-rub-my-eyes-and/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) [Explore all 100 Grover Cleveland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) ## More Breach quotes > [There is no breach of European rules committed by companies from Romania or on Romanian territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-ponta/there-is-no-breach-of-european-rules-committed-by-companies-from/) [Victor Ponta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-ponta/) > [But once a fool always a fool, and the greater the power in his hands the more disastrous is likely to be the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/but-once-a-fool-always-a-fool-and-the-greater-the-power-in-his-hands/) [James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/) > [We can reveal that John's 85 That's a well known fact Telling Kathy's age would be a breach Of the Official Secrets Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/we-can-reveal-that-john-s-85-that-s-a-well-known-fact-telling-kathy-s/) [John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/) > [It should be obvious that this pattern of systematic holes and gaps in Iraq's declaration is not the result of accidents, editing oversights or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-negroponte/it-should-be-obvious-that-this-pattern-of-systematic-holes-and-gaps/) [John Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-negroponte/) > [An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/an-unjust-law-is-itself-a-species-of-violence-arrest-for-its-breach/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [If is a custom, More honor'd in the breach than the observance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-is-a-custom-more-honor-d-in-the-breach-than-the-observance/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [We regard an action of Contract as an action to prevent or compensate for a breach of a promise; an action of Tort as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jenks/we-regard-an-action-of-contract-as-an-action-to-prevent-or-compensate/) [Edward Jenks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jenks/) > [There's a War Crimes Act in the United States passed by a Republican Congress in 1996, which says that grave breaches of the Geneva…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-a-war-crimes-act-in-the-united-states-passed-by-a-republican/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The attack upon Korea was an outright breach of the peace and a violation of the Charter of the United Nations. By their actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/the-attack-upon-korea-was-an-outright-breach-of-the-peace-and-a/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [But as the clerical pretensions are more exacting than all others, being put forward with an assertion that no answer is possible without breach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/but-as-the-clerical-pretensions-are-more-exacting-than-all-others/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [Errors of knowledge are not breaches of morality; no proper moral code can demand infallibility or omniscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/errors-of-knowledge-are-not-breaches-of-morality-no-proper-moral-code/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [To heal the breach between the rich and the poor, it is necessary to distinguish between justice and charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-x/to-heal-the-breach-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-it-is-necessary-to/) [Pope Pius X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-x/) > [How did Abraham know that it was God that bid him offer his son, being a breach of the sixth commandment?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hutchinson/how-did-abraham-know-that-it-was-god-that-bid-him-offer-his-son-being/) [Anne Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hutchinson/) > [“This is your fault. F\*cking flirting with another guy in front of me, practically offering up your p\*ssy to him. But it's not yours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-i-lynn/this-is-your-fault-f-cking-flirting-with-another-guy-in-front-of-me/) [K.I. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-i-lynn/) > [Ever since Kant divorced reason from reality, his intellectual descendants have been diligently widening the breach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/ever-since-kant-divorced-reason-from-reality-his-intellectual/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Browse all 140 Breach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man of true honor protects the unwritten word which binds his conscience more scrupulously, if possible, than he does the bond a breach of which subjects him to legal liabilities, and the United States, in aiming to maintain itself as one of the most enlightened nations, would do its citizens gross injustice if it applied to its international relations any other than a high standard of honor and morality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Grover Cleveland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritten-word-which-binds-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritten-word-which-binds-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/grover-cleveland-6120_breach_a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritt_196852.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/grover-cleveland-6120_breach_a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritt_196852.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f60/grover-cleveland-6120_breach_a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritt_196852.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man of true honor protects the unwritten word which binds his conscience more scrupulously, if possible…” — Grover Cleveland", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Grover Cleveland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man of true honor protects...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritten-word-which-binds-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/a-man-of-true-honor-protects-the-unwritten-word-which-binds-his/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```