--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [What is honor]—I suspect that if, after…" description: "\"“[What is honor]—I suspect that if, after reading this book, you were to go and ask the question of your friends and acquaintances, you might experienc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/jack-whyte-39547_books_what-is-honor-i-suspect-that-if-after-re_2435400.jpg" --- # \[What is honor\]—I suspect that if, after reading this… ![“[What is honor]—I suspect that if, after reading this book, you were to go and ask the question of your friends and acquaintances, you might experience some difficultly finding someone who could give you, off the cuff, an accurate and adequate definition of honor. Those who do respond will…” quote by Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/jack-whyte-39547_books_what-is-honor-i-suspect-that-if-after-re_2435400.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/jack-whyte-39547_books_what-is-honor-i-suspect-that-if-after-re_2435400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/jack-whyte-39547_books_what-is-honor-i-suspect-that-if-after-re_2435400.jpg) > ““\[What is honor\]—I suspect that if, after reading this book, you were to go and ask the question of your friends and acquaintances, you might experience some difficultly finding someone who could give you, off the cuff, an accurate and adequate definition of honor. Those who do respond will probably offer synonyms, digging into their memories for other words that are seldom used in today's world, like integrity, probity, morality, and self-sufficiency based upon an ethical and moral code. Some might even refine that further to include a conscience, but no one has ever really succeeded in defining honor absolutely, because it is a very personal phenomenon, resonating differently in everyone who is aware of it. We seldom speak of it today, in our post-modern, post-everything society. It is an anachronism, a quaint, mildly amusing concept from a bygone time, and those of us who do speak of it and think of it are regarded benevolently, and condescendingly, as eccentrics. But honor, in every age except, perhaps, our own, has been highly regarded and greatly respected, and it has always been one of those intangible attributes that everyone assumes they possess naturally and in abundance. The standards established for it have always been high, and often artificially so, and throughout history battle standards have been waved as symbols of the honor and prowess of their owners. But for men and women of goodwill, the standard of honor has always been individual, jealously guarded, intensely personal, and uncaring of what others may think, say, or do.”” [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Honor is a deeply personal, often undefined virtue that varies per individual and era, rarely discussed in modern society. **In simple terms:** Honor is a personal, hard-to‑define virtue. Key Takeaway Reflect on your own sense of honor. Themes integrity personal values societal change historical perspective Mood contemplative nostalgic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal reflection - leadership decisions - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts ethical philosophy identity cultural evolution Questions to Reflect On - How do you define honor for yourself? - What role should honor play in contemporary life? A Different Perspective Modern society often devalues honor, making it harder to uphold. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Moral code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-code/) ## Related quotes > [I'm ballin my nigga, and that's word to your mama. I want you to ride, definition of honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/i-m-ballin-my-nigga-and-that-s-word-to-your-mama-i-want-you-to-ride/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [“Many of the innovations in science and philosophy have come from unbelievers, some of whom died for their 'unbeliefs.' Without unbelief, we might well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-stein/many-of-the-innovations-in-science-and-philosophy-have-come-from/) [Gordon Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-stein/) > [I'm a weirdo, but I have a very strong moral code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-sweatshirt/i-m-a-weirdo-but-i-have-a-very-strong-moral-code/) [Earl Sweatshirt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-sweatshirt/) > [We are on strike against martyrdom—and against the moral code that demands it. We are on strike against those who believe that one man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-on-strike-against-martyrdom-and-against-the-moral-code-that/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The Church has no double standard of morality. 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Or is it being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-davys/what-is-freedom-is-it-moving-through-a-room-unhindered-in-any/) Tim Davys > [It's very hard to live with yourself if you don't stick with your moral code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-mattis/it-s-very-hard-to-live-with-yourself-if-you-don-t-stick-with-your/) [Jim Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-mattis/) > [At the core of every moral code there is a picture of human nature, a map of the universe, and a version of history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/at-the-core-of-every-moral-code-there-is-a-picture-of-human-nature-a/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [What stood me in good stead was my upbringing. I had a musician father, a very religious mother who totally supported us. My mom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/what-stood-me-in-good-stead-was-my-upbringing-i-had-a-musician-father/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [“Science lacks something very important that religion provides: a moral code. Survival of the fittest is a scientific fact, but it is a cruel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/science-lacks-something-very-important-that-religion-provides-a-moral/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [To kick off a merchant is to censor ideas and interfere with the free exchange of products at the core of commerce. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-lutke/to-kick-off-a-merchant-is-to-censor-ideas-and-interfere-with-the-free/) [Tobias Lutke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-lutke/) > [Politicians, in many cases - their moral code will be dictated by what can get them reelected, what they can get away with. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/politicians-in-many-cases-their-moral-code-will-be-dictated-by-what/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [Science is morally neutral, but social science shows us that some moral codes are better than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-bunge/science-is-morally-neutral-but-social-science-shows-us-that-some/) [Mario Bunge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-bunge/) > [“Our entire lives we witness individuals, the ones who break some of the most culturally sensitive moral codes, ruined permanently by the media -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/our-entire-lives-we-witness-individuals-the-ones-who-break-some-of/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) ## More by Jack Whyte > [“I suspect that much of life is like that. We seldom see what is closest to our eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/i-suspect-that-much-of-life-is-like-that-we-seldom-see-what-is/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“She knew exactly how he was feeling, because experience had taught her that the kind of excitement she was feeling at that moment was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/she-knew-exactly-how-he-was-feeling-because-experience-had-taught-her/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“Magic, after all, is no more than the product of knowledge others don’t share.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/magic-after-all-is-no-more-than-the-product-of-knowledge-others-don-t/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“A man is a fool to live in hopes of a better tomorrow. I have a thousand, better ways today to spend what time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/a-man-is-a-fool-to-live-in-hopes-of-a-better-tomorrow-i-have-a/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“Square wheels are hard to sell”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/square-wheels-are-hard-to-sell/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“I knew even then, the first time that I saw you, that I loved you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/i-knew-even-then-the-first-time-that-i-saw-you-that-i-loved-you/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“My admiration for Britannicus grew as I watched the uncomplaining manner in which he accepted the injustice and the inefficiency and inconvenience being heaped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/my-admiration-for-britannicus-grew-as-i-watched-the-uncomplaining/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“In the space of a few, bright years, something new stirred in this land; something unprecedented; something wonderful; and men, being men, perceived it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/in-the-space-of-a-few-bright-years-something-new-stirred-in-this-land/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) > [“Their sudden intimacy was like the explosive combustion that engulfs and consumes a moth that has fluttered too close to a candle flame; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whyte/their-sudden-intimacy-was-like-the-explosive-combustion-that-engulfs/) [Jack Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) [Explore all 10 Jack Whyte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whyte/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[What is honor]—I suspect that if, after reading this book, you were to go and ask the question of your friends and acquaintances, you might experience some difficultly finding someone who could give you, off the cuff, an accurate and adequate definition of honor. Those who do respond will probably offer synonyms, digging into their memories for other words that are seldom used in today's world, like integrity, probity, morality, and self-sufficiency based upon an ethical and moral code. Some might even refine that further to include a conscience, but no one has ever really succeeded in defining honor absolutely, because it is a very personal phenomenon, resonating differently in everyone who is aware of it. We seldom speak of it today, in our post-modern, post-everything society. It is an anachronism, a quaint, mildly amusing concept from a bygone time, and those of us who do speak of it and think of it are regarded benevolently, and condescendingly, as eccentrics. But honor, in every age except, perhaps, our own, has been highly regarded and greatly respected, and it has always been one of those intangible attributes that everyone assumes they possess naturally and in abundance. The standards established for it have always been high, and often artificially so, and throughout history battle standards have been waved as symbols of the honor and prowess of their owners. 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