--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Truth telling is the first building block…" description: "\"Truth telling is the first building block of character -- a quality that seems to be getting rarer and rarer in all-forgiving America.\" — Mona Charen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/mona-charen-17365_america_truth-telling-is-the-first-building-bloc_1470975.jpg" --- # Truth telling is the first building block of character… ![“Truth telling is the first building block of character -- a quality that seems to be getting rarer and rarer in all-forgiving America.” quote by Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/mona-charen-17365_america_truth-telling-is-the-first-building-bloc_1470975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/mona-charen-17365_america_truth-telling-is-the-first-building-bloc_1470975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9a/mona-charen-17365_america_truth-telling-is-the-first-building-bloc_1470975.jpg) > “Truth telling is the first building block of character -- a quality that seems to be getting rarer and rarer in all-forgiving America.” [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truthfulness forms the foundation of moral character, and its decline harms societal trust. **In simple terms:** Honesty builds character; its loss erodes trust. Key Takeaway Cultivate honesty daily. Themes integrity character trust Mood concerned reflective Type ethical observational When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership - education - political discourse - media reporting Key Concepts moral philosophy social decay Questions to Reflect On - How does honesty affect personal reputation? - What societal structures encourage truth-telling? A Different Perspective Honesty alone cannot fix systemic dishonesty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Building blocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-blocks/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Telling the truth - telling thoughtful truths - should not be a revolutionary act. Speaking truths to power should not be sacrificial, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luvvie-ajayi/telling-the-truth-telling-thoughtful-truths-should-not-be-a/) [Luvvie Ajayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luvvie-ajayi/) > [Start telling the truth now and never stop. Begin by telling the truth to yourself about yourself. Then tell the truth to yourself about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/start-telling-the-truth-now-and-never-stop-begin-by-telling-the-truth/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [...truth-telling may be an ethic, adopted by photojournalists as a behavior, but experience shows us that it is not embedded in the medium like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grundberg/truth-telling-may-be-an-ethic-adopted-by-photojournalists-as-a/) [Andy Grundberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grundberg/) > [Truth-telling to Congress and the public is not disloyal in America: it is an expression of the higher loyalty officials owe to the Constitution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/truth-telling-to-congress-and-the-public-is-not-disloyal-in-america/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [I haven't done great things for Spain - I can't lie - but when I play well, they should say so. They criticise me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-costa/i-haven-t-done-great-things-for-spain-i-can-t-lie-but-when-i-play/) [Diego Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-costa/) > [Failure isn't a character quality. It's just an event. How you respond to failure is your character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/failure-isn-t-a-character-quality-it-s-just-an-event-how-you-respond/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Good character is that quality which makes one dependable whether being watched or not, which makes one truthful when it is to one's advantage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-s-adams/good-character-is-that-quality-which-makes-one-dependable-whether/) Arthur S. Adams > [Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-inglis-anderson/bad-things-do-happen-how-i-respond-to-them-defines-my-character-and/) [Walter Inglis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-inglis-anderson/) > [Character is a quality that embodies many important traits, such as integrity, courage, perseverance, confidence and wisdom. Unlike your fingerprints that you are born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/character-is-a-quality-that-embodies-many-important-traits-such-as/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [The best part of the character and quality of the leader is expressing who you are in the work you do and how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/the-best-part-of-the-character-and-quality-of-the-leader-is/) [Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/) > [Truly, spiritual courage is on the endangered character-quality list.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/truly-spiritual-courage-is-on-the-endangered-character-quality-list/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [People with self-respect exhibit a certain toughness, a kind of moral nerve; they display what was once called \*character,\* a quality which, although approved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/people-with-self-respect-exhibit-a-certain-toughness-a-kind-of-moral/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Perseverance may be the top character quality of successful people. Not about looks or IQ, DONT QUIT!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perseverance-may-be-the-top-character-quality-of-successful-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Perhaps the greatest definition I think of character and quality is people who when they're truly great rather than making you feel that tall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/perhaps-the-greatest-definition-i-think-of-character-and-quality-is/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [The family is the building block for whatever solidarity there is in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ruckelshaus/the-family-is-the-building-block-for-whatever-solidarity-there-is-in/) [William Ruckelshaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ruckelshaus/) ## More by Mona Charen > [If liberals had been in charge of the Arizona memorial, it would probably have featured an exhaustive exhibit about the internment of Japanese Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/if-liberals-had-been-in-charge-of-the-arizona-memorial-it-would/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [To judge by what my children are learning in school, you'd think American history was 75 percent slavery and 25 percent everything else (and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/to-judge-by-what-my-children-are-learning-in-school-you-d-think/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [Any stimulus package amounts to taking money from the pockets of some Americans and placing it in the pockets of others who have better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/any-stimulus-package-amounts-to-taking-money-from-the-pockets-of-some/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [Liberal child welfare experts decided that child abuse was not evidence of a moral or character flaw in the abusing parent. Instead, like poverty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/liberal-child-welfare-experts-decided-that-child-abuse-was-not/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [The proposed liberal solution was always negotiation. Just as they believed in nuclear arms negotiations for their own sake, they believe in a "peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/the-proposed-liberal-solution-was-always-negotiation-just-as-they/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [ \[T\]he sprawl of government into every conceivable realm of life has caused the withering of traditional institutions. Fathers become unnecessary if the government provides… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/t-he-sprawl-of-government-into-every-conceivable-realm-of-life-has/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [Just as the baby boom generation seemed to believe it was the first to discover sex, many of its members also seemed to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/just-as-the-baby-boom-generation-seemed-to-believe-it-was-the-first/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [The child welfare system - devised and run by liberal social workers, psychologists, and judges. . .Treats incompetent or abusive parents as its clients,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/the-child-welfare-system-devised-and-run-by-liberal-social-workers/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [Abused And neglected children have paid the price for liberalism's tendency to sentimentalize the poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/abused-and-neglected-children-have-paid-the-price-for-liberalism-s/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [There was a time when 'fear of God' meant piety, or at least conscience. Today, it more accurately describes the worldview of secular liberals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/there-was-a-time-when-fear-of-god-meant-piety-or-at-least-conscience/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [Liberals and international diplomats (a distinction without a difference) have notorious difficulty understanding how to deal with totalitarian regimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/liberals-and-international-diplomats-a-distinction-without-a/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [Because adoption meets the needs of children so successfully, and because there have long been waiting lists of couples hoping to adopt babies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/because-adoption-meets-the-needs-of-children-so-successfully-and/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [One might have thought that the Cold War's conclusion would have convinced the Left that appeasement of dictators is not profitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/one-might-have-thought-that-the-cold-war-s-conclusion-would-have/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [Liberal hostility to the traditional family helped to undermine centuries of accumulated wisdom and experience about what was best for children and adults. Far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/liberal-hostility-to-the-traditional-family-helped-to-undermine/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [It continues to defy explanation why liberals who theoretically love liberty, equality, tolerance and moderation, should find so much to despise in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/it-continues-to-defy-explanation-why-liberals-who-theoretically-love/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) [Explore all 37 Mona Charen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. 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