Doing the right thing isn’t always easy. It can be much more convenient to take shortcuts and not act with integrity. It’s even harder to do the right thing if you notice others around you not doing so. So why should you act with integrity and take the high road? This article explores 50 inspiring quotes about taking the high road to motivate you to do the right thing.
What does it mean to take the high road?
Taking the high road is loosely defined as taking the course of action which is most noble or ethical, even if it’s not easy to do so. It’s all about doing the right thing and rising above any pettiness you might encounter.
You can take the high road in every single aspect of your life. You can choose to act with integrity at work even if your colleagues don’t do the same, or rise above judgement or criticism in your relationships and treat people with respect.
The only thing you really have control over in life is your own actions. No matter what is happening around you, you can choose to respond with kindness, honesty, and grace. Choose to take the high road no matter what you’re experiencing, and maintain your sense of integrity.
Here are 50 quotes about taking the high road to inspire you. Make a note of your favorite ones to keep you motivated to do the right thing.
Quotes about taking the high road
- “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson
- “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” – Helen Keller
- “If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.” – Bear Bryant
- “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo
- “Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “All of life is peaks and valleys. Don’t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.” – John Wooden
- “You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path. Aim high. Behave honorably. Prepare to be alone at times, and to endure failure. Persist! The world needs all you can give.” – E. O. Wilson
- “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!” – Dr. Seuss
- “We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.” – Aristotle Onassis
- “Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way.” – Eileen Caddy
Quotes about integrity
- “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” – Bob Marley
- “We learned about honesty and integrity – that the truth matters… that you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules… and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square.” – Michelle Obama
- “It is better to be defeated standing for a high principle than to run by committing subterfuge.” – Grover Cleveland
- “Don’t be scared to fly high, ’cause it will inspire others.” – Kerli
- “Together we can face any challenges as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky.” – Sonia Gandhi
- “You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that.” – Michael Jordan
- “High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.” – Charles Kettering
- “Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it.” – Rene Descartes
- “The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- “You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try – you don’t take the risk.” – Rosalynn Carter
Quotes about humility
- “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” – Saint Augustine
- “Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.” – Confucius
- “Humility is the true key to success. Successful people lose their way at times. They often embrace and overindulge from the fruits of success. Humility halts this arrogance and self-indulging trap. Humble people share the credit and wealth, remaining focused and hungry to continue the journey of success.” – Rick Pitino
- “If you aren’t humble, whatever empathy you claim is false and probably results from some arrogance or the desire to control. But true empathy is rooted in humility and the understanding that there are many people with as much to contribute in life as you.” – Anand Mahindra
- “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” – Rick Warren
- “Those who travel the high road of humility are not troubled by heavy traffic.” – Alan K. Simpson
- “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.” – Marcus Aurelius
- “Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “Step with care and great tact, and remember that life’s a great balancing act.” – Dr. Seuss
- “There are no better cosmetics than a severe temperance and purity, modesty and humility, a gracious temper and calmness of spirit; and there is no true beauty without the signatures of these graces in the very countenance.” – Arthur Helps
More quotes about taking the high road
- “You learn how to be a gracious winner and an outstanding loser.” – Joe Namath
- Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.” – Bradley Whitford
- “Whatever we are waiting for – peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance – it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach
- “If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world.” – Francis Bacon
- “Be humble, be gracious, and make peace with inner fears before stepping out into the limelight and allowing yourself to be subjected to all of humanity.” – Maximillian Degenerez
- “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.” – Laurence Sterne
- “It’s about respect and the morals and the value of life. And treat people how you want to be treated. That’s the biggest thing I was brought up on from my parents.” – A. J. Green
- “You don’t teach morals and ethics and empathy and kindness in the schools. You teach that at home, and children learn by example.” – Judy Sheindlin
- “How people treat you is their karma. How you react is yours.” – Wayne Dyer
- “Step with care and great tact, and remember that life’s a great balancing act.” – Dr. Seuss
Quotes about morality
- “We should be led by principles and morals and not by men.” – Killer Mike
- “Work hard and do it right. Very simple; but very effective. They are morals I got from my mum and dad. And within that are the details. Be respectful. Try and smile, try and enjoy it. They are things that I still value.” – Sean Dyche
- “When the norm is decency, other virtues can thrive: integrity, honesty, compassion, kindness, and trust.” – Raja Krishnamoorthi
- “Small acts of decency ripple in ways we could never imagine.” – Cory Booker
- “We learned about dignity and decency – that how hard you work matters more than how much you make… that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself.” – Michelle Obama
- “Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
- “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “Be Impeccable With Your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
- “If you don’t have integrity, you have nothing. You can’t buy it. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not a moral and ethical person, you really have nothing.” – Henry Kravis
- “Integrity is the essence of everything successful.” – R. Buckminster Fuller
- Quotes about taking the high road: final thoughts
Taking the high road isn’t always the easiest path, but it’s the one you need to take if you want to be a person with integrity. Acting with decency not only reflects well on you; it also helps make the world a better place.