The Quality of Sincerity – Sunday, March 13, 1960
In considering some essential qualities of character, we have talked of integrity, of faith, of courage, and last week quoted from a British industrialist concerning the quality of kindness. Another essential is suggested from the same source sincerity: of this he said, “I am as certain as one can be, . that a great deal of any absence of industrial goodwill from which we may be suffering, and to go even farther, of our industrial unrest, is due to the fact that we have failed time and time again to convince each other of our sincerity and honesty of intention and purpose.”1 This sentence suggests, among other things, that sincerity is simply honesty of intent.
The dictionary also suggests some significant synonyms: “straightforward, honest, free from hypocrisy, being in reality what appears to be; genuine, true, real; not falsely assumed; authentic, correct, frank, unfeigned, unaffected.” Sincerity has nothing necessarily to do with politeness or polish or politics or policy—but should add its own element of honesty to any or all of these. It is more than conversation; it is more than front; it is more than passing pleasantries. It is doing what one says. It is meaning what one says. It isn’t presenting the face of friendship, yet lacking the loyalty. It is what gives a person assurance that his interests are safe in his absence when someone assures him that it will be so. It is being actually interested when we ask someone how he is. It is meaning it when we ask someone to let us know if we can help.
It is what gives us something we can count on. It is the assurance that it is actually so when something is said to be so. We have quoted before Anne Morrow Lindberg’s comment that “the most exhausting thing in life. . . is being insincere.”2 Pretense—saying something that isn’t so, or trying to make what isn’t seem to be so. In all of life it is exceedingly essential to find the real facts, to see the real face. Before God there can be no concealment or deception. And among men sincerity is an essential quality of character—the sincerity which is simply the assurance of honest intent.
1Air Commodore W. C. Cooper, Character and its Place in Industry, Rotary, R.I.B.I. Vol, 2, No. 24.
2Antic Morrow Lindberg, Gift front the Sea.
“The Spoken Word,” heard over Radio Station KSL and the CBS Radio Network, From the Tabernacle, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Sunday, March 13, 1960, 11.30 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Eastern Time. Copyright 1960
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March 13, 1960
Broadcast Number 1,595