Do and Don't

Trustworthiness

Integrity

DO: Stand up for your beliefs • Follow your conscience • Be honorable and upright • Live by your principles no matter what others say • Have the courage to do what is right and to try new things even when it is hard or costly • Build and guard your reputation

DON’T: Do anything wrong • Lose heart if you fail or don’t get what you want

Honesty

DO: Tell the truth and nothing but the truth • Be sincere • Be forthright and candid
DON’T: Lie • Cheat • Steal • Be sneaky, tricky, or deceptive

Reliability

DO: Keep your promises • Honor your word and commitments • Be dependable • Do what you are supposed to do • Return what you borrow • Pay your debts • Be on time

Loyalty

DO: Stand by and protect your family, friends, school and country • Be a good friend • Look out for those who care about you • Keep secrets of those who trust you

DON’T: Betray a trust • Let your friends hurt themselves • Do anything just so others will like you • Ask a friend to do anything wrong or spread gossip that could hurt others

Respect

Golden Rule

DO: Treat others the way you want to be treated • Respect the dignity, privacy and freedom of all individuals • Value and honor all people, no matter what they can do for you or to you • Respect others’property — take good care of property you are allowed to use and don’t take or use property without permission • Respect the autonomy of others — tell them what they should know to make good choices about their own lives

DON’T: Use or manipulate others • Abuse, demean, or mistreat anyone

Tolerance and Acceptance

DO: Judge others on their character, abilities, and conduct without regard to race, religion, gender, where they live, how they dress, or the amount of money they have • Be tolerant, respectful, and accepting of those who are different from you • Listen to others and try to understand their points of view

Nonviolence

DO: Resolve disagreements, respond to insults, and deal with anger peacefully and without violence

DON’T: Use threats or physical force to get what you want or to express anger

Courtesy

DO: Use good manners • Be courteous, polite and civil to everyone

DON’T: Use put-downs, insults, yelling, or ridicule to embarrass or hurt another

Responsibility

Duty

DO: Know and do your duty • Acknowledge and meet your legal and moral obligations

Accountability

DO: Accept responsibility for the consequences of your choices, not only for what you do but what you don’t do • Think about consequences on yourself and others before you act • Think long-term • Do what you can do to make things better • Set a good example

DON’T: Look the other way when you can make a difference • Make excuses or blame others

Pursuit of Excellence

DO: Your best • Persevere • Be prepared • Be diligent • Work hard • Make all you do worthy of pride

Self-Control

DO: Take charge of your own life • Set realistic goals • Keep a positive outlook • Be prudent and self-disciplined with your health, emotions, time and money • Be rational — act out of reason not anger, revenge or fear • Know the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do • Be self-reliant — manage your life so you are not dependent on others; pay your own way whenever you can.


Fairness

Justice

DO: Be fair and just • Treat people equally • Make decisions without favoritism or prejudice • In imposing punishment be sure the consequences for wrongdoing are consistent, certain, and proportional (not too harsh or lenient)

DON’T: Take more than your fair share • Take advantage of or blame others unfairly

Openness

DO: Be open-minded and impartial — consider what people have to say before you decide • Be careful — get the facts, including opposing viewpoints, before making decisions (especially blaming or accusing another)

Caring

Concern for Others

DO: Be compassionate and empathetic • Be kind, loving, and considerate • Be thankful and express gratitude for what people do for you • Forgive others for their shortcomings
DON’T: Be mean, cruel or insensitive

Charity

DO: Be charitable and altruistic — give money, time, support, and comfort for the sake of making someone else’s life better, not for praise or gratitude • Help people in need


Citizenship

Do Your Share

DO: Be a good citizen and a good neighbor • Care about and pursue the common good • Be a volunteer — help your school and community be better, cleaner, and safer • Protect the environment by conserving resources, reducing pollution, and cleaning up after yourself • Participate in making things better by voicing your opinion, voting, serving on committees, reporting wrongdoing and paying taxes

Respect Authority and the Law

DO: Play by the rules • Obey parents, teachers, coaches, and others who have been given authority • Observe just laws • Honor and respect principles of democracy

The Six Pillars of Character

These six core ethical values form the foundation of the CHARACTER COUNTS! youth-ethics initiative. More detailed discussion of the Six Pillars is included in Making Ethical Decisions, a Josephson Institute booklet available online here.

TRUSTWORTHINESS

Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country

RESPECT

Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements

RESPONSIBILITY

Do what you are supposed to do • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your choices

FAIRNESS

Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly

CARING

Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

CITIZENSHIP

Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment

Six Pillar Mnemonics
To help young people remember the Pillars, some educators employ these creative devices.

Color Scheme

Each of the Six Pillars is associated with a certain color.
· Trustworthiness: Blue — like "True Blue"
· Respect: Yellow or Gold — like the Golden Rule
· Responsibility: Green — as in being responsible for a garden or finances; or as in being solid and reliable like an oak
· Fairness: Orange — like dividing an orange into equal sections to share fairly with friends
· Caring: Red — like a heart
· Citizenship: Purple — as in the regal purple representing the state

TRRFCC

Use this acronym to help you remember that people with good character are terrific:

Trustworthiness
Respect
Responsibility
Fairness
CaringCitizenship