Integrity is looking at observable fact reality, measuring and isolating to determine cause-and-effect relationships, and discovering the principles to guide your actions.

Integrity is knowing in principle what is right for you as a human being in the fullest capacity of being human and acting on those principles when it is most tempting to choose otherwise.

Integrity is being open to revision of your principles, solely by you based on your integration of new data.

Integrity is putting the person you have chosen to be on the long term (i.e. what you think of yourself) before the feelings and reactions of any other person.

Integrity means that sometimes you will stand alone with no visible allies, but it also means that the people who do stand by you consistently stronger allies are aligned with your principles.

One does not make fast friends because of Integrity.  It is something that is recognized slowly, even by the people who respect it.

Integrity in the social sphere is using the same set of criteria in measuring others as you measure yourself.

Integrity is not letting spite or rage or "the perfect comeback" choose your actions.

Integrity is not the number of people who agree with you or think that you're right.

Integrity is not letting yourself be "carried away" as part of a mob.

Integrity is not something that can be created by social pressure of any kind: not guilt, not shame, not fear.  Though it can be tested with these pressures.

Integrity can never say "I couldn't help it...." or "It wasn't my fault...".

Photo Credit: Arches | Andrew Malone | Flickr