A Person of Integrity

A person endowed with these four qualities can be known as ‘a person of integrity.’ Which four?

There is the case where a person of integrity, when asked, doesn’t reveal another person’s bad points, to say nothing of when unasked. Furthermore, when asked, when pressed with questions, he is one who speaks of another person’s bad points not in full, not in detail, with omissions, holding back….

Then again, a person of integrity, when unasked, reveals another person’s good points, to say nothing of when asked. Furthermore, when asked, when pressed with questions, he is one who speaks of another person’s good points in full & in detail, without omissions, without holding back….

Then again, a person of integrity, when unasked, reveals his own bad points, to say nothing of when asked. Furthermore, when asked, when pressed with questions, he is one who speaks of his own bad points in full & in detail, without omissions, without holding back….

Then again, a person of integrity, when asked, doesn’t reveal his own good points, to say nothing of when unasked. Furthermore, when asked, when pressed with questions, he is one who speaks of his own good points not in full, not in detail, with omissions, holding back….

Monks, a person endowed with these four qualities can be known as ‘a person of integrity.’

This reflection in the Pāli Canon is from, A Person of Integrity, Sappurisa Sutta (AN 4:73), translated from Pali by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu and can also be found in the Study Guides book, Into the Stream: A Study Guide on the First Stage of Awakening, “The Way to Stream Entry—Association with People of Integrity.”