One of the most basic core values is honesty. It impacts our entire life: our jobs, our relationships, our own feelings about ourselves and the actions we take. It sets an example for our children and it influences the people around us. 【小题1】. “Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right.”

“Have the Courage to Say No”

【小题2】.When a good friend or a family member forces us to do something that we know is dishonest, it takes courage to say no.

“Have the Courage to Face the Truth”

Sometimes the truth hurts and we want to deny it or not believe it, 【小题3】. There are those who would prefer to take the easy way out and just ignore it. And sometimes by accepting the truth we are showing courage.

“Do the Right Thing Because It Is Right”

We all know in our hearts what the right thing to do is, 【小题4】. Stick to what you think is right.

【小题5】

When I was in a Wal-Mart store, there was a teenage girl ahead of me. She paid for her items and left. As the cashier was ringing in my items, the teenage girl came to return the extra $5 the cashier had mistakenly given to her. This was a true example of “doing the right thing”.

Everyone, at one time or another, has experienced some challenges in friendships and relationships with family members. We might find ourselves frustrated or angry with other people, or even find that we argue with them. The reality is that nobody is perfect and we need to realise that we should find ways to live happier and less stressful lives. 【小题1】

Respect other people and accept them.

This is the most important point. If we want to show someone we love them, we need to first respect who they are and show them we accept them for who they are. 【小题2】By always remembering this, we will be able to develop and maintain strong relationships.

Be interested in others' interests.

【小题3】Or perhaps a parent's hobby seems boring to us but it is something they love. If we want to keep our relationships strong and positive, we should at least take time to listen to them and talk about what matters to them. By doing this, we show them that we care about them and their interests.

【小题4】

This is the hardest thing for most of us to do. 【小题5】By being humble (谦逊的，卑微的) when you make a mistake, you can fix any problem you may have caused and also show that you are a mature person.

So, try and follow the advice and you will find that you have happier and stronger relationships with your friends and loved ones.

Visitors to the grounds of New College at England’s Oxford University pass under an iron gate with the advice: Manners make the man. Even after an appropriate update to: Manners make the person, it’s thought-provoking(引人深思的)—especially to today’s Americans.

When we think about what makes the person—it’s more likely the degree, the job, the salary. Since when do we count manners as a measure of success?

We do know that these would make life nicer, if more tolerable. However, we forget or overlook our manners. So , it seems, does everyone else—including, unluckily, our children.

As a university president, one of my great joys is to visit our campuses and see our students, though we’re separated by different generations, interests, and, of course dressing, each student tells me something within the first few minutes that we meet: whether he or she has been taught manners. I sense this in different ways: through her words or her gestures, in the way she listens or how he refers to friends and faculty, how she greets and says goodbye, how he responds when an elderly person enters the room.

In the absence of manners, however, I make some allowances. For instance, the many ethnic(种族的)groups that students represent often have different explanations of what makes up good manners. In other cases, some students may reject what they’ve learned to break from their parents and be accepted by other students. Whether students are being different or openly opposing, a recent experience I had with them tells me that there’s some hope for reviving and good manners.

Good manners don’t just guarantee acceptance. Good manners open doors to deeper connections and more meaningful roles in our society. Good manners are gentle signals that show we care about one another and allow us to relate to another person in a thoughtful way but at a respectable distance.