sincerity

The habit of representing your feelings, inclinations, and intentions accurately.

Insincerity is difficult to pull off: it requires a lot of artfulness and attention. (See, e.g. David Foster Wallace’s description of someone “giving me the exact kind of smile of someone who, on Christmas morning, has just unwrapped an expensive present he already owns.”). Why not devote that energy to something else instead?

Complementary virtues

Contrasting vices

  • insincerity
  • irony

Virtues possibly in tension

How to acquire or strengthen it

TBD

Notes and links

Mentioned elsewhere

Inspirational quotes

  • “Use no hurtful deceit: think innocently and justly: and, if you speak, speak accordingly.” ―Benjamin Franklin
  • “Integrity is an ambiguous concept, so is sincerity. What is so called can be a form of pride or self-assertion.” —Iris Murdoch Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals p. 325