William Pryor Letchworth’s Rules Of Conduct
4 Comments | Topics: Being a Man, Business, Effectiveness, Quickies
The big man himself, William Pryor Letchworth.
Just recently I went with my family camping here in Upstate New York at Letchworth State Park, and was not only awe-inspired by nature incredible herself, but by the man who lived his live with purpose and dedicated his entire estate to the betterment of all those who seek to appreciate the wilderness – William Pryor Letchworth. While his history is fascinating, and the natural splendors of his estate majestic, what I found impressive was his Rules of Conduct presented in an information brochure.
A man of business, vision, passion, love intellect, and virtue – Letchworth, a man born in the 1800’s – seemed to “get it” as far as ethic and principle was concerned. Reading his rules of conduct made an impression on me, and I hope by sharing, we can all take something away from these simple tidbits of wisdom.
- Tell the truth under all circumstances, when necessary to speak.
- Never wound the feelings of others if it can be avoided.
- Strive to always be cheerful.
- Review the actions of the day every night, and apply to them the test of my conscience
- In business affairs keep in mind that “procrastination is the thief of time”, and that “time is money”.
- Be temperate in all things.
- Strive to speak kindly, without giving offense, always with coolness and deliberation, having due regard for the views of others.
- Aim at a high standard of character.
- Attempt great things and expect great things.
- Aim to do all possible good in the world, and so live as to live hereafter and have a name without reproach.
Just as with my post on The Four Agreements, I think that keeping these simple things in mind during everyday life will have both a subtle and profound shift in the way you live your life and interact with others; self improvement doesn’t have to be complicated or grandiose.
4 Comments on “William Pryor Letchworth’s Rules Of Conduct”
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I am very interested in his life too, tried to look for his biography or anything related to his life, but haven’t find any .
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 4:21 am.
I often wonder how I can be honest without hurting others’ feelings. It’s probably my biggest struggle. I appreciate blatant honesty and it hurts my feelings far less than covert digs or mysterious behavior. But, most people find my candor off putting. They just don’t want to think that much or examine themselves or life in general. And, I’m not talking about being rude ore demeaning, just truthful. Thoughts? Oh, I’m female, hope it’s okay that I’m posting, I really like this site.
Posted on November 1, 2011 at 1:05 pm.
Hey Reb, yes that’s totally okay, I actually get a good portion of comments from women and embrace each and everyone. So thank you for commenting.
First thing’s first. It’s not your job to make others happy. It’s not your responsibility, or even possible, to control how somebody else takes your honesty. If you’re being honest and coming from a genuine loving place not meaning any ill will, then I think you’re fine. Don’t base your doing the right thing knowingness on the response you get from telling your truth. On the other hand though, if you’re getting a chronic negative response from a lot of your “honesty”, you may want to take a look at yourself and see how you are causing that pattern, which has nothing to do with them.
It can be frustrating taking with somebody you love that you wish to help by being honest, and they don’t care to change or hear it. If they do care and agree with you, awesome, you both grow. But if they reject it, here’s what I would do:
First, I would simply stop telling them what I think and try to accept them for who they are and focus on the good. If there’s so much resistance, I just might not be in the same kinda vibe with them and will eventually drift apart towards people that are more of a match. Or even a more immediate split if it’s a bad relationship. But if this is a pattern, I’d know to look at myself.
I would also realize that I don’t get anything in life that I’m not putting out. It’s usually a part of ourselves that we see in others which we notice and point out, or else how would we see it? The more we can accept ourselves the more we can accept others.
So if it’s a simple matter of them getting upset, realize that it’s their issue, not yours. But if it’s a pattern you notice, you may want to be honest with yourself instead and see what it’s inside you that is causing those things to happen. Also, might want to start attracting people in your life that DO care about working on themselves, but expect them to be honest with you too ;)
Posted on November 1, 2011 at 2:09 pm.
Thanks for the quick response.
I think it’s always a combination of who I’m talking to, what we’re talking about and where I’m coming from. Like I said, I prefer an honest exchange of various points of view even in casual social conversations. Certainly, I’ve struggled with addressing the biggies and more obvious(pointing out a boyfriend’s alcohol abuse for example). But, what I’ve really come to realize is that if the other party is in denial or simply not interested in another point of view, no matter how consequential the topic is or how personal it is, my input can be off-putting. On the flip-side, people trust me and confide in me and seek my advice but there’s a sort of intensity to it that is getting old, like I’m safe for the philosophical or the dramatic but not really for the fun, casual group hangs. I think my biggest fault is not deciphering what benefit there is of my presenting another point of view or my version of the truth (it is subjective no matter how indisputable something seems). Do I just want to be right? I’m sure that’s part of it. I also like authenticity. I like when I ask the cashier at the market how they are and they tell me the truth…I find it refreshing and it’s a great relief for people to lift their veneer and just relate. Again, I make a lot of connections this way. But, sometimes people just want to be oblivious, say something petty or stupid, be where they are without commentary. Anyway, I guess as with everything, there are nuances and it is an art determining when to be “honest” but, the notion that one should always be honest is really one that I find impossible to implement even with my sort of near terets style honesty (lol)…so, really, be honest and avoid hurting feelings? Nah, be honest when it is worth it and let the BS slide a little when it’s not…sound about right?
Posted on November 1, 2011 at 4:18 pm.