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Quotes For People Who Value Honesty

Updated August 16, 2021

Have you heard of the Shopping Cart Theory? It's a viral story that's been making the rounds that proposes that the absolute best judge of a person's character is whether or not they return a shopping cart to the corral.

The belief being that the task is objectively simple, correct, and for the common good, but provides no benefit to the person actually taking the time to do it. Nor is it illegal not to return your cart.

Thus, outside of the most dire emergencies, any person who opts out of doing so is a bad member of society.

Is the theory a little bit silly? Sure, but there's a reason it went viral.

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If you've ever started to back into a parking spot only to discover a vagrant shopping cart in the way, you know how enraging it is to learn that someone was so lazy and self-centered that they couldn't walk the extra few steps most people do without even thinking.

Sure, returning the cart and the morality of the task is a social construct, but it's a small act that hints at the underlying truth of a person.

That's because, like the idiom says, actions speak louder than words.

Not returning the cart says, "I think my time and energy is more valuable than that of the person who will be left to deal with my stray cart."

And if they think that about such a small, simple gesture of mutual respect, what else might they deem less valuable than themselves?

Honesty is hard and it's those small acts that should be easy that hint toward possible issues in the future.

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Of course, I'd never say that a single discarded cart is worth ending a relationship over, but sometimes you need those small acts to alert you to possible larger issues.

If they aren't willing to do one small thing for a greater good, what larger things are they avoiding?

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If someone in your life seems to have a million excuses, maybe it's time to start watching their actions instead of their words.

There may be signs that you need to force an honest discussion, or that your relationship just isn't going to work, or maybe even that there is something they're afraid to ask for help with.

So let their actions do the talking for a bit and they'll point you towards the correct path.