This is the sort of a man was he: <br />True when it hurt him a lot to be; <br />Tight in a corner an' knowin' a lie <br />Would have helped him out, but he wouldn't buy <br />His freedom there in so cheap a way- <br />He told the truth though he had to pay. <br /> <br />Honest! Not in the easy sense, <br />When he needn't worry about expense- <br />We'll all play square when it doesn't count <br />And the sum at stake's not a large amount- <br />But he was square when the times were bad, <br />An' keepin' his word took all he had. <br /> <br />Honor is something we all profess, <br />But most of us cheat- some more, some less- <br />An' the real test isn't the way we do <br />When there isn't a pinch in either shoe; <br />It's whether we're true to our best or not <br />When the right thing's certain to hurt a lot. <br /> <br />That is the sort of a man was he: <br />Straight when it hurt him a lot to be; <br />Times when a lie would have paid him well, <br />No matter the cost, the truth he'd tell; <br />An' he'd rather go down to a drab defeat <br />Than save himself if he had to cheat.<br /><br />Edgar Albert Guest<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-true-man/
