12 things men with outstanding character refuse to do

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We like to say that men of outstanding character are hard to find… but are they?

Chances are that the problem simply lies in that you simply don’t know what to look for.

So to help you out, here in this article I will share with you 12 things men with outstanding character refuse to do.

1) They never cheat on their partners

Men with outstanding character would never do anything that they’d hide from their partners, especially when it comes to their relationship with other people.

A lot of people misunderstand what cheating is about. They assume that it’s about being sexual with someone other than your partner.

But cheating was never about sex—it’s about violating the trust that the relationship was built on.

And yes, when you start your relationship with the expectation of being exclusive to one another, sleeping with someone else is definitely cheating.

But so is flirting or getting emotionally involved with another, even when there’s no body-to-body action going on!

2) They never play dirty

Trust is not the only thing that outstanding men refuse to break.

They also refuse to break rules and play dirty no matter how advantageous it might be for them.

If they’re about to take an exam or evaluation of some sort, they aren’t going to try to cheat on it.

If they unknowingly break the speed limit and get pulled over, they aren’t going to try to bribe their penalties away.

They simply can’t—it’s a moral crisis for them to even consider breaking rules.

3) They never accuse others without proof

Men with outstanding character know better than to jump the bullet and throw accusations without any evidence whatsoever.

That includes refusing to blindly repeat accusations that others are spreading.

Instead, they would rather give people the benefit of the doubt and wait for—or try to find—evidence before they take their stance.

And when they do find proof that someone did something bad, they would try to take a step back and work it out with them in private instead of making a public spectacle of it.

4) They never accept “favors”

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and being aware of this, men with outstanding character will politely decline any “favors” that they are offered.

This is especially the case if they have some sort of power, like if they work for some government institution or if they’re a celebrity or a similarly respected public figure.

They don’t want to accept favors because they don’t want to do favors—plain and simple.

They aren’t going to compromise their values even if it means they get to enjoy a free 1-year trip around the world or a $1000 “discount”.

5) They never lash out

They put great effort into keeping their cool, even if they’re currently face-to-face with the world’s most volatile asshole.

This sets them apart from most men, who would happily raise their voices and try to intimidate people for even daring to defy them.

Men of outstanding character know that being that angry and volatile will do them no good and that they’re better off just staying cool and walking away.

But that’s not to say that they’re spineless, of course.

If they must fight back against someone—like, say, seeing someone they love being verbally abused—they will be more than happy to fight.

6) They never steal

One thing you’d never see someone with outstanding character do is steal, and there are no exemptions to this!

They won’t steal even if it won’t bring anyone harm, they won’t steal even if they know they’re not going to get caught, and yes—they won’t steal even if it’s the “only choice” they have.

If it’s not theirs, then as far as they’re concerned, they shouldn’t have it. And if they truly NEED it, they would ask and try to borrow it.

7) They never try to tear others down

Men with outstanding character would rather build others up than tear them down, even if doing so will help them pull ahead.

They aren’t going to try to spread rumors about a love rival, for example, in the hopes that their love interest will turn to them instead.

And neither are they going to try to set their colleagues up for failure so that they’ll look “good” and get crowned employee of the month.

Sure, this might not seem wise to hustlers who’d do anything to get to the top, but men with outstanding character would rather work their way up to their victories slowly and honestly rather than get there at the expense of others.

8) They never turn a blind eye

Now obviously, no one person can help everyone in need. Unless they’re a billionaire, they’re going to stumble across too many poor and homeless people for them to help on their way to work.

But they simply refuse to turn a blind eye regardless and will do everything in their power to help everyone in need.

They might try to raise awareness of the poor, for example, or try to hold a fundraiser or feeding program for the homeless.

And during situations where someone needs immediate help, and there’s no one around—say, someone’s drowning—then they will try to do it themselves.

9) They never abuse their power

Men with outstanding character tend to be quite successful and well-known—with some being businessmen, others celebrities, and even Tiktok influencers.

So while it’s not always the case, they tend to have a fair bit of power at their fingertips.

And they use this power well. They don’t try to use their fame to take advantage of their fans, for example, or use their riches to silence people who try to slander them.

They would rather act like any other person and play on even grounds, no matter how powerful they are.

10) They never break their promises

Well, they try their hardest not to, anyway.

We all know promises are hard to keep, but that’s why men with outstanding character don’t say anything they don’t mean—especially not if it involves their commitment.

But when they commit, boy, do they commit!

If they promise to finish something by 3 pm, they will do it. And not a second later.

If they promise their friend that they’ll pay back after one month, they will pay back. Sometimes, they’ll even do it earlier.

Men with outstanding character hate making people expect…only to break their trust afterwards. So they do their best to keep their word.

11) They never make others feel stupid

Some people find sheer joy in making other people feel stupid. They would try to use fancy words to make it seem like everyone else is just too dumb to get them.

Or perhaps they might go, “oh, look, guys! Billy did the mother of all fuckups!” when a colleague makes a mistake.

Men with outstanding character don’t act this way. Not only do they know that it’s rude, they also think it’s simply immature.

They would rather be nice than be Mr. Always Right.

So when someone makes a mistake, they would instead try to help them realize it and do better. When people don’t get their jokes, they will instead admit that they suck at making jokes.

12) They don’t boast about how “outstanding” they are

It’s quite common for men to boast about how good they are—there are a few who are especially proud about how they’re “the alpha” and nonsense like that.

But the thing is that the louder people are about how good they are or how much they’ve achieved, the more it is fact that they’re simply compensating for something…that deep down, they’re insecure.

That’s why men of outstanding character don’t toot their own horns.

They have nothing to prove. They know who they are, and don’t really feel the need to make the world know.

Last words

To be an outstanding person is to be a person of integrity, conviction, and maturity.

Outstanding men are who they are because they have been surrounded by mature and well-adjusted people and were given the opportunity to grow and become better. But it can also be cultivated even in adulthood.

So if you want to be an outstanding man yourself, it’s quite easy—just do the things listed in this article.

Clifton Kopp

Welcome to my writings on Hack Spirit! I'm a bit of a "polymath" in that I like writing about many different things. Often I'm learning from the process of writing. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a comment on one of my articles.

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