11 Phrases People With True Integrity Avoid Saying To Anyone Ever

Everyone loves a person with integrity, but the truth is that they often fail to recognize it when they see it. Integrity is hard to find because it’s so easy to try to falsify with the right statements. It’s subtle in its presence.

Fake integrity is commonplace, and it’s loud. You often can tell who’s legit by what’s not said. People with real integrity rarely ever say these things to anyone.

These are 11 phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever

1. ‘You never told me…’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘You never told me…’ Minerva Studio via Canva

The first thing that people with integrity avoid doing is pushing the blame onto other people. This is especially true when it comes to things that should go without saying, such as cleaning up after oneself.

A person with integrity will accept that they should have asked if things weren’t clear.

2. ‘That’s not my job’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘That’s not my job’ Andrii Iemelyanenko from Getty Images via Canva

There are a million different ways to pass the buck to other people, and most people who lack integrity do so. Take a look at how the person in question treats tasks that aren’t entirely written in their description, but should be something done from time to time.

If they keep saying that it’s not their job, that often means that they’re either dealing with a thing known as “requirements creep” or just not very integrity-oriented.

3. ‘I’m right, you know…’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘I’m right, you know…’ vkstudio via Canva

Did you ever notice how most narcissists tend to be people with low levels of integrity? That makes it easy to spot a person with integrity. One of the primary giveaways of a narcissist is that they refuse to admit when they’re wrong.

While people with integrity will often fight when they believe they’re correct, they will acknowledge when they’re wrong. A person without integrity won’t do that.

4. ‘We don’t have to tell them…’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘We don’t have to tell them…’ hidesy from Getty Images Signature via Canva

Integrity is all about being honest and upfront about things, even when it’s not easy to talk about them. A person with integrity will talk when they did something they shouldn’t. Meanwhile, a person without integrity will often find reasons to avoid discussing it.

This is a phrase that often comes up when people get self-serving. As Thomas Sowell said, “When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.”

5. ‘That’s just your imagination’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘That’s just your imagination’ skynesher from Getty Images Signature via Canva

People with low integrity will try to avoid being held accountable for anything they do wrong, which means they tend to try to downplay their wrongdoings as much as possible. So, they have an arsenal of techniques to avoid getting pinned with anything.

One of the more common methods they use is gaslighting. Gaslighting works by making you think you’re the crazy one, as a way to help gloss over any behavior they’ve done. This type of behavior is often seen with cheating spouses and is a clear sign of no integrity.

6. ‘I never said that’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘I never said that’ AntonioGuillem from Getty Images via Canva

This is one of those phrases that can be said with integrity, but it is often just used as a cop-out. People who lack integrity often will use a “politician-style” cop-out by alluding to a guarantee without actually saying the guarantee.

When things break down, they simply wash their hands of accountability by noting that they never said they would do something, shifting the blame onto others for “assumptions.”

7. ‘I am not obligated to tell you anything’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘I am not obligated to tell you anything’ pixdeluxe from Getty Images Signature via Canva

Integrity is all about being open and transparent, even when it’s hard to be that way or even when it would hurt their position in life. People who lack transparency are people who lack integrity.

They will use any privilege they can to avoid telling you what you should know, provided that it makes them look bad. It’s a classic technique that is both infuriating and demeaning.

8. ‘But what about [other issue not related to topic]?'

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘But what about [other issue not related to topic]?' Anna Shvets from Pexels via Canva

When a person who has no integrity feels cornered or called out, they often will resort to whataboutism to try to push themselves up. This is a popular technique used in bad-faith arguments as a way to make the other person look guilty, even when it’s not related to the topic at hand.

By derailing the argument, the person tries to make themselves seem like the aggrieved person.

9. ‘Ugh, I never do anything right, do I? Is that it?!’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘Ugh, I never do anything right, do I? Is that it?!’ pixelshot via Canva

It’s normal to feel a bit flustered or angry with yourself if you take on a task and fail. However, people with integrity might just admit defeat or cut things short while saying, “Hey, this isn’t working out. Let’s just break it off ASAP.”

Barring certain emotional issues, people without integrity may try to avoid accountability by verbally beating themselves up. It derails the conversation so they can avoid taking accountability.

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10. ‘Oh, hey… I was just really busy. I didn’t ghost you, I swear’

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘Oh, hey… I was just really busy. I didn’t ghost you, I swear’ Worawee Meepian's Images via Canva

When it comes to dating, one of the easiest ways to see how much integrity a date has is based on how they break things off. Unless a person fears for their personal safety, there is absolutely no excuse for ghosting. A simple, “This isn’t working out,” is a mark of integrity.

A person who ghosts you has no integrity, nor spine. It gives a bad impression, and rightfully so. This is also a reason why ghosting is a poor move in the business world, too.

11. Nothing

phrases people with true integrity avoid saying to anyone ever, ‘Nothing’ g-stockstudio from Getty Images via Canva

Integrity is all about speaking up when the pressure is there to just… not.

If you’re not speaking up when people need someone to tell the truth, you have no integrity. Period. It’s just that simple.

Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.