It’s easy to talk about core values. It’s harder to hold onto them under difficult circumstances. Most of us have made compromises at one time or another. “I don’t agree with that, but I need this job.”

On one hand, we should have empathy for people who do what they need to survive and feed their family. On the other hand, how we behave shows more about our actual values than what we say.

“Your actions speak so loudly, I can not hear what you are saying.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you couldn’t explain your behavior, would people understand your values based on your actions?