These days, my favorite people aren’t the loud ones. They aren’t the ones chasing applause, reposting their virtues, or building entire personalities out of whatever trend is paying attention this week. I find myself drawn to the honest ones—the people who speak plainly and stand up straight even when nobody’s watching. The ones whose integrity isn’t a performance but a reflex.
Authenticity gets romanticized a lot, but most folks don’t actually want the real thing. Real authenticity means you’re going to disappoint someone. It means saying the thing that needs to be said instead of the thing that keeps the peace. Integrity has a cost, and everyone nods along right up to the moment the bill shows up.
I’ve learned to pay attention to who stays the same when the stakes rise. Who doesn’t bend their moral spine just to make a situation smoother. Who tells you the truth even when it’s awkward, or heavy, or not what you wanted to hear. Those people are rare, and when you find them, you feel your shoulders drop a little. You breathe easier. The room feels safer.
So yes—my favorite people are the honest ones, the authentic ones, the ones whose integrity isn’t situational. They don’t need a spotlight. They don’t need a crowd. They just show up as themselves, every damn time.
Those are the people worth keeping close.
Memoirs of Madness 