VIR-II-0062
“There was a clean legal loophole out and I honored the handshake instead.”
The lawyer could have gotten you out; the contract had a gap; nobody would have blamed you. You honored the handshake anyway, because a loophole is not a license to break your word. The law is the floor; your word is the standard you set above it. You chose to be bound by your character, not just by what's enforceable.
Your Practice
- Notice you held yourself to a higher standard than the contract required.
- Tell the other side you saw the out and chose not to take it. Let them know who you are.
- Make 'I gave my word' the deciding factor, not 'I could legally escape.'
- Build the reputation of a man whose handshake is stronger than his contract.
The Architects
“Tricks and Treachery are the Practice of Fools, that have not Wit enough to be honest.”
— Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1740