To deal with a particular situation we may need to convey a quality but only in a certain way or to a certain extent. Some situations even require us to call simultaneously upon qualities that seem to be the opposites of one another. At a job interview, for example, you will be expected to speak proudly of your accomplishments without bragging. You will be expected to be assertive without being pushy, and self-confident yet deferential to your prospective employer. In the course of the session, you will be trying to foster a kind of personal relationship with the interviewer without slipping into informality or betraying anything too personal about yourself.
Life is complicated.
Yet, this is exactly why conduct rules try to offer explanations that are simple and clear. Offer one or more rules for behavior, and follow each rule with a short explanation of how the person should behave and why that behavior is correct. For example, Benjamin Franklin believed in honesty but . . . . A letter of advice written from Henry David Thoreau to a friend working in Boston or in the mills of Lowell. A graduation speech delivered at Assumption's 2000 graduation by Anne Bradstreet.