WANTED - A boy that stands straight, sits straight, acts straight,
and talks straight;
A boy whose fingernails are not in mourning, whose ears are clean,
whose shoes are polished, whose clothes are brushed, whose hair is
combed, and whose teeth are well cared for;
A boy who listens carefully when he is spoken to, who asks
questions when he does not understand, and does not ask questions
about things that are none of his business;
A boy that moves quickly and makes as little noise about it as
possible;
A boy who whistles in the street, but does not whistle where he
ought keep still;
A boy who looks cheerful, has a ready smile for everybody, and
never sulks;
A boy who is polite to every man and respectful to every woman and
girl;
A boy who does not smoke cigarettes and has no desire to learn how;
A boy who is more eager to know how to speak good English than to
talk slang;
A boy that never bullies other boys nor allows other boys to bully
him;
A boy who, when he does not know a thing says, "I don’t know," and
when has made a mistake says "I’m sorry," and when he is asked to do a
thing says "I’ll try";
A boy who looks you right in the eye and tells the truth every
time;
A boy who is eager to read good books;
A boy who would rather put in his spare time at the YMCA gymnasium
than to gamble for pennies in a back room;
A boy who does not want to be "smart" nor in any wise attract
attention;
A boy who would rather lose his job or be expelled from school than
to tell a lie or be a cad;
A boy whom other boys like;
A boy who is at ease in the company of girls;
A boy who is not sorry for himself, and not forever thinking and
talking about himself;
A boy who is friendly with his mother, and more intimate with her
than anyone else;
A boy who makes you feel good when he is around;
A boy who is not a goody-goody, a prig, or a little pharisee, but
just healthy, happy, and full of life;
This boy is wanted everywhere. The family wants him, the school wants
him, the office wants him, the boys want him, the girls want him, all
creation wants him.
Source unknown
Quoted in The Children's Book of Virtues
by William J. Bennet
