100+ Real-Life Examples of Ethical Behavior

Here are more than 100 concrete, everyday examples of ethical behavior organized by context. These aren’t heroic acts—just the small and large choices that build trust and character.

Workplace & Business (1–28)

1. Returning the extra $50 the cashier accidentally gave you at the company cafeteria.
2. Admitting you made a mistake on a report instead of letting the team take the blame.
3. Refusing to take credit for a colleague’s idea in a meeting.
4. Not badmouthing a toxic coworker on the company Slack channel.
5. Telling your boss the real reason you’ll be late instead of faking a doctor’s appointment.
6. Refusing a kickback from a supplier.
7. Paying interns fairly instead of “offering exposure.”
8. Correcting a client who underpaid an invoice by $8,000.
9. Not using the company credit card for personal groceries “just this once.”
10. Speaking up when a senior leader makes a sexist or racist joke.
11. Giving an honest reference for a former employee who wasn’t perfect but deserved fairness.
12. Refusing to falsify sales numbers to hit a bonus target.
13. Telling a job candidate the real reason they didn’t get the role.
14. Not quietly deleting negative customer feedback to inflate ratings.
15. Clocking out your teammate who forgot so they don’t lose pay.
16. Reporting sexual harassment even when the harasser is a top performer.
17. Refusing to hire the CEO’s underqualified nephew.
18. Telling the truth about project delays instead of sugarcoating for investors.
19. Paying overtime that the system “forgot” to calculate.
20. Not poaching clients when you leave for a competitor.
21. Admitting you don’t know the answer in a client meeting instead of bluffing.
22. Refusing to use pirated software to save budget.
23. Correctly labeling “made in China” instead of slapping on “designed in California.”
24. Giving proper notice instead of ghosting your employer.
25. Not lying on your résumé about speaking fluent Spanish.
26. Refusing to spy on a coworker’s email for the boss.
27. Splitting a restaurant bill fairly instead of letting the new hire pay more.
28. Telling HR when you accidentally saw someone’s salary information.

Healthcare & Medicine (29–45)

29. A nurse confessing she gave the wrong dosage instead of covering it up.
30. A doctor recommending a cheaper generic instead of the brand-name drug he gets kickbacks for.
31. Not billing for a procedure the patient doesn’t actually need.
32. Respecting a patient’s “Do Not Resuscitate” order even when the family begs otherwise.
33. Telling a patient the full truth about a terminal diagnosis.
34. Sterilizing equipment properly even when the shift is running behind.
35. A pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription they know is forged.
36. Protecting patient confidentiality when an old friend asks “how is John doing?”
37. Reporting a colleague who is practicing while impaired.
38. A dentist telling you that you don’t actually need that $2,000 crown.
39. Giving the same level of care to an uninsured patient as to a VIP.
40. Not accepting lavish gifts from pharmaceutical reps.
41. A therapist maintaining boundaries and not dating a former client.
42. Correctly disposing of biohazard waste instead of cutting corners.
43. Telling an elderly patient’s family the real reason they fell—not hiding staff negligence.

Education & School (46–68)

46. A student admitting they accidentally saw the test answers instead of using them.
47. Not cheating on an online exam even though the camera is off.
48. Citing sources properly instead of copy-pasting.
49. A teacher grading the rich kid’s paper with the same rigor as everyone else’s.
50. Not selling old exams to current students.
51. Telling the professor you were mistakenly given points you didn’t earn.
52. Refusing to let a friend copy your homework.
53. A principal reporting accurate graduation rates instead of fudging numbers.
54. Not laughing when a classmate is bullied for giving a wrong answer.
55. Returning the wallet you found in the hallway with all $180 still inside.
56. A coach benching their star player for breaking team rules.
57. Not participating in senior prank vandalism.
58. Speaking up when a teacher makes an inappropriate comment.
59. A professor refusing to change a grade because a student’s parent donated to the university.
60. Not sharing nudes someone sent you “in confidence.”
61. Telling the truth when the teacher asks who started the food fight.
62. Including the quiet kid in your group project fairly.
63. Admitting you plagiarized instead of fighting the accusation.

Family & Home Life (69–80)

64. Telling your spouse the truth about where you were last night.
65. Not reading your teenager’s diary “just to check.”
66. Sharing inheritance equally even though one sibling “needs it more.”
67. Admitting you broke Mom’s favorite vase when you were ten—and still doing it at 40.
68. Not hiding your partner’s keys to stop them drinking and driving (and owning the conflict).
69. Telling your parents you totaled the car instead of making up a hit-and-run story.
70. Paying back the $500 you borrowed from your sibling ten years ago.
71. Not gossiping about your sister-in-law’s miscarriage.
72. Taking equal turns doing the dishes even when you “cooked.”
73. Owning up to your kids when you lose your temper.
74. Not lying to your children about Santa if you’ve decided to tell the truth early.
75. Respecting your adult child’s decision even when you disagree.

Research & Academia (81–89)

76. Not cherry-picking data to support your hypothesis.
77. Listing the grad student as first author when they did most of the work.
78. Reporting null results instead of burying them.
79. Refusing to accept authorship on a paper you didn’t contribute to.
80. Disclosing funding from a tobacco company when researching lung cancer.
81. Replicating your own study instead of pretending the first result is final.
82. Correctly attributing an idea you heard at a conference.
83. Not fabricating images in a scientific paper.

Online & Digital Life (90–103)

84. Not doxxing someone you disagree with politically.
85. Giving credit when you use someone’s photo or meme.
86. Not creating deepfake revenge porn.
87. Reporting a hacker who sent you free Robux instead of using them.
88. Not review-bombing a small business because of one bad experience.
89. Telling your friend their fly is down in a Zoom meeting privately.
90. Not sharing a private DM screenshot without permission.
91. Downvoting misinformation even when it supports your side.
92. Using real profile pictures on dating apps.
93. Not catfishing anyone, ever.

Community & Public Life (104–120+)

94. Picking up trash in the park even though you didn’t drop it.
95. Giving up your subway seat for a pregnant woman.
96. Not cutting the queue at the grocery store.
97. Returning the shopping cart all the way to the corral.
98. Telling the cashier they undercharged you $20.
99. Not parking in the disabled spot “for just two minutes.”
100. Reporting the hit-and-run you witnessed.
101. Donating blood anonymously.
102. Slowing down in a residential area even when you’re late.
103. Telling a stranger their backpack is open and things are falling out.
104. Not littering from your car window.
105. Paying for the next car’s coffee in the drive-through line.
106. Speaking up when someone is harassed on public transport.
107. Tipping the delivery driver fairly in cash during bad weather.
108. Voting honestly, not selling your vote.
109. Thanking the janitor who cleans your office building.
110. Letting the person with two items go ahead of your full cart.
111. Turning in a found phone at the lost-and-found with battery still intact.