To Thine Own Self Be True

In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Polonius declares to his son, Laertes, who is departing for Paris;

This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

Whilst the phrase is somewhat ironic, given that Polonius was a man of rather questionable morality, the opening line has become a well-worn phrase often uttered by people concerned about the importance of integrity. The Melbourne Grammar School Vision Statement nominates integrity as a core value and states the following; “We value strength of character, honesty and courage, guided by a strong code of moral behaviour.”

In today’s frenetic world of immediacy and rapid change, the need to have a strong moral code to navigate and guide people of all ages is undoubted. A phrase I recently read described the need for schools to help students deal with ‘the washing machine of the 21st century’. It is a meaningful metaphor. However, the reality is that many previous eras and generations have also experienced enormous change. I remember my father recounting to me his first views of the initial versions of a motor car, an aeroplane and a rocket ship, all before he had reached the age of 40. It is the case that each generation has a view of itself as being uniquely challenged by rapid change and, thus, has a sometimes exaggerated view its own experiences. 

Nevertheless, emerging from any form of social turbulence is the view that certain ‘old’ values and beliefs are no longer valid. Integrity, however, is a value that is as true and required as ever. The American writer, David V Hicks, once wrote that social values are important in ‘acknowledging the Eternal in the midst of the transitory.’ Strength of character, honesty and courage are as important today as they have been in any era. I remember reading about Winston Churchill who, during the 1930s, was criticised, mocked and considered an outcast in his own political party for wanting to defy Adolf Hitler whilst the then Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, was being feted for appeasing and even praising the Nazi dictator. Churchill nearly forfeited his political career (not for the first, nor last time!) for his courage and beliefs. Moving your moral perspective ‘according to the way in which the wind blows’ can be dangerous, as too often it values popularity over substance.

Of course, integrity has equal applicability to both the individual and the institution. In a school setting, the entire organisation must be guided by a strong code of moral behaviour. In this way integrity refers to the entire entity operating as one undivided and cohesive school. This is why a vision, mission and value statement is important, as it creates pillars of belief and guidance for students, staff and parents, enacted through a variety of programmes, activities and actions. For Melbourne Grammar students, integrity as being ‘the state of unity and the whole’ is reflected through something as simple as wearing the school uniform, through to the more complicated need to provide support for each other, either through mentoring, teamwork or friendship. 

In conclusion, integrity is a very important Melbourne Grammar value which permeates through all that we do. The obvious question is to consider if we have a desire to follow Shakespeare’s advice ‘to thine own self be true? As individuals, and as a school, MGS would have it no other way, as surely as ‘night follows day’.

Roy Kelley Headmaster