People can be so skilled at deceiving themselves. But every now and then, reality intervenes to force us to face the truth about ourselves or something we’re doing. When this happens, especially when it’s hard to take, how do you answer? The willingness and ability to hear and then powerfully respond to the truth, regardless of how inconvenient it may be, is a sign of wisdom. And it was the code by which Booker T. Washington lived and taught.

After being wrongly sentenced and faced with the daily horrors of a maximum-security prison; feeling furious and resentful, most would jump at any chance to get out of jail NOW. Minus the anger, resentment, fear and hopelessness, this is the story of Dewey Bozella, who refused to compromise his Integrity by lying and who never gave up hope that he would clear his name and walk out of prison a free man.

The Uncompromised Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III safely landed his Airbus A320 on the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, saving the lives of all 155 on board. If that weren’t enough, after everyone seemed to be safely out of the sinking plane, the captain walked the plane’s length twice to be certain no one was left behind before he too got off the plane. Storybook.

Slavery is an institution as old as humankind itself. Survey any historical period, and you’ll find justification by entire societies for forcing those they’ve conquered or deem inferior to labor for them. Since the desire to be free surges through everyone’s veins, America’s founding principles have inspired and attracted people from all over the world. As a country made up of people willing to fight for freedom, America became a place where anyone willing to work hard was free to prosper.

The story of Team Hoyt, which continues to be lived out in events all over the country, has inspired millions of people worldwide, converting many “wannabes” and even “hopeless cases” into athletes. As a result, the faces of Team Hoyt can be seen on billboards across the country as well as on some of the most-viewed YouTube videos.

Though most people don’t know the extent of what she actually did, just saying her name can convey the weight of your point. That is a legacy. At 18 years of age, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu made the life-changing decision to join a missionary order that would remove her, potentially forever, from her homeland, her friends and her family. She left everything she knew so she could do, “something beautiful for God.” What she created over the next 70 years was indeed something beautiful...

There is an old expression that goes, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” Benjamin Franklin gave himself plenty to do and, proving the truism correct, he went about the business of changing the world. At 17, and with just enough money for a couple days of food, Benjamin Franklin washed ashore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after traveling from Boston. Sixty-seven years later, he’d die in his adopted hometown as a world-renowned...

Cal Ripken Jr. played professional baseball over 21 years for the Baltimore Orioles, earning 19 trips to the All-Star Game. He hit hundreds of home runs, won a World Series and also won awards for both hitting and fielding. And, like no baseball player before him, Ripken played in 2,632 consecutive games. Can you imagine the mental and physical stresses inherent to playing any sport at its highest level?

Mary Musto was an ordinary woman. She didn’t accomplish anything noteworthy, she was never on TV and no one’s going to write a book about her any time soon. However, when someone consciously chooses her life and lives it through The Standards of The Uncompromised, it is an inspiring thing. It is worthy of note. Mary Musto reminds us to recognize The Uncompromised around us.