I’ve often heard people say, in response to being caught doing something untoward, “I had no choice.” But they’re wrong. A person always has a choice. It may not be a pleasant choice, and it may be hard, but doing the right thing is always an option.

Said Maimonides in the twelfth century, “Any person can become as righteous as Moses or as wicked as Jeroboam. … No one forces us, no one decides for us, no one drags us along one path or the other; we ourselves, by our own volition, choose our own way.”

The need to be praised by the majority is a sign of insecurity and immaturity. By contrast, having the courage to act alone and choose your own way when you know you’re in the right is a sign not only of good character, but personal growth.