Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
What These Words Mean
You know that tiny tension between who you are and who you want people to think you are? That quiet moment when you fix your voice, your posture, your story, just a little, because you hope to be seen a certain way. This quote walks right into that space and, instead of shaming you, it gives you a direction to grow toward.
“Always endeavor to really be what you would wish to appear.”
First, “Always endeavor” points to a steady, ongoing effort. On the surface, it is a simple instruction: keep trying, again and again. But there is a softness in the word “endeavor” that matters. You are not ordered to be perfect; you are invited to make an honest, continuous attempt. It acknowledges that becoming the person you want to be will not happen in a single decision. It will be a series of choices on ordinary days, when nobody is cheering for you and the only sound might be the low hum of the refrigerator in your quiet kitchen.
Then come the words “to really be.” They turn your attention inward, away from performance and toward substance. Outward signs are not the focus here. What counts is who you are when nobody is watching, when there is nothing to gain and nothing to prove. This part of the quote asks you to check whether your actions, habits, and private thoughts match the values you talk about. It pushes you to ask questions that are not always comfortable: Are you actually kind, or only polite? Are you genuinely honest, or only when telling the truth is convenient? To “really be” is to let your true self carry the weight that your image usually tries to hold.
Finally, “what you would wish to appear” points straight at your hopes for how you want others to see you. It acknowledges that you do care about appearances. You do want to be seen as capable, good, strong, wise, loving, or brave. There is nothing wrong with that desire; this phrase treats it as a clue. It suggests that the image you admire for yourself can be a compass rather than a costume. If you wish to appear generous, start giving in small, costly ways that nobody needs to know about. If you wish to appear confident, work on the skills, preparation, and self-respect that confidence grows from, instead of just forcing a louder voice.
Picture a simple everyday scene: you are at work, a mistake has been made, and your manager is asking what happened. You want to appear competent and reliable. The easy move is to blur your responsibility, to talk quickly, to let someone else quietly take more of the blame. In that moment, these words nudge you in a different direction: be what you want to seem. If you want to appear trustworthy, tell the truth clearly and accept your part. It might sting, it might cool the room like a draft of cold air, but it also moves you one small step closer to actually being the trustworthy person you’re trying to look like.
I think the hard part is that this quote can feel demanding, almost severe, if you already wrestle with shame or insecurity. Sometimes you just do not have the strength to “really be” your ideal self; sometimes survival, not integrity, is the loudest need. There are complex situations where hiding parts of yourself is protective and wise. So these words are not a perfect rule for every circumstance. But they still carry a quiet challenge: whenever you safely can, let your desire for a good image become a doorway into building a good character. Not to impress anyone, but so that the person you are alone and the person you are in public start to feel like the same warm, solid, trustworthy you.
The Setting Behind the Quote
Granville Sharp lived in 18th- and early 19th-century Britain, a world deeply concerned with reputation, manners, and public respectability. Society placed heavy weight on how a person appeared: proper language, correct dress, polite behavior, and adherence to social rules. At the same time, this period was full of moral contradictions, especially around empire, slavery, and justice. People could be seen as honorable while quietly supporting or benefiting from cruel systems.
In that kind of environment, words about being what you seem to be hit with particular force. They cut through the tendency to polish the outside while ignoring what is wrong on the inside. The quote speaks into a culture that often rewarded the appearance of virtue more than the reality of it, inviting people to close the gap between their public image and their private commitments.
Religion, law, and emerging ideas about human rights were all swirling through Sharp’s world. There was a growing sense that individuals and nations had to answer for how they treated other human beings. Against that backdrop, “Always endeavor to really be what you would wish to appear” makes sense as a call to personal integrity that supports wider justice. If leaders, merchants, and ordinary citizens had lived these words more fully, many of the hypocrisies of the age would have been harder to maintain.
Today, in an age of social media and curated images, the emotional weight of the quote still fits. The historical setting only sharpens its edge: these words were born in a time that knew very well how easy it is to look good while doing harm.
About Granville Sharp
Granville Sharp, who was born in 1735 and died in 1813, was an English scholar, activist, and reformer best known for his early and courageous work against the transatlantic slave trade. He began his adult life working in government offices and studying on his own, but his path shifted when he encountered the harsh realities faced by enslaved and formerly enslaved people in Britain. Meeting individuals who had been abused and denied justice moved him to action.
He educated himself in law so he could argue legal cases on behalf of enslaved Africans, and he became involved in some of the most important early court decisions that challenged slavery in England. Beyond his legal efforts, he wrote, organized, and campaigned, helping to build the moral and intellectual groundwork for later abolitionist victories. His life combined study, faith, and practical activism in a way that was unusual for his time.
Sharp is remembered as someone who refused to let comfortable appearances hide deep wrongs. That is where his quote about being what you wish to appear feels especially connected to his worldview. He lived in a society that liked to see itself as civilized and Christian while permitting slavery and exploitation. His work exposed that gap and pushed both individuals and institutions toward greater honesty. In urging you to become, in reality, the good person you hope others see, his words echo his own struggle to align belief, reputation, and action.
