honnête homme

The honnête homme was a 17th-century French literary and social ideal that replaced the earlier heroic concept of gloire (glory). This ideal emphasized refined tastes, manners, and social graces over martial valor. The honnête homme was a cultured amateur, modest and self-effacing, who valued social interaction and cultivated a sincere refinement of behavior.1

This concept is distinct from the modern understanding of "honesty." Instead, it represented an aristocratic moral and social code that held society together. While often associated with cynicism regarding self-interest as a motivator, the ideal of honnêteté promoted tolerant, cultured Epicureanism and set the tone for fashionable society in Paris. The literary works of Molière, particularly his comedies of manners, often feature the honnête homme as a character embodying this social norm.1