A List of 77 Core Values That Will Guide Your Life

We often talk about “having values,” but when did we last consciously think about them? Our values can guide us through life and help us align our decisions to what is important to us. Shouldn’t we select them deliberately?

The following list highlights 77 core values. You can pick any number of them as a canon for your life, but ideally no more than five. Otherwise you’ll end up confused about which values to follow in specific situations.

Picking “achievement” over “kindness” doesn’t mean you aren’t a kind person. But it can mean that in high-stakes situations in which you have to choose to either achieve something or be kind, you might prioritize the former.

77 Core Values

• Aesthetics
• Affection
• Authenticity
• Achievement
• Adventure
• Authority
• Autonomy
• Balance
• Beauty
• Boldness
• Compassion
• Consistency
• Contentment
• Challenge
• Citizenship
• Community
• Competency
• Contribution
• Creativity
• Curiosity
• Dependability
• Determination
• Efficiency
• Esteem
• Excellence
• Fairness
• Faith
• Fame
• Freedom
• Friendship
• Fun
• Generosity
• Gratitude
• Growth
• Happiness
• Harmony
• Health
• Honesty
• Honor
• Humor
• Influence
• Intelligence
• Justice
• Kindness
• Knowledge
• Leadership
• Learning
• Love
• Loyalty
• Meaning
• Novelty
• Openness
• Optimism
• Passion
• Patience
• Peace
• Pleasure
• Poise
• Popularity
• Power
• Recognition
• Reliability
• Religion
• Reputation
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Security
• Self-Respect
• Service
• Spirituality
• Stability
• Strength
• Success
• Status
• Trustworthiness
• Wealth
• Wisdom

Struggling to choose?

You’ve probably realized already that it’s not easy to pick five out of 77—many of the above-mentioned values will resonate with you. But if you want to gain awareness of what you really value, don’t skip this important exercise. What would you do if you had to decide? It’s much better to make this decision now than in a stressful situation when everything and everyone depends on you.