Integrity mostly looks like choosing the long route when the shortcut’s lit up in neon.

Shortcuts advertise themselves and the honest route does not, which is most of the difficulty. The temptation is rarely subtle. It sits right there, obviously faster, with nobody in a position to notice the difference. Integrity in practice is unglamorous and mostly consists of taking the longer path while the short one is fully available.

When you catch yourself assembling a case for why the shortcut is fine just this once, treat the case itself as the signal. Take the long way and tell nobody. The cost is almost always smaller than the argument claims.