I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character — not wealth or power or position — is of supreme worth.

The speaker elevates personal integrity above external measures of success. By calling a promise “sacred,” he frames honesty and reliability as moral obligations rather than mere social conveniences. The phrase “a man’s word should be as good as his bond” invokes an older commercial ethic in which reputation and trustworthiness function as real currency. The final contrast—character versus “wealth or power or position”—rejects status as a true measure of human worth, asserting instead that ethical consistency is the foundation of both private life and public responsibility. In a business and philanthropic context, it reads as a credo for stewardship: influence is justified only when anchored in moral character.