The Complete List of Core Values

Identifying your values can help you to make decisions that resonate more deeply with your deepest sense of what is "right" and "good". Below is a (close-to!) complete list of values to support your personal growth.

Use the list of core values to:

• Identify your own values

• Explore your identity

• Understand your basic motivations

• Reflect on collective beliefs

• Guide goal-setting processes

What Are Core Values?

Core values are the foundational principles and beliefs that guide your behavior. They serve as a compass, steering you toward personal fulfillment and shaping both your personal and collective identity. 

[define: "personal values"]

Your personal core values develop through social interactions - within your family, communities, and culture at large. Without actively reflecting on your values, you’ll probably find yourself mirroring the values of the people you spend the most time with.

For this reason, taking the time to reflect on your core values also offers a powerful framework for setting priorities consciously. By consciously identifying your personal core values, you can begin to understand the deepest motivations behind your actions and decisions.

Whether you're seeking personal transformation, more positive relationships, or change within your community, exploring values can give you important insight into the motivations behind your own (and others') behavior and actions. 

In your daily life, living in alignment with your core values can lead to more meaningful and positive relationships, boost your motivation to achieve long-term goals, enhance your overall sense of purpose, and enable you to make decisions that align with what truly matters to you. 

The Most Common Core Values, According to Research

What matters most to you may be highly personal, but there are some common themes.

Some values are universal, according to research. While the definition of "values" varies from study to study (for example, some studies include concrete social structures like family as a value, while others name less tangible values often associated with those structure, like loyalty), the most common themes include engagement with family and traditions, personal growth and responsibility, and economic priorities.

Global analysis of Valuegraphics surveys from 2020 conducted in 152 languages found that the top ten most common personal core values across cultures include: ¹

1. Family

2. Relationships

3. Financial Security

4. Belonging 

5. Community

6. Personal Growth

7. Loyalty

8. Religion / Spirituality

9. Employment Security

10. Personal Responsibility

Complete Core Values List

Accountability

Acceptance

Adventure

Affection

Altruism

Ambition

Amity

Authenticity

Awareness

Balance

Belonging

Benevolence

Charity

Chivalry

Citizenship

Clarity

Collaboration

Commitment

Community

Compassion

Connection

Cooperation

Courage

Creativity

Curiosity

Dignity

Discipline

Diversity

Efficiency

Empathy

Equality

Esteem

Excellence

Experimentation

Expression

Fairness

Faith

Forgiveness

Freedom

Fun

Generosity

Grace

Gratitude

Grit

Growth

Hard Work

Harmony

Honesty

Honor

Hospitality

Hope

Humility

Humor

Independence

Inclusivity

Influence

Innovation

Inquiry

Insight

Integrity

Justice

Kindness

Knowledge

Leadership

Learning

Legacy

Liberty

Love

Loyalty

Mastery

Moderation

Non-violence

Obedience

Open-mindedness

Optimism

Originality

Patience

Passion

Peace

Performance

Perseverance

Power

Precision

Pragmatism

Punctuality

Questioning

Rationality

Rigor

Responsibility

Reliability

Respect

Resilience

Resourcefulness

Reverence

Safety

Security

Self-Reliance

Sensitivity

Simplicity

Stability

Stewardship

Strength

Success

Sustainability

Tradition

Transparency

Trust

Truth

Unity

Vision

Vitality

Wisdom

Wonder

Worship

Core Values Listed by Category

Identifying your values can give you more than a profound sense of purpose in life; the process can offer insight into your deeper motivations, too. 

Below, the complete list of core values above is grouped *loosely* into three categories based on the source of motivation behind them, as defined by the Ethics Unwrapped project from the University of Texas at Austin.³ Drawing on self-determination theory, intrinsic values are linked to an internal source of motivation, extrinsic values (sometimes called instrumental values) are driven by external rewards, and sacred and moral values are often grounded in deeply-held beliefs.⁴

There is often some overlap in these groupings; when a specific value could be categorized as "all of the above" (extrinsic, intrinsic and sacred and moral), you can consider this a core value, as illustrated in the "Types of Values" infographic. 

This groupings below aren't fixed; for some people, intrinsic values may belong in the extrinsic category, and for others, intrinsic or extrinsic values represent moral imperatives originating in a sacred belief system.

If the groupings don't make sense to you, make your own! Print the infographic above and map your own values according to motivational source.

The idea here is to help you see your value system as a whole, functioning to influence your motivations.

[define: "intrinsic values"]

[define: "extrinsic values"]

[define: "sacred and moral values"]

Intrinsic Values

• Acceptance

• Adventure

• Affection

• Amity

• Authenticity

• Awareness

• Balance

• Clarity

• Compassion

• Connection

• Cooperation

• Courage

• Creativity

• Curiosity

• Dignity

• Discipline

• Diversity

• Empathy

• Experimentation

• Expression

• Fun

• Generosity

• Grit

• Growth

• Harmony

• Hope

• Humility

• Humor

• Independence

• Inquiry

• Insight

• Innovation

• Joy

• Learning

• Open-mindedness

• Optimism

• Originality

• Patience

• Passion

• Peace

• Perseverance

• Responsibility

• Rationality

• Resilience

• Sensitivity

• Simplicity

• Stability

• Strength

• Vitality

• Wonder

Extrinsic Values

• Accountability

• Ambition

• Belonging

• Citizenship

• Collaboration

• Commitment

• Community

• Efficiency

• Esteem

• Excellence

• Hard Work

• Influence

• Knowledge

• Leadership

• Legacy

• Liberty

• Loyalty

• Obedience

• Performance

• Power

• Precision

• Pragmatism

• Punctuality

• Reliability

• Resourcefulness

• Security

• Self-Reliance

• Stewardship

• Success

• Transparency

• Vision

• Wealth

Sacred and Moral Values

• Altruism

• Benevolence

• Charity

• Chivalry

• Fairness

• Faith

• Forgiveness

• Freedom

• Grace

• Gratitude

• Honesty

• Honor

• Hospitality

• Inclusivity

• Integrity

• Justice

• Kindness

• Love

• Mastery

• Moderation

• Non-violence

• Questioning

• Respect

• Reverence

• Safety

• Service

• Sustainability

• Tradition

• Trust

• Truth

• Unity

• Wisdom

• Worship

• Sources

  1. Neufeld, Dorothy. “The World’s Most Influential Values, In One Graphic.” Visual Capitalist. November 5, 2020. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/most-influential-values/.

  2. Schwartz, Shalom H., Jan Cieciuch, Michele Vecchione, Eldad Davidov, Ronald Fischer, Constanze Beierlein, Alice Ramos, et al. “Refining the Theory of Basic Individual Values.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 103, no. 4 (October 1, 2012): 663–88. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029393.

  3. Ethics Unwrapped. “Values - Ethics Unwrapped,” November 5, 2022. https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/values'.

  4. The Center for Self-Determination Theory. “Theoretical Overview,” n.d. https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/.