It is not what you are that counts but only what people think you are. (Joseph Kennedy, late ambassador to Britain and father of President John F. Kennedy)
Kennedy’s statement is subject to two widely different understandings. It may be true that, regardless of who you think you are or what you have done, the reality might be that people will see you as something quite different. On the other hand, it really makes little difference what others think. Your character and integrity determine who you really are.
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely. . . . The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Proverbs 10:9; 11:13)