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Of the “Things We Say or Do,” the FOUR-WAY TEST asks the following four questions:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it Build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all Concerned?

History of the Four-Way Test

From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is the Four-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as the president of Rotary International) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. This code of ethics for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, the Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways.

-- Adapted from information on Rotary International Web Pages (http://www.rotary.org) 2002.