A core values list is a curated set of the qualities people organize their lives around: family, courage, honesty, freedom, and the rest. You scan it to find the few that genuinely describe you, then rank them. This page gives you two lists: the 48-value framework from Start With Values, with a one-line meaning for each, and an alphabetical directory of 101 more. Both are free, and there's a printable PDF.
The 48 values with meanings101 values A to ZDownload the PDFWhat to do with your listFlip through them as cards
Core values are the compass points of our lives. They inform our choices, shape our relationships, and guide how we respond to challenges. Goals come and go. Values describe what we stand for at the deepest level — and that's a very different thing.
Here's the tricky part. Values are often unconscious. We're running on them all day without ever naming them. Which is exactly why putting words to them can be so transformative — clarifying your values helps you understand what actually motivates you, how you want to show up in the world, and which opportunities genuinely align with your priorities rather than just looking good on paper.
So here are two complementary resources to work with:
- The 48-value framework from my book — four dimensions, twelve values each — the same framework behind the free Values Assessment.
- An alphabetical directory of 101 values to browse freely and spark ideas for your own personal or organizational list.
As you go through them, aim to land on three to five values that resonate most deeply. Focus on qualities that truly reflect who you are, not the ideals you think you "should" hold. That distinction matters more than it sounds like it should.
The 48 core values from Start With Values
This framework comes from my book, Start With Values (Penguin, 2025): 48 values organized under four dimensions of a balanced life — Belonging, Growth, Impact and Fulfillment. One instruction before you begin: think about how you are, not how you'd like to be. It's an easy thing to get backwards. And aim for a maximum of five — the point isn't to collect everything you admire, it's to uncover the essence of what matters most to you.
Belonging
The values of connection — how we love, relate, and hold each other.
What these twelve values mean
- Family
- Cherishing close bonds and prioritizing loved ones.
- Friendship
- Valuing trust, connection, and companionship.
- Community
- Being part of something larger than yourself.
- Inclusion
- Making sure no one is left outside the circle.
- Kindness
- Acting with compassion and warmth toward others.
- Empathy
- Understanding and sharing the feelings of another.
- Respect
- Honoring the dignity and autonomy of others.
- Love
- Giving and receiving deep, unconditional care.
- Intimacy
- Real closeness — being fully known by another.
- Teamwork
- Achieving together what no one could alone.
- Loyalty
- Standing by the people you commit to.
- Fairness
- Treating people justly, without favor or bias.
Growth
How we learn, stretch, and become more capable.
What these twelve values mean
- Curiosity
- Exploring with wonder and asking bold questions.
- Creativity
- Expressing originality and turning ideas into reality.
- Learning
- Pursuing knowledge, understanding, and self-improvement.
- Mastery
- Honing a craft until excellence becomes habit.
- Mental Fitness
- Training a mind that stays strong under pressure.
- Resilience
- Bouncing back from setbacks with strength and insight.
- Balance
- Harmonizing your priorities, energy, and time.
- Stability
- Steady ground you can build on.
- Vitality
- Feeling alive, energetic, and resilient.
- Courage
- Facing challenges with strength and integrity.
- Wisdom
- Seeing clearly and choosing well, beyond mere knowledge.
- Risk-Taking
- Betting on possibility when others play it safe.
Impact
How we act on the world — influence, autonomy, and achievement.
What these twelve values mean
- Achievement
- Setting demanding goals and reaching them.
- Accomplishment
- The earned satisfaction of work completed well.
- Authority
- Taking responsibility for decisions that matter.
- Leadership
- Guiding and inspiring others toward a common goal.
- Influence
- Using your voice to shape thinking or behavior.
- Status
- Earning a respected place among your peers.
- Visibility
- Being seen and recognized for who you are.
- Reputation
- A name that stands for something, built over time.
- Wealth
- Building resources that create freedom and security.
- Credibility
- Being believed because you've proven trustworthy.
- Autonomy
- Charting your own course, on your own terms.
- Advocacy
- Standing up and speaking out for what's right.
Fulfillment
Meaning, peace, and contribution — the values of a life well lived.
What these twelve values mean
- Gratitude
- Appreciating the moment and what you have.
- Altruism
- Giving generously with no expectation of return.
- Contribution
- Leaving the world better than you found it.
- Awe
- Staying open to wonder and what's vast beyond us.
- Peace
- Protecting inner calm in a noisy world.
- Spirituality
- Connecting with something greater than yourself.
- Transcendence
- Rising beyond the self toward something timeless.
- Nature
- Caring for the living world that carries us.
- Legacy
- Building what will outlast you.
- Vocation
- Work that feels like a calling, not a job.
- Honesty
- Telling the truth, especially when it costs you.
- Tradition
- Honoring customs, heritage, and cultural roots.
This is the framework as it runs in the Values App today, a 2026 revision of the list printed in the book: Loyalty, Stability, Vitality, and Tradition joined it, while Collaboration, Adaptability, Physical Fitness, and Philanthropy were retired. If you're working from the book, both lists get you to the same place.
Prefer a print-friendly version? The PDF below is from the book too — ideal for workshops, journaling, or marking up with a pen.
A list is a good start, but it's not the only path in. There are many other ways to discover your core values — and if you'd rather be guided than browse, the free Values Assessment reveals your top five in about three minutes, no sign-up required.
An alphabetical list of 101 core values
Some people find categories helpful. Others find them limiting. If you're in the second camp, here's a broader, ungrouped directory to scan freely — well suited to organizations or individuals wanting to explore a wide spectrum without a framework nudging them one way or another.
What to do with your list
A shortlist of values becomes powerful the moment you use it. Rank your top three, test them against a real decision with the free Decision Matrix, and if you're choosing values for a team rather than a person, the Company Values Builder turns each one into behaviors, hiring questions, and rituals. Words on a list are the start. Living them is the point.
Discover your own core values
The free, research-backed Values App assessment reveals your top five in about three minutes — no sign-up required.
Take the free assessment