Men and women throughout history are remembered for their selflessness, compassion and dedication to their people; their honorable qualities are clear in the minds of many. The word “honor” brings numerous people to mind: Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Franklin Delano Roosevelt are just a few of the thousands at hand. However, honor is a subjective term; occasionally socially unacceptable acts are considered admirable under the circumstances, such as Brutus' murder of Julius Caesar. A woman in French history, Charlotte Corday, has a similar story. Although infamous only for the murder of a French revolutionary leader, she, like Brutus, was truly an honorable individual. Before her execution, Charlotte Corday stated that "There are so few patriots who know how to die for their country" (GPS Faculty). This woman truly believed that if one truly wants to dedicate oneself to one's country, self-sacrifice is an inevitable act. Although this state of mind today is considered highly respectable, if not just, in Corday's time her well-intentioned actions were not appreciated by the French people. In 18th century France, honor was based not so much on one's actions, but on birth and social status. Honor could be bought; the more money you had, the more honorable you were assumed to be. Education also determined the level of honor; people assumed that an educated individual must have a clear knowledge of right and wrong. For this reason, the man killed by Charlotte Corday, Jean-Paul Marat, was loved by most of the French public. Marat had a lot of money, was very educated and was excellent at oratory. However, he instilled violence in the French people and Corday believed that...... middle of paper......s. Ed. GPS. Np, nd Web. 2 February 2012. Joubert, Giovanni. Running the day. Ed. WordPress. Wordpress, July 17, 1996. Web. February 6, 2012. .Lagasse, Paul. "Charlotte Corday." Encyclopedia of Colombia. 6th ed. 2008.N.pag. EbscoHost. Network. February 9, 2012. .Lebrun, Elizabeth V. History's Famous Affinities. Ed. Lyndon Orr. Amazon, October 2003. Web. 3 February 2012. Lewis, Jone J. “Charlotte Corday.” History of women. Ed. By. Information and Web. 2 February. 2012. .