The 24 VIA character strengths

Updated November 9, 2026

The VIA classification lists 24 character strengths under six virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence. Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman published it in 2004, and it is the basis of the free VIA Survey.

The 24 character strengths by virtue, as the VIA Institute lists them
Virtue	Strengths
Wisdom	Creativity, Curiosity, Judgment, Love of Learning, Perspective
Courage	Bravery, Honesty, Perseverance, Zest
Humanity	Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence
Justice	Teamwork, Fairness, Leadership
Temperance	Forgiveness, Humility, Prudence, Self-Regulation
Transcendence	Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Gratitude, Hope, Humor, Spirituality

A few names differ from the table in Seligman and colleagues (2005): open-mindedness is now judgment, authenticity is honesty, persistence is perseverance, modesty is humility and religiousness is spirituality.

What each strength means

Wisdom: creativity (new and useful ways to do things), curiosity (interest in everything), judgment (thinking things through from all sides), love of learning (mastering new skills and topics), perspective (giving wise advice).
Courage: bravery (not shrinking from challenge), honesty (speaking the truth, being genuine), perseverance (finishing what you start), zest (approaching life with energy).
Humanity: love (valuing close relationships), kindness (doing good for others), social intelligence (being aware of your own and others' motives and feelings).
Justice: teamwork (working well in a group), fairness (treating everyone the same), leadership (organizing group activities and making them happen).
Temperance: forgiveness (forgiving those who have done wrong), humility (letting your accomplishments speak), prudence (being careful about your choices), self-regulation (managing what you feel and do).
Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence (noticing beauty and skill in every part of life), gratitude (being thankful for the good things that happen), hope (expecting the best and working for it), humor (bringing smiles to others), spirituality (a sense of meaning and purpose).

The most common strengths

Across 40 countries, the strengths adults most often rated as "most like me" were kindness, fairness, authenticity (now honesty), gratitude and open-mindedness (now judgment); prudence, modesty (now humility) and self-regulation were consistently among the lesser ones (Park, Peterson and Seligman, reported in Seligman and colleagues, 2005).

How to know yours

Take the free VIA Survey (what to expect), then ask friends which two of the 24 they see in you, with one moment each. Strengths in both lists confirm your signature strengths.

Add a friend's first name and get a link to text them. Each friend shares a moment, no app or sign-up. You see the strengths that come back. Free.

Ask my friends

Questions

What are the 24 character strengths?

Creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, perspective, bravery, honesty, perseverance, zest, love, kindness, social intelligence, teamwork, fairness, leadership, forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation, appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor and spirituality.

What are the six virtues in the VIA classification?

Wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence. Each groups three to five character strengths.

Who created the VIA classification?

Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, published in 2004 in Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification.