Who to live by

   Chaucer used his position in life to discover the various walks of life in his time. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by differing people who are going to the same place, Canterbury.
Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales using a modern style of English to appeal to everyone. This ability to appeal to everyone allowed him to express a common hubris among humans when it comes between living by reputation or by character.
 "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are, and your reputation is merely what others think of you."- John Wooden.