A desire for respect is often found in a variety of settings—at home, the workplace, the mirror, with friends, and more. And just like the Golden Rule of treating others the way we wish to be treated, being polite and courteous is a two-way street. Whether we have mom friends with distinct parenting styles, bosses with busy schedules, or family members with different religious views, truly respecting other individuals is key when it comes to creating and maintaining healthy connections. Besides the common respect we strive to have with others in our day-to-day lives, there are even more opportunities to showcase this trait of deep admiration. As many of the below quotes about respect express, it is difficult to have a presence that commands respect if you do not already respect yourself. Self-respect is imperative, not only because it impacts the way you are viewed by others, but because it encourages a positive view of self. Similarly, people who are able to respect fluctuating circumstances that come their way are able to take challenges in stride, believing that there are lessons to be learned along the journey. All we’re askin’ is for a little respect—enjoy these 100 respect quotes!
100 Respect Quotes
- “Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” — Bruce Lee
- “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” — Jackie Robinson
- “There is no respect for others without humility in one’s self.” — Henri Frederic Amiel
- “That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong.” — William J.H. Boetcker
- “The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.” — William Hazlitt
- “Respect is one of life’s greatest treasures. I mean, what does it all add up to if you don’t have that?” — Marilyn Monroe
- “A person that does not value your time will not value your advice.” — Orrin Woodward
- “Respect people who trust you. It takes a lot for people to trust you, so treat their trust like precious porcelain.” — Brandon Cox
- “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?” — Confucius
- “I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little or make a poem which children will speak for you when you’re dead.” — Tom Stoppard
- “Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.” — Sandra Day O’Connor
- “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” — Richard Bach
- “If we lose our love and self-respect and respect for each other, this is how we will finally die.” — Maya Angelou
- “I have seen many storms in my life. Most storms have caught me by surprise, so I had to learn very quickly to look further and understand that I am not capable of controlling the weather, to exercise the art of patience and to respect the fury of nature.” — Paulo Coelho
- “We may not be able to stop evil in the world, but how we treat one another is entirely up to us.” — Barack Obama
- “I have great respect for the past. If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going. I have respect for the past, but I’m a person of the moment. I’m here, and I do my best to be completely centered at the place I’m at, then I go forward to the next place.” — Maya Angelou
- “Humility and respect tells much more about your background than your personality.” — Kate Iroegbu
- “Respect… is the appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique.” — Annie Gottlieb
- “The truest form of love is how you behave toward someone, not how you feel about them.” — Steve Hall
- “Never respect men merely for their riches, but rather for their philanthropy; we do not value the sun for its height, but for its use.” — Gamaliel Bailey
- “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.” — Albert Einstein
- “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.” — Laurence Sterne
- “We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other’s opposite and complement.” — Hermann Hesse
- “If we would build on a sure foundation in friendship, we must love our friends for their sakes rather than for our own.” — Charlotte Brontë
- “I believe that working with good people matters because then the work environment is good. If there is a sense of respect and belief among the people you work with, that is when good work is done.” — Ranbir Kapoor
- “Make improvements, not excuses. Seek respect, not attention.” — Roy T. Bennett
- “Respect for the truth comes close to being the basis for all morality.” — Frank Herbert
- “When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be.” — Thomas S. Monson
- “I hope that everyone has the opportunity, whatever their work environment may be, to be surrounded by people that they respect and are inspired by.” — Janet Varney
- “I cannot conceive of a greater loss than the loss of one’s self-respect.” — Mahatma Gandhi
- “We don’t need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful.” — Taylor Swift
- “If you are confident that something brings you joy, keep it, regardless of what anyone else might say. Even if it isn’t perfect, no matter how mundane it might be, when you use it with care and respect, you transform it into something priceless.” — Marie Kondo
- “There is overwhelming evidence that the higher the level of self-esteem, the more likely one will be to treat others with respect, kindness, and generosity.” — Nathaniel Branden
- “Psychologists tell us that your level of self-esteem - how much you like and respect yourself - is the key measure of how happy you are in any area of your life.” — Brian Tracy
- “It’s very dramatic when two people come together to work something out[…], what is really exciting to me is to see people with differing views come together and finally respect each other.” — Fred Rogers
- “Consistency is a key element, without which a leader is incapable of getting respect, success or even developing confidence in others.” — Daniel Transon
- “Respect is one of the greatest expressions of love.” — Don Miguel Ruiz
- “If you want to be respected by others, the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “By showing your children that you acknowledge their ideas, views, and decisions, you are being a good example of respect.” — Bethany Bridges
- “I have a respect for manners as such, they are a way of dealing with people you don’t agree with or like.” — Margaret Mead
- “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.” — Lao Tzu
- “To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.” — Bono
- “If you are not being treated with respect, don’t be a doormat.” — Robert Tain
- “A hypocrite despises those whom he deceives, but has no respect for himself. He would make a dupe of himself too, if he could.” — William Hazlitt
- “I like people who refuse to speak until they are ready to speak.” — Lillian Hellman
- “I have no right, by anything I do or say, to demean a human being in his own eyes. What matter is not what I think of him; it is what he thinks of himself. To undermine a man’s self-respect is a sin.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
- “He who wants a rose must respect her thorn.” — André Gide
- “Respect the burden.” — Napoleon Bonaparte
- “Nothing of real worth can ever be bought. Love, friendship, honour, valour, respect. All these things have to be earned.” — David Gemmell
- “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” — Bryant H. McGill
- “Be a warrior when it comes to delivering on your ambitions. And a saint when it comes to treating people with respect, modeling generosity, and showing up with outright love.” — Robin S. Sharma
- “When you show people kindness and respect, despite petty differences, you are bringing positive vibes into your life and into the lives of others.” — Jason Scotts
- “As you get older, you grow and mature, and that should never stop. As soon as you stop growing, you’re done living. I’ll always be growing, forever learning, forever taking in advice from people I deeply respect.” — Odell Beckham, Jr.
- “Self-respect grows from living a life you admire. Self-respect comes from looking inward.” — Deborah Norville
- “I’ve been in enough positions to respect people with different views.” — Condoleezza Rice
- “It is so important to get respect for what you do and at the same time give it.” — Estelle Parsons
- “I cherish and respect everything I own and I feel so lucky to have it.” — Sophie Hinch
- “Be kind, don’t judge, and have respect for others. If we can all do this, the world would be a better place. The point is to teach this to the next generation.” — Jasmine Guinness
- “When we respect someone, we are acknowledging and appreciating their role in society or in our life.” — Jennifer Freed
- “We emerged out of nature, and when we die, we return to nature. We need to know there are forces impinging on us that we will never understand or control. We need to have sacred places where we go with respect, not just looking for resources or opportunity.” — David Suzuki
- “To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves - there lies the great, singular power of self-respect.” — Joan Didion
- “We should keep the dead before our eyes, and honor them as though still living.” — Confucius
- “You find when you pursue a life of greater health and happiness, you then treat the body you have with dignity, respect, and absolute care.” — Dale Roberts
- “Openness, respect, integrity - these are principles that need to underpin pretty much every other decision that you make.” — Justin Trudeau
- “You will never gain anyone’s approval by begging for it. When you stand confident in your own worth, respect follows.” — Mandy Hale
- “There are a lot of attitudes among workers that can lead to a better workplace and these can be as simple as respect for others, laughter, understanding, and compromise.” — Catherine Pulsifer
- “Perhaps the surest test of an individual’s integrity is his refusal to do or say anything that would damage his self-respect.” — Thomas S. Monson
- “We do not possess our home, our children, or even our own body. They are only given to us for a short while to treat with care and respect.” — Buddha
- “A respectable appearance is sufficient to make people more interested in your soul.” — Karl Lagerfeld
- “You can demand courtesy but you have to earn respect.” — Lawrence Goldstone
- “When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” — Dalai Lama
- “We value virtue but do not discuss it. The honest bookkeeper, the faithful wife, the earnest scholar get little of our attention compared to the embezzler, the tramp, the cheat.” — John Steinbeck
- “Different people have different opinions, and it’s okay to respect all of them.” — Juan Pablo Galavis
- “Politeness [is] a sign of dignity, not subservience.” — Theodore Roosevelt
- “Be loyal to those who are loyal to you. And respect everyone, even your enemies and competition.” — John Cena
- “It is better to be alone than in bad company.” — George Washington
- “Once you figure out what respect tastes like, it tastes better than attention. But you have to get there.” — Pink
- “A wise mother knows: It is her state of consciousness that matters. Her gentleness and clarity command respect. Her love creates security.” — Vimala McClure
- “Your suffering needs to be respected. Don’t try to ignore the hurt, because it is real. Just let the hurt soften you instead of hardening you. Let the hurt open you instead of closing you. Let the hurt send you looking for those who will accept you instead of hiding from those who reject you.” — Bryant McGill
- “We should all consider each other as human beings, and we should respect each other.” — Malala Yousafzai
- “Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around. Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you. Spend your life with people who make you smile, laugh, and feel loved.” — Roy T. Bennett
- “Life is short, and we should respect every moment of it.” — Orhan Pamuk
- “Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of – for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” — Socrates
- “I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity.” — Julius Erving
- “Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be.” — Leo Tolstoy
- “I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said ‘I want to be let alone!’ There is all the difference.” — Greta Garbo
- “Talent is given by God but you should respect it by doing good work.” — Johnny Lever
- “If you spend your life sparing people’s feelings and feeding their vanity, you get so you can’t distinguish what should be respected in them.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
- “Friendship - my definition - is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don’t have trust, the friendship will crumble.” — Stieg Larsson
- “Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.” — Albert Einstein
- “Tolerance isn’t about not having beliefs. It’s about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you.” ― Timothy Keller
- “What is home? My favorite definition is ‘a safe place,’ a place where one is free from attack, a place where one experiences secure relationships and affirmation. It’s a place where people share and understand each other. Its relationships are nurturing. The people in it do not need to be perfect; instead, they need to be honest, loving, supportive, recognizing a common humanity that makes all of us vulnerable.” — Gladys Hunt
- “Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.” — Albert Camus
- “Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
- “Love is honesty. Love is a mutual respect for one another.” — Simone Elkeles
- “If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.” — Louis D. Brandeis
- “You get respect when you give respect. That’s how you get respect.” — Michael Nutter
- “It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters.” — Amit Ray
- “The final test of a gentleman is his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.” — William Lyon Phelps
- “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.” — Clint Eastwood Check out:- 101 confidence quotes- 125 best self-love quotes- 125 loyalty quotes- 150 goals quotes
