By Maxime Lagacé
Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.
Here are 118 of the best self-respect quotes I could find. Remember: there are no shortcuts to inner peace, happiness, and self-respect. It’s a long road but it’s worth it. You’ll discover quotes by Einstein, Bruce Lee, Lao Tzu, and more. Enjoy!
Respect yourself and others will respect you. Confucius
I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself. Rita Mae Brown
Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy. Robert Tew
Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. Bruce Lee
Character — the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life — is the source from which self-respect springs. Joan Didion
Ego is false confidence, self-respect is true confidence. Naval Ravikant
If you don’t care to be liked, they can’t touch you. Naval Ravikant
If you have earned your self-respect, respect by others is a luxury; if you haven’t, respect by others is a necessity. Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. Marcus Aurelius
He that respects himself is safe from others. He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. Thich Nhat Hanh
The best gift you can give to others is your presence. The best gift you can give to yourself is perseverance. Maxime Lagacé
The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself. Michel de Montaigne
Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have. Robert Holden
Externally, be humble. Internally, be confident. James Clear
Related
- 140 Self-Esteem Quotes To Improve The Way You See Yourself
- 100 Be Yourself Quotes To Boost Your Courage And Confidence
- 61 Self-Care Quotes To Lift Your Spirits
The Best Self-Respect Quotes
Work to improve yourself, not prove yourself. Joshua Becker
Saying yes or maybe when we mean no, cheapens our word, diminishes our sense of self-respect, and compromises our integrity. Paulo Coelho
Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect. Marcus Aurelius
It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own. Marcus Aurelius
Determination, courage, self-confidence lead to success, but we should always remain humble, modest and unpretentious. 14th Dalai Lama
You become what you give your attention to…If you yourself don’t choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will. Epictetus
Above all, don’t lie to yourself. Fyodor Dostoevsky
Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself. Alan Watts
Every relationship you have is a reflection of your relationship with your self. Deepak Chopra
Make it a goal to see the best in everyone and the best will come back to you. Rhonda Byrne
To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight. E.E. Cummings
True reassurance: not that one’s plans will inevitably work out, but that one’s human worth is not on the line if they don’t. Alain de Botton
To express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself; that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee
Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. Ralph Charell
Be your authentic self, not the person you think other people expect you to be. Payal Kadakia
You’ll stop caring what people think about you when you realize how seldom they do. David Foster Wallace
If everybody loves you, something is wrong. Nobody can please everybody. Paulo Coelho
Part 2. Self-Respect Quotes That Are…
The Most Famous Self-Respect Quotes (Einstein, Franklin, Lao Tzu, etc.)
You can’t grow yourself unless you know yourself. John C. Maxwell
Everyone should be their own biggest fan. Kanye West
Self-respect. It would make me lovable. Susan Sontag
If we lose love and self-respect for each other, this is how we finally die. Maya Angelou
Your sense of self-worth comes from you alone — never the opinion of others. Robert Greene
Be not the slave of your own past – plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so you shall come back with new self-respect, with new power, and with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Success comes from curiosity, concentration, perseverance and self-criticism. Albert Einstein
A man can be himself only so long as he is alone, and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom, for it is only when he is alone that he is really free. Arthur Schopenhauer
While we are still alive, we have to discover ourselves, understand ourselves, and express ourselves. Bruce Lee
Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power. Clint Eastwood
We forfeit three quarters of ourselves in order to be like other people. Arthur Schopenhauer
Let thy vices die before thee. Benjamin Franklin
Love your neighbor; yet don’t pull down your hedge. Benjamin Franklin
Deny self for self’s sake. Benjamin Franklin
To be a human being among people and to remain one forever, no matter in what circumstances, not to grow despondent and not to lose heart — that’s what life is all about, that’s its task. Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you. Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Don’t put yourself down just to avoid criticism, to please others, or to show your “kindness”. The world needs light, not mediocrity. Paulo Coelho
We can discover truth for ourselves only when we do not depend on another; no specialist can give us the right answer. Jiddu Krishnamurti
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric. Bertrand Russell
If you have truly attained wholeness, everything will flock to you. Lao Tzu
Short Self-Respect Quotes
One-liners, short self-respect quotes, sayings, thoughts, and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, and backgrounds.
Never trade respect for attention. Mel Robbins
Stop quitting when it gets hard. Tom Bilyeu
Never lose yourself to find others. @PersistentObser
Self-respect knows no considerations. Mahatma Gandhi
You don’t need perfection, only progress. Maxime Lagacé
If you want to earn respect, just be honest. Preethi Kasireddy
They will call you arrogant for having self-respect. Thibaut
Speak the truth or at least don’t lie. Jordan Peterson
By being kind to ourselves, we become kind to others. Pema Chödrön
The more respect you give to others, the more you earn. Adam Grant
No one is going to value you more than you value yourself. Naval Ravikant
Instead of saving humanity, every person should save himself. Alexander Herzen
Who you are is defined by the values you are willing to struggle for. Mark Manson
Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage. Thucydides
Inspirational Self-Respect Quotes
He who loves the world as his body may be entrusted with the empire. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, Amazon book)
The person who deserves your gratitude more than anyone else is you. Rhonda Byrne
Have faith in yourselves, and stand up on that faith and be strong; that is what we need. Swami Vivekananda
Step into the fire of self-discovery. This fire will not burn you, it will only burn what you are not. Mooji
What is truly ambitious is to face life and proceed with quiet confidence in spite of the distractions. Ryan Holiday
Loving yourself isn’t the first step toward accomplishing anything. Many people have accomplished things and still find no peace with themselves. For them, any accomplishment will never be enough. But if you do love yourself, then any accomplishment is like icing on the cake. Thibaut
The most important, difficult and rewarding thing to work on is yourself. Sven Schnieders
Comfort is what holds you back, being yourself is what sets you free. @trey_wing6
Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you; it means learning to respect and use your own brains and instincts; hence, grappling with hard work. Adrienne Rich
When you stand up, speak up, and share your truth with kindness and compassion, you empower others to do the same. When you shine, your light illuminates everyone around you. Strengthening your confidence is a gift not only to yourself, but also to the world. Gabby Bernstein
When you learn to close your eyes, wait and listen, silence reveals a beautiful thing: yourself. Maxime Lagacé
Follow your heart. Once you find your deepest passion, work becomes play and learning becomes natural. Maxime Lagacé
Deep Self-Respect Sayings
Better “wrong” alone than “right” with the herd. Naval Ravikant
A thought is harmless unless we believe it. Byron Katie
If you wanna be liked, your only option is to never speak. Otherwise, get used to being hated. Preethi Kasireddy
Self-knowledge will make you calm. Being calm, you’ll do the right thing. Sometimes, by doing the right thing, you’ll push some people. Do it anyway. Maxime Lagacé
You do not wake up one morning a bad person. It happens by a thousand tiny surrenders of self-respect to self-interest. Robert Brault
Any titles, money, or privilege you inherit are actually hindrances. They delude you into believing you are owed respect. Robert Greene
If you want to be successful in life, respect one rule: never lie to yourself. Paulo Coelho
Quit wishing you were something different. There’s no mistakes. You’re not faulty. You have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Joel Osteen
The world is full of people who have stopped listening to themselves or have listened only to their neighbors to learn what they ought to do, how they ought to behave, and what the values are that they should be living for. Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth, Amazon book)
When you do not treat yourself the way you want others to treat you, you can never change the way things are. Rhonda Byrne
Those with high self-esteem and self-knowledge take the plunge and trust. They realize life happens in the river, not the shore. Maxime Lagacé
Show kindness but never expect it. Show authenticity but never expect it. Only the wise are indifferent to things they can’t control. Maxime Lagacé
The very things you cannot bring yourself to consider reveal the lies you have let yourself believe. James Pierce
You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are. Eckhart Tolle
As long as I’m so afraid of being alone, I’ll never be real. I’m hiding from myself. Susan Sontag
Related: 13 Signs It’s Time to Build Some Goddamn Self-Respect (lonerwolf.com)
Wise Self-Respect Sayings
Only in true stillness can we see ourselves most clearly. Anne Scottlin
You can only be as authentic as you are self-aware. Susan Campbell
Still your waters. If you’re constantly busy, you can’t learn about yourself. If you don’t learn about yourself, how can you become peaceful? Maxime Lagacé
If we saw someone else treating us the way most of us treat ourselves, we might think them despicably cruel. Alain de Botton
The attentions of others matter to us because we are afflicted by a congenital uncertainty as to our own value, as a result of which affliction we tend to allow others’ appraisals to play a determining role in how we see ourselves. Alain de Botton (Status Anxiety, Amazon book)
Stoicism helps us keep a better ledger of what things are truly worth. It places the highest value on honesty, on self-respect, on tranquility and freedom and security. Ryan Holiday
The most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect, to look at ourselves honestly and gently. Pema Chödrön
Self-discipline builds self-respect. Meditation is the ultimate act of self-discipline. @DailyZen
Question your thoughts. Question your stories. Question your assumptions. Question your opinions. Question your conclusions. Question them all into utter emptiness, stillness and joy. The keys to freedom are in your hands. Use them. Adyashanti
Do I do anything to change myself? You don’t have to do anything. The more you do, the worse it gets. All you have to do is understand. Anthony de Mello
More helpful than any advice is an unflinching examination of oneself. James Pierce
The wisest person in the world is the one who is indifferent to praise and criticism. Maxime Lagacé
Let them call you what they want. You don’t have to play the part they want you to play. Thibaut
Related: How to Build Self-Esteem (6-minute YouTube video by Fight Mediocrity)
Conclusion
The goal is not to show how great you are to others, but how vulnerable you are to yourself. Maxime Lagacé
Key Takeaways
- Self-respect is the art of:
- Listening to yourself
- Honoring yourself
- Expressing yourself
- Self-respect requires self-knowledge
- Those who have self-respect don’t conform to society
- The more self-respect you have, the more influence you have on others
- When you know who you are, you become indifferent to rewards and criticism (and life becomes easier)
Further Readings
- Topic: Happiness
- 100 Self-Worth Quotes To Value Yourself (Even More)
- 25 Killer Actions to Boost Your Self-Confidence (zenhabits.net)
- 75 Letting Go Quotes To Help You Live Free
- How To Be Happy: The 6 Happiness Pillars You Must Know
- How To Improve Your Mental Health – 36 Wellness Tips
Hope you enjoyed these inspiring self-respect quotes. If you did like the quotes, please share them with a friend today!
Do you have self-respect? What’s your favorite self-respect quote? And remember: words can transform your life, if you find the right ones.
Table Of Contents
Part 1
Top 15 Images
Best Quotes
Part 2
Self-Respect Quotes That ARE
Famous
Short
Inspirational
Deep
Wise
Part 3
Conclusion
