140 Self-Respect Quotes That Will Make You Bold

Here are 140 of the best self-respect quotes. Remember: there are no shortcuts to inner peace and happiness. It’s a long road totally worth it, so keep going. 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

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The Best Self-Respect Quotes

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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

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. Lao Tzu

Determination, courage, self-confidence lead to success, but we should always remain humble, modest and unpretentious. 14th Dalai Lama

Being honest with yourself is the highest form of self-respect. If you’re not feeling something, don’t do it. @DailyZen

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. 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

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

You are loved just for being who you are, just for existing. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. Your shortcomings, your lack of self-esteem, physical perfection, or social and economic success – none of that matters. No one can take this love away from you. Ram Dass

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

The goal is not to show how great you are to others, but how vulnerable you are to yourself. Maxime Lagacé

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.)

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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

If you set out to cheat and deceive others you’ll be tense and anxious in case you’re found out. But if you live your life and conduct your business on the basis of truth and honesty, it gives you a sense of satisfaction and self-confidence that is also a source of inner strength. 14th Dalai Lama

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

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 (See also: Benjamin Franklin about liberty and safety)

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

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Short Self-Respect Quotes

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One-liners, short self-respect quotes, sayings, thoughts and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, backgrounds.

Never trade respect for attention. Mel Robbins

Self-esteem is earned. Rhonda Byrne

Renounce all external authority. @TheAncientSage

Stop quitting when it gets hard. Tom Bilyeu

Real power comes from being real. @PersistentObser

Never lose yourself to find others. @PersistentObser

Self-respect knows no considerations. Mahatma Gandhi

Speak the truth or at least don’t lie. Jordan Peterson

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 (Do it anyway.)

By being kind to ourselves, we become kind to others. Pema Chödrön

Society rewards confidence. Nature rewards knowledge. James Pierce

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

Be honest with who you are. Be honest with who you are not. @PersistentObser

Instead of saving humanity, every person should save himself. Alexander Herzen

You are often your own harshest authority. Let yourself be free. @dailyzen

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

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Inspirational, Motivational, Uplifting Self-Respect Quotes

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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

Work on yourself. Build the confidence and gusto required to rise above your mental baggage. @DailyZen

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

Have good trust in yourself … not in the One that you think you should be, but in the One that you are. Maezumi Roshi

Real pleasure comes from overcoming challenges, feeling confidence in your abilities, and experiencing the power this brings. Robert Greene

Deep Self-Respect Quotes

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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 bring you calm. With calm, you’ll do the right thing. Sometimes, by doing the right thing, you’ll push some people. Do it anyway. Maxime Lagacé

Beware of people making you feel guilty. That is how they control you. @TheAncientSage

The #1 cause of having no self-respect is having no self-control. @LifeMathMoney

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

Humility is a knowledge of our weaknesses, confidence is a knowledge of our strengths, and ego is something dangerous with none of the former and a skewed sense of the latter. Ryan Holiday

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

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

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Wise Self-Respect Quotes (Words of Wisdom)

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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)

It’s very hard to respect yourself when you give in to every temptation. If you want to build self-respect, build your willpower. @LifeMathMoney

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 (See also: stoic quotes)

The person who has practiced philosophy as a cure for the self becomes great of soul, filled with confidence, invincible — and greater as you draw near. Seneca

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

High self-confidence is a positive internal dialogue. This is what most strive for. Perfect self-confidence is the complete absence of internal dialogue. Puzzlingly few people are interested in this. James Pierce

More helpful than any advice is an unflinching examination of oneself. James Pierce

Let them call you what they want. You don’t have to play the part they want you to play. Thibaut

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See also: How to Build Self-Esteem – The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden (6 minutes YouTube video by Fight Mediocrity)

Part 3. Self-Respect For…

Top 5 Self-Respect Quotes For Children

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The moon doesn’t have to be full to be loved. Neither do you. Hijo de Guadalupe

A tree doesn’t have to be straight to be loved. Neither do you. Maxime Lagacé

The more we value things, the less we value ourselves. Bruce Lee

As you face loss, frustration, hurt, and conflict….have respect for yourself, and patience and compassion. Jack Kornfield

Be gentle with yourself. You are doing the best you can. Paulo Coelho

Top 5 Self-Respect Quotes For Women

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Speak with confidence, the world needs your light. Gabby Bernstein

Every woman that finally figured out her worth, has picked up her suitcases of pride and boarded a flight to freedom, which landed in the valley of change. Shannon L. Alder

The most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself. The right person for you right now might be you. Mel Robbins

When you are compassionate toward yourself, you allow yourself to be vulnerable. And that’s incredibly important. Your authentic truth is your magnificence. Your willingness to let the world see you in truth is your greatest contribution. Gabby Bernstein

Some people treat you like they don’t know your value. Make sure your response doesn’t support the lie. Thema Bryant-Davis

Top 5 Self-Respect Quotes For Men

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Your value, your self-worth doesn’t come from another person. Joel Osteen

True belief in yourself is the ultimate determining factor if you make it or not. David Goggins

The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you’ll have with yourself. David Goggins (Can’t Hurt Me, Amazon book)

You must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, ‘Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.’ Don’t be resigned to that. Break out! John Keating (Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society)