80 Quotes on the Value of Self-Respect and How to Build It

Self-respect is an element of a healthy outlook on ourselves that takes time to build. There are a few ways to build self-respect, and these 80 quotes can teach you how.

A person with self-respect handles oneself with pride and dignity. It also involves learning how to love the self. You have healthy self-respect when you know your worth.

Refusing to allow other people's opinions to inform your choices and who you should be is a critical example of self-respect. But this can be difficult to build and maintain if your life has been challenging.

Like many other things in life, self-respect can be rebuilt once broken. Focusing on the positive aspects of your character, learning to access self-compassion, and letting go of others' judgments are great ways to start. Reading and reflecting on these 80 quotes is another great way to help develop self-respect.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s quote: “He that respects himself is safe from others. He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce.” | Image: AmoDays

QUOTES ON THE VALUE OF SELF RESPECT

"Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have." — Robert Holden

"Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where 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

"If we lose love and self-respect for each other, this is how we finally die." — Maya Angelou

"Only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you." — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

"He that respects himself is safe from others. He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce." — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s quote: “Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where 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.” | Image: AmoDays

"If you don't have self-respect; if you don't have dignity, if you don't have some true knowledge of self and who you are and where you're coming from, then you're absolutely lost." — Immortal Technique

"All you got in life is your honor, man, your own self-image, your own self-respect. If you lose that, or if you give it away or if you sell it, then you ain't got it no more." — Lemmy Kilmister

"There is no use in simply acquiring titles or amassing wealth if one has no self-respect and scientific knowledge." — Periyar E. V. Ramasamy

"The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself." ― Michel de Montaigne

QUOTES ABOUT BUILDING CHARACTER

"Character — the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life — is the source from which self-respect springs." — Joan Didion

Benjamin Franklin’s quote: “Let thy vices die before thee.” | Image: AmoDays

"Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye." ― Helen Keller

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy." ― Norman Vincent Peale

"The best lightning rod for your protection is your own spine." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

"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 Dostoyevsky

"You might not have a car or big gold chain, stay true to yourself, and things will change." — Snoop Dogg

Abraham Joshua Heschel’s quote: “Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.” | Image: AmoDays

"Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself." — Marcus Aurelius

"The best gift you can give to others is your presence. The best gift you can give to yourself is perseverance." — Maxime Lagacé

"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

"Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy." — Robert Tew

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote: “The best lightning rod for your protection is your own spine.” | Image: AmoDays

"Make it a goal to see the best in everyone, and the best will come back to you." — Rhonda Byrne

"Let thy vices die before thee." — Benjamin Franklin

"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

"Never violate the sacredness of your individual self-respect." — Theodore Parker

"Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself." — Abraham Joshua Heschel

Helen Keller’s quote: “Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” | Image: AmoDays

"Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage." — Thucydides

"A man with self-confidence has a natural smile on his face, sense in his mind, and strength in his hands." — Amit Kalantri

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." ― Sir Edmund Hillary

"I am beginning to measure myself in strength, not pounds. Sometimes in smiles." ― Laurie Halse Anderson

"If you want to find the real competition, just look in the mirror. After a while, you'll see your rivals scrambling for second place." ― Criss Jami

Paulo Coelho’s quote: “Saying yes or maybe when we mean no cheapens our word, diminishes our sense of self-respect, and compromises our integrity.” | Image: AmoDays

"There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man...true nobility is in being superior to your previous self." ― Hindu Proverb

"Self-pity gets you nowhere." ― Harry Emerson Fosdick

"One's dignity may be assaulted...cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered." ― Michael J. Fox

"To establish true self-esteem, we must concentrate on our successes and forget about the negatives in our lives." ― Denis Waitley

"The respect you show to others (or lack thereof) is an immediate reflection on your self-respect." — Alex Elle

Marcus Aurelius’ quote: “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” | Image: AmoDays

QUOTES ON BUILDING SELF LOVE

"Every relationship you have is a reflection of your relationship with yourself." — Deepak Chopra

"Happiness is the highest form of self-respect. A person who allows himself to be happy shows his self-respect." — Marty Rubin

"To love yourself, truly love yourself, is to finally discover the essence of personal courage, self-respect, integrity, and self-esteem. These are the qualities of grace that come directly from a soul with stamina." — Caroline Myss

"Do not be scared to say 'I love you' to yourself. Stand in front of the mirror and look at yourself and say to yourself as loudly as you can, 'I love you. I respect you for what you have faced in life. And I love you for what you have become.'" — Avijeet Das

"When you like yourself, you are free to enjoy others, and in your presence, people experience an invitation to become and enjoy who they truly are." — Stasi Eldredge

s.r.w’s haiku: “Self love is a revolution that every atom in your body is marching for.” | Image: AmoDays

"'If you can't say something nice, don't say anything. Talking nicely also applies when you're talking to yourself." ― Victoria Moran

"Self-belief is not self-centered. We can only fight effectively for others if we already believe in ourselves." ― Carla H. Krueger

"A person learns how to love himself through the simple acts of loving and being loved by someone else." ― Haruki Murakami

"Self-love is a revolution that every atom in your body is marching for."— s.r.w

"You're always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company." ― Diane Von Furstenberg

Jack Kornfield's quote: “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” | Image: AmoDays

"If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think." ― T. Harv Eker

"Wouldn't it be powerful if you fell in love with yourself so deeply that you would do just about anything if you knew it would make you happy? This is precisely how much life loves you and wants you to nurture yourself. The deeper you love yourself, the more the universe will affirm your worth. Then you can enjoy a lifelong love affair that brings you the richest fulfillment from inside out." ― Alan Cohen

"The universe took its time on you; Crafted you to offer the world something different from everyone else. When you doubt how you were created, you doubt an energy greater than us both." — Rupi Kaur

"At the core of your heart, you are perfect and pure. No one and nothing can alter that." ― Amit Ray

"Once you embrace your value, it neutralizes when others think less of you." ― Rob Liano

Caroline Myss’ quote: “To love yourself, truly love yourself, is to finally discover the essence of personal courage, self-respect, integrity, and self-esteem. These are the qualities of grace that come directly from a soul with stamina.” | Image: AmoDays

"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." ― Jack Kornfield

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance." ― Oscar Wilde

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ― Marianne Williamson

"To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don't wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now." ― Alan Cohen

"I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows I'm me." ― Elizabeth Taylor

Amit Ray’s quote: “At the core of your heart, you are perfect and pure. No one and nothing can alter that.” | Image: AmoDays

"I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself." ― Charlotte Brontë

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you." ― Lao Tzu

"You are gold. Do not set yourself on fire to keep other people warm." ― Sade Andria Zabala

"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

"Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends." ― Aberjhani

Carla H. Krueger’s quote: “Self-belief is not self-centered. We can only fight effectively for others if we already believe in ourselves.” | Image: AmoDays

QUOTES ON LETTING GO OF OTHER'S OPINIONS

"I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself." — Rita Mae Brown

"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

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself." — Thich Nhat Hanh

"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

Frederick Douglass’ quote: “I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others.” | Image: AmoDays

"Your sense of self-worth comes from you alone — never the opinion of others." — Robert Greene

"We forfeit three-quarters of ourselves in order to be like other people." — Arthur Schopenhauer

"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

"Everything and anything we communicate to others, communicate to them, how to see us and treat us." — Miya Yamanouchi

Marcus Aurelius’ quote: “It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinion than our own.” | Image: AmoDays

"Not being yourself is the worst form of self-disrespect." — Mokokoma Mokhonoana

"We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and—in spite of True Romance magazines—we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely—at least, not all the time—but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don't see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness." ― Hunter S. Thompson

"In youth, it was a way I had, to do my best to please. And change, with every passing lad, to suit his theories. But now I know the things I know and do the things I do. And if you do not like me so, to hell, my love, with you."― Dorothy Parker

"Respect yourself, and others will respect you." ― Confucius

"You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It's their mistake, not my failing." ― Richard P. Feynman

Rob Liano’s quote: “Once you embrace your value, it neutralizes when others think less of you.” | Image: AmoDays

"One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself." ― Shannon L. Alder

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others." ― Frederick Douglass

“The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.” ― Virginia Woolf

"Care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner." — Lao Tzu

Thich Nhat Hanh’s’s quote: “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” | Image: AmoDays

Once you have built and maintained self-respect, you will know how to care for yourself and prioritize things that matter to you.

Try not to let other people's opinions about you get under your skin. Speak positively to and about yourself. And finally, remain true to yourself and your values, and you will be able to maintain unshakeable respect for yourself.

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