160 Classy Gentleman Quotes To Help You Earn Respect

These motivational gentleman quotes will inspire you to become an upstanding member of society.

These inspirational quotes will encourage you on your journey of elegance and self-improvement.

Using the comment section below, tell us what it means to you to be a gentleman.

According to a survey by YouGov, 88% of Americans believe that having good manners and being polite is important, highlighting the value that society places on being a gentleman.

This underscores the social and cultural significance of being an upstanding member of society.

What Are The Benefits Of Reading Gentleman Quotes?

Being a gentleman comes down to action and behavior.

Anyone can indulge in a life of class and acclaim if they make the right choices.

This collection of wise words will teach you how to be the perfect gentleman.

Gentlemen still exist in the world today, but they are rare.

A modern gentleman lives a life of:

• honor
• determination
• humility
• respect

It’s difficult to always maintain a thoughtful and dapper demeanor, but these gentleman quotes will help you take action and become a better man.

Show these quotes to your husband or boyfriend if you want to encourage them to act like a modern gentleman.

These incredible pieces of advice come from the minds of celebrities, philosophers, and other leading experts on true gentlemen. 

Don’t forget to also read these good man quotes that will inspire you to do your best.

If you like this article, we suggest you explore our most popular quotes article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily encouragement. 

Check out more inspirational quotes on our motivational quotes category page.

Gentleman Quotes That Will Inspire You To Live A Classy, Dapper Life

According to a study by the University of Queensland, individuals who display pro-social behaviors, such as being kind, respectful, and empathetic, are perceived as more attractive and desirable as partners.

This demonstrates the potential social and romantic benefits of being a gentleman.

1. “A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.” – George Bernard Shaw

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2. “A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me.” – Frederick Douglass

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3. “A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else.” – George Savile 

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4. “A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone’s feelings unintentionally.” – Oscar Wilde

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5. “Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.” – Henri Bergson

6. “It is almost a definition of a gentleman to say that he is one who never inflicts pain.” – John Henry Newman

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7. “Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him.” – John Locke

8. “Being male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of age. But being a gentleman is a matter of choice.” – Vin Diesel 

9. “Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor.” – Benjamin Disraeli

10. “With a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and with a fraud I try to be a fraud and a half.” – Otto von Bismarck

Gentleman Quotes That Will Inspire You To Make The Right Choices

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 68% of American adults believe that being honest and ethical is more important for leaders than having impressive accomplishments or experience.

This highlights society’s value on integrity and ethical behavior, which are important qualities of a gentleman.

11. “As a general rule, it pays to be confident, helpful and nice.” – Colin Wright

12. “A gentleman is never rude except on purpose – I can honestly be nasty sober, believe you me.” – Christopher Hitchens

13. “Don’t raise your voice. Improve your argument.” – Desmond Tutu

14. “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.” – Bob Dylan   

15. “I would like to think that I’m a gentleman and a nice guy.” – Logic

16. “A gentleman knows his actions carry more weight than any words spoken.” – Unknown

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17. “Whether the gentleman is capable or not, he is loved all the same; conversely the petty man is loathed all the same.” – Xun Kuang

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18. “Prayer gives a man the opportunity of getting to know a gentleman he hardly ever meets. I do not mean his maker, but himself.” – William Inge

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19. “No gentleman ever discusses any relationship with a lady.” – Keith Miller

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20. “Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.” – Theodore Roosevelt

These inspiring promise quotes about keeping your word will remind you to always be honest and honorable.

Gentleman Quotes To Encourage You On Your Journey Of Elegance And Self-Improvement

21. “Choose being kind over being right and you’ll be right every time.” – Richard Carlson

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22. “My ideal man is faithful, honest, and a gentleman who knows how to treat women.” – Irina Shayk

23. “Excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.” – Ralph Marston

24. “For me, the best thing you can do as a man in loving someone is to do your best, go on that walk, and at the end of that walk be as much of a gentleman as you were in the beginning.” – Ryan Adams

25. “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” – William Ernest Henley

26. “This is the final test of a gentleman: his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.” – William Lyon Phelps

27. “A gentleman is simply a patient wolf.” – Lana Turner

28. “I think you should take your job seriously, but not yourself. That is the best combination.” – Dame Judi Dench   

29. “Profaneness is a brutal vice. He who indulges in it is no gentleman.” – Edwin Hubbel Chapin

30. “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill

Gentleman Quotes To Give You A Fresh Perspective

31. “I was brought up to be a gentleman. That means you know how to walk, talk and dress the part.” – Brian McKnight

32. “Hardship is the native soil of manhood and self-reliance.” – John Neal

33. “It’s attention to detail that makes the difference between average and stunning.” – Francis Atterbury

34. “I’m a gentleman, if nothing else. It’s taken me years to become one, but finally I have a sense of propriety.” – Eric Stoltz

35. “The look of a gentleman is little else than the reflection of the looks of the world.” – William Hazlitt

36. “If you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’ Brien

37. “I am a gentleman. My natural inclination is to be on my best behavior.” – Joe Wilson

38. “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates 

39. “The word of a gentleman is as good as his bond; and sometimes better.” – Charles Dickens

40. “Good manners are just a way of showing other people that we have respect for them.” – Bill Kelly

More Gentleman Quotes To Inspire You

41. “Anyone can be heroic from time to time, but a gentleman is something you have to be all the time.” – Luigi Pirandello

42. “Masculinity is not something given to you, but something you gain. And you gain it by winning small battles with honor.” – Norman Mailer

43. “A man is only as good as his words are.” – Frank Sinatra

44. “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

45. “If they respect you, respect them. If they disrespect you, still respect them.” – Mohammad Zeyara

46. “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.” – Laurence Sterne

47. “The very first thing you learn if you’re a gentleman is that you never compare one woman to another. That’s the way of all death.” – Patrick Macnee

48. “A gentleman has his eyes on all those present; he is tender toward the bashful, gentle toward the distant, and merciful toward the absent.” – Lawrence G. Lovasik

49. “A true gentleman is one who is never unintentionally rude.” – Unknown

50. “And though it is much to be a nobleman, it is more to be a gentleman.” – Anthony Trollope

Gentleman Quotes That Show Why They’re Important

51. “A true gentleman is one that apologizes anyways, even though he has not offended a lady intentionally. He is in a class all of his own because he knows the value of a woman’s heart.” -Shannon Alder

52. “A gentleman is someone who does not what he wants to do, but what he should do.”  -Haruki Murakami

53. “Chivalry: It’s the little boy that kisses my hand, the young man who holds the door open for me, and the old man who tips his hat to me. None of it is a reflection of me, but a reflection of them.” – Donna Lynn Hope 

54. “The gentleman is dignified but not arrogant. The small man is arrogant but not digified.” -Confucius

55. “A gentleman by definition is a man who makes everyone around him feel comfortable. Arrogance who only thinks of himself without considering the needs of others is the opposite of a gentleman. They can both be wealthy, they don’t have to be, but they cannot both be gentlemen.” -Oliver Oyanadel

56. “Though he was her enemy, he treated her with unfailing courtesy.” – Jacqueline Carey

57.“he was a gentleman on whom I built / an absolute trust.” ― Sharon Olds

58. “A gentleman, I hope it will become clear, is not simply a man who stands apart. He is a man who stands up for others—sometimes even for his enemies—often when those others have no clue that he is there for them.” – Brad Miner

59. “Gentlemen always walk ladies home.” – Gabriellyn Gidman

60. “Austen suggests that a gentleman is made, not born – and made only through a process of painful self-reflection and discovery.” – Emily Auerbach 

Insightful Quotes To Make You A Better Gentleman

61. “Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.” – Greg King

62. “A man does what he must—in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures—and that is the basis of all human morality.” – Winston Churchill

63. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Ian Maclaren

64. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

65. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs

66. “Be humble. Be hungry. And be the hardest worker in the room.” – Dwayne Johnson

67. “Celebrate the effort, for it is in the trying that you discover you.” – Sima Dahl

68. “Don’t hide your scars, they make you who you are.” – Frank Sinatra

69. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Steve Martin

Gentleman Quotes About How To Be A Good Man

70. “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill

71. “Don’t wait until you are ready to take action. Instead, take action to be ready.” – Jensen Siaw

72. “I live my life through fear. If I’m afraid of it I’ll do it just so I’m not afraid of it anymore.” – Jeremy Renner

73. “You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry.” – Abraham Lincoln

74. “Hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but it improves its chances.” – B.J. Gupta

75. “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson

76. “I walk slowly, but never backward.” – Abraham Lincoln

77. “Looking good isn’t self-importance; it’s self-respect.” – Charles Nix

78. “Make it simple, but significant.” – Don Draper

79. “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth

80. “Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons.” – Michael Jackson

Gentleman Quotes To Understand Their Character

81. “The gentleman is calm and at ease. The gentleman is dignified but not proud; the small man is proud but not dignified.” ― Confucius

82.  “No real gentleman will tell the naked truth in the presence of ladies.” ― Mark Twain

83. “Being a gentleman is a worthy goal.” ― Orlando Bloom

84. “A gentleman makes friends by learning together with others, and he looks to friends to help him cultivate benevolence.” ― Zengzi

85. “The object of golf is not just to win. It is to play like a gentleman, and win.” ― Phil Mickelson

86. “A gentleman is not disturbed by anything.” ― Aristotle

87.  “Propriety of manners, and consideration for others, are the two main characteristics of a gentleman.” ― Benjamin Disraeli

88. A gentleman can live through anything.” ― William Faulkner

89. “A gentleman is any man who wouldn’t hit a woman with his hat on.” ― Fred Allen

90. “A gentleman wishes to be slow to speak and quick to act.” ― Confucius

Gentleman Quotes About Their Kind Nature

91. “A gentleman has ease without familiarity, is respectful without meanness; genteel without affectation, insinuating without seeming art.” — Lord Chesterfield

92. “Honest men are the gentlemen of nature.” — Edward Bulwer-Lytton

93. “I received many years of good advice from my father – how to live, how to play, how to be a gentleman.” — Arnold Palmer

94. “An inebriated elderly gentleman in the last depths of shabbiness… played the calm and virtuous old men.” — Charles Dickens

95. “The gentleman desires to be halting in speech but quick in action.” — Confucius

96.  “A gentleman of one of the first fortunes upon the continent…sacrificing his ease, and hazarding all in the cause of his country.” — John Quincy Adams

97. In proceeding to the dining-room, the gentleman gives one arm to the lady he escorts–it is unusual to offer both.” — Lewis Carroll

98. “I’ll do business with anyone, but I’ll only go sailing with gentlemen.” — J. P. Morgan

99. “That man will never be a perfect gentleman who lives only with gentlemen. To be a man of the world, we must view that world in every grade and in every perspective.” — Edward Bulwer-Lytton

100. “A gentleman does not promote a man on account of what he says; nor does he reject sayings, because the speaker is what he is.” — Confucius

Gentleman Quotes About Their Personality

101. “A gentleman is one who understands and shows every mark of deference to the claims of self-love in others, and exacts it in return from them.” ― William Hazlitt

102. “The flowering of civilization is the finished man—the man of sense, of grace, of accomplishment, of social power—the gentleman.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

103. “A real gentleman is as polite to a little girl as to a woman.” ― Louisa May Alcott

104. “Repose and cheerfulness are the badge of the gentleman—repose in energy.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

105. “A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn’t.” ― Tom Waits

106. “However much the right honorable gentleman may dance around the ring beforehand, at some point, he will come within the reach of a big clunking fist.” ― Tony Blair

107. “A man who needs women to prove his worth is a man who’ll never be worthy. A Gentleman finds his worth in himself and his pride in a women.” ― Moyo Adekoya

108. “Arrive as a king, leave as a legend, be remembered as a gentleman.” ― Ankeet Patel

109. “Be well dressed, behave like a gentleman, and keep your shoes shined.” ― Joseph Abboud

110. “Being a gentleman has nothing to do with the circumstances of one’s birth. Being a gentleman is something one learns.” ― Harry Hart

Timeless Gentleman Quotes To Make You Kind

111. “We must be gentle now we are gentlemen.” ― William Shakespeare

112. “There is rough work to be done, and rough men must do it; there is gentle work to be done, and gentlemen must do it.” ― John Ruskin

113. “The Perfect Gentlemen are perfectly delightful, musically superb and thoroughly entertaining.” ― David Zippel

114. “We gentlemen, whose chariot’s roll only upon the four aces, are apt to have a wheel out of order.” ― John Vanbrugh

115. “My master hath been an honorable gentleman; tricks he hath had in him which gentlemen have.” ― William Shakespeare

116. “What I will no longer accept is the mediocre life of a modest little gentleman.” ― Joan Miro

117. “The manner of a vulgar man has freedom without ease, and the manner of a gentleman has ease without freedom.” ― Lord Chesterfield

118. “There is no such passion in human nature, as the passion for gravy among commercial gentlemen.” ― Charles Dickens

119. “When a gentlemen is disposed to swear, it is not for any standers-by to curtail his oaths.” ― William Shakespeare

120. “I do pity unlearned gentlemen on a rainy day.” ― Lucius Cary

Gentleman Quotes To Enhance Your Good Qualities

121. “You are mistaken; he is not a gentleman but a sir. Just a sir. For a gentleman is grander and a rare acquaintance.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

122. “The definition of a gentleman is a man who enters a revolving door in front of you and exits behind you.” ― Chloe Thurlow

123. “We sometimes meet an original gentleman, who, if manners had not existed, would have invented them.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

124. “A true gentleman makes demands upon himself but not upon others.” — Confucius

125. “The true gentleman does not preach what he practices till he has practiced what he preaches.” — Confucius

126. “The first requisite of a gentleman is to be true, brave and noble, and to be therefore a rebuke and scandal to venal and vulgar souls.” — John Lancaster Spalding

127. “A Gentleman is a prime example of what a man should be.” ― Pontius Joseph

128. “A gentleman would be ashamed should his deeds not match his words.” — Confucius

129. “Thoughtfulness for others, generosity, modesty, and self-respect are the qualities which make a real gentleman or lady.” — Thomas Huxley

130. “An arrogant man needs to humble himself as a boy, to be a gentleman.” ― Anthony Liccione

Gentleman Quotes To Inspire And Reflect

131. “God knows that all sorts of gentlemen knock at the door; but whenever used in strictness and with any emphasis, the name will be found to point at original energy.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

132. “Style is indeed the valet of genius, and an able one too; but as the true gentleman will appear, even in rags, so true genius will shine, even through the coarsest style.” ― Charles Caleb Colton

133. “Gentleman is a term which does not apply to any station, but to the mind and the feelings in every station.” ― Thomas Noon Talfourd

134. “How would I treat a girl if she was my girlfriend? I`m a really affectionate person and I like being a gentleman.” ― Omarion

135. He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world without having tasted of lying or pretence of any sort, or of wantonness or conceit.” ― Marcus Aurelius

136. “When private men shall act with original views, the lustre will be transferred from the actions of kings to those of gentlemen.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

137. “I have gone wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any of them.” ― James Buchanan

138. “A lady never asks a gentleman to dance, or to go to supper with her.” ― Emily Post

139. “Those who seek to impress upon us that they are gentlemen will usually be found mistaken.” ― Eden Phillpotts

140. “A lady is a woman who makes a man behave like a gentleman.” ― Russell Lynes

Gentleman Quotes For Modern Men

141. “Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it.” ― Vince Lombardi

142. “But I still show up for gentleman practice in the company of lead dancers, hoping their grace will get stuck in my shoes.” ― Buddy Wakefield

143. “We win if the world is convinced of two things, that you are a fine gentleman, and a great baseball player.” ― Branch Rickey

144. “I have had a few gentlemen let me know they find my manly beardiness somewhat alluring. Never any ladies though.” ― Patrick Rothfuss

145. “To fear death, gentlemen, is no other then to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know.” ― Plato

146. “When I look in the mirror, I see a gentleman getting a little older and a little wiser.” ― Al B. Sure!

147. “Come, gentlemen, I hope we shall drink down all unkindness.” ― William Shakespeare

148. “The difficult task of knowing another soul is not for young gentlemen whose consciousness is chiefly made up of their own wishes.” ― George Eliot

149. “A gentleman accepts the responsibility of his actions and bears the burden of their consequences.” ― William Faulkner

150. “Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.” ― Vince Lombardi

151. “being male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of age. But being a gentleman is a matter of choice.” ― Srinivas Shenoy

152. “I believe being a ‘gentleman’ goes well beyond holding the door for a girl and letting her go before you.” ― Cole Ryan

153. “Gallantry is gentleman’s quality.” ― Toba Beta

154. “A gentleman goes in search of flattery as keenly as a bee hunts for pollen.” ― Kevin Ansbro

155. “A gentleman holds my hand. A man pulls my hair. A soulmate will do both.” ― Alessandra Torre

156. “Despite the gentlemanly kiss, a ferocity burned behind his gaze promising something primal.” ― Katherine McIntyre

157. “A gentleman will Never allow a lady To feel less than grand.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

158. “A gentleman will not keep a woman in his prison but in his heart” ― Sir P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar

159. “I can’t say yes (a gentleman never tells). But I’d lie if I said no.” ― Bogdan Vaida

160. “A true gentleman is one that apologizes anyways, even though he has not offended a lady intentionally.” ― Shannon Alder

Which Inspirational Gentleman Quotes Encourage You To Indulge In A Life Of Elegance?

Being a true gentleman requires a lifetime of hard work and consistent behavior.

Although the path to excellence may be challenging, the results are worth it.

Gentlemen are successful and well-liked people.

If you want the motivation to change your life and become an upstanding member of society, read these gentleman quotes. 

The first step to becoming a gentleman is understanding the traits and lifestyle you’re expected to maintain.

This collection of quotes and advice will give you a fresh perspective on everything.

It’s possible to reach your dreams if you create a plan and follow through with action.

Share these gentleman quotes with all the men you know who could use inspiration or guidance.

What are your favorite gentleman quotes and sayings to guide you as you live a classy, dapper life?

Let us know in the comment section below.