50 Reputation Quotes Everyone Must Read

By Norbert Juma

Master quote curator and editor on a mission to inspire

Published January 10, 2023

Every successful person’s ability to establish and maintain a good reputation has been influenced by reputation quotes from a few intellectual figures.

It is well known that a well-built reputation can take you to the heights of success and glory.

If you are a man of excellent character, do good things, and keep your word, you will have a good reputation.

Reputations extend beyond people to businesses, social groups, governments, and even entire nations.

Having a good reputation is important; however, people have always had mixed thoughts on whether the opinions of others about their reputation matter or not.

Do the opinions of others matter?

Contrary to what your guidance counselor told you in high school, or what people say, the reputation of a person or organization does matter to some extent.

We as a society couldn’t function without the opinions of our peers because reputation is so crucial.

We are programmed to care about other people’s opinions and try to perform better and better.

Let us discuss a few benefits of having a good reputation.

The benefits of having a good reputation

Here are some great benefits of having a good reputation.

Respect from others
A promising career
More opportunities in life
A growth path and something to aim for (your reputation)
A more fulfilling life
A stronger and happier marriage and family life
Greater peace of mind and more joy
Greater trustworthiness all around

Want to know how to build a good reputation?

Here are a few tips in this regard.

How to build a strong reputation

To build and maintain a good reputation, you must abide by the following advice.

1. Keep your word

This is the most straightforward way to develop and keep a good reputation.

If you don’t keep your word, people will find someone else who will do the job at the end of the day.

Make the most of any chance to showcase your abilities and dependability.

2. Success and modesty ought to coexist

Never let your ego get in the way.

You can still be passionate, ambitious, and driven; just avoid being the type of person who believes they are superior to everyone else.

This will get you a good reputation.

3. Be responsible

Admit your errors and take responsibility for them before finding solutions.

Accountability demonstrates your willingness to address issues, so they don’t occur again.

Nobody is flawless, so you don’t need to be embarrassed.

Top 10 reputation quotes

Given below is a list of the top ten reputation quotes from some famous people.

1. “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” — Henry Ford

2. “With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.” — Margaret Mitchell

3. “Our reputation is more important than the last hundred million dollars.” — Rupert Murdoch

4. “There is no advertisement as powerful as a positive reputation traveling fast.” — Brian Koslow

5. “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” — Socrates

6. “A reputation for a thousand years may depend upon the conduct of a single moment.” — Ernest Bramah

7. “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” — Benjamin Franklin

8. “Some of the most precious things you possess are your honor, your dignity, and your reputation.” — Frank Sonnenberg

9. “The reputation of a girl is a delicate thing. Like a mynah bird in your hands. Slacken your grip and away it flies.” — Khaled Hosseini

10. “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad company.” — George Washington

Reputation quotes about earning a good reputation

Every person who yearns for a good reputation knows it takes ages and many good deeds to build. Below are some reputation quotes to motivate you to build a good one.

11. “A man can get a reputation from very small things.” — Sophocles

12. “A good reputation is more valuable than money.” — Publilius Syrus

13. “Repetition makes reputation, and reputation makes customers.” — Elizabeth Arden

14. “A bad conscience is easier to cope with than a bad reputation.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

15. “As a general rule, a reputation is built on manner as much as on achievement.” — Joseph

16. “Make three correct guesses consecutively and you will establish a reputation as an expert.” — Laurence J. Peter

17. “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.” — Jeff Bezos

18. “Once their trust grows stronger, reputation is built. And in the digital age, reputation is more expensive than anything.” — Pooja AgnihotriConrad

19. “When a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact.” — Warren Buffett

20. “First, make yourself a reputation for being a creative genius. Second, surround yourself with partners who are better than you are. Third, leave them to go get on with it.” — David Ogilvy

Reputation quotes about hardships that follow a reputation

Earning a good reputation can be tough, but maintaining it is far more challenging. It takes enormous effort to do so. We hope the following reputation quotes inspire you to maintain a good reputation.

21. “False commitment can ruin your reputation forever.” — Anuj Jasani

22. “Society will question your reputation, but it will believe your defamation without question.” — Amit Kalantri

23. “A good reputation is like the cypress; once cut, it never puts forth leaf again.” — Francesco Guicciardini

24. “But the phenomenon of reputation is a delicate thing. A person rises on a word and falls on a syllable.” — Don DeLillo

25. “Until you’ve lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.” — Margaret Mitchell

26. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” — Warren Buffett

27. “Success produces confidence, confidence relaxes industry, and negligence ruins the reputation which accuracy had raised.” — Ben Jonson

28. “A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was.” — Joseph Hall

29. “Reputation is but a synonym of popularity: dependent on suffrage, to be increased or diminished at the will of the voters.” — Washington Allston

30. “A reputation, once developed, is as valuable as a fine sword. But don’t forget that it has to be a valid reputation. Or the sword’s go no edge.” — Eric Flint

Reputation quotes about the importance of character

Your character determines your reputation. Character is the essence of who we are. Your reputation could be ruined if you lack some aspect of the character, such as being unreliable.

31. “Reputation is for time; character is for eternity.” — John Bartholomew Gough

32. “Reputation is character minus what you’ve been caught doing.” — Michael Iapoce

33. “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.” — D.L. Moody

34. “Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.” — Thomas Paine

35. “The most important thing for a young man is to establish a credit … a reputation, character.” — John D. Rockefeller

36. “Character is like a tree, and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” — Abraham Lincoln

37. “Be more concerned with character than reputation. Character is what you are, reputation is what people think you are.” — John Wooden

38. “Your reputation is in the hands of others. That’s what the reputation is. You can’t control that. The only thing you can control is your character.” — Wayne W. Dyer

39. “Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Focus on your character, not your reputation. Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes.” — Roy T. Bennett

40. “Your reputation is what others think of you; your character is what you truly are. Reputations can be manipulated; character can only be developed and maintained.” — Bohdi Sanders

Funny reputation quotes

To lighten the mood, we have also gathered some funny reputation quotes for our readers.

41. “I’m stingy and I’m proud of the reputation.” — Ingvar Kamprad

42. “He who worries about reputation, has a reputation to worry about.” — Edwin Leibfreed

43. “I have the reputation of being easygoing. But inside, I’m like nails. I will kill.” — Calvin Klein

44. “We would all like a reputation for generosity and we’d all like to buy it cheap.” — Mignon McLaughlin

45. “New Yorkers, by reputation, are fast-talking, assertive and easily annoyed; I fit right in.” — Jane Pauley

46. “Gain a modest reputation for being unreliable and you will never be asked to do a thing.” — Paul Theroux

47. “That’s what Rocky is all about: pride, reputation and not being another bum in the neighborhood.” — Sylvester Stallone

48. “[she] had a great reputation for unselfishness because she was always giving up a lot of things she didn’t want.” — L.M. Montgomery

49. “Makin’ mistakes ain’t a crime, you know. What’s the use of having a reputation if you can’t ruin it every now and then?” — Simone Elkeles

50. “The unkindest thing you can do to a human is to tarnish their reputation in front of others just to make yourself look good.” — Sijdah Hussain