150 Respect Quotes And Sayings About Life, Love And Relationships

Our latest collection of respect quotes and sayings will inspire you to respect yourself and others.

Respect is something that is often earned and not simply given.

Share your favorite respect quote with us in the comment section below.

What Are The Benefits Of Reading Respect Quotes?

When you earn a person’s respect, you are held in higher regard for your efforts which have proven you worthy of it.

Respect is at the core of every human interaction.

Regardless of how old you are or what social status you hold, we all need to feel respected and valued.

When we treat others with respect, it shows that we recognize their value and worth.

Respect is important in any relationship.

These quotes will help you:

• determine what respectful behavior looks like
• set boundaries and help you get the respect you deserve
• remember that differences make us unique and special

For a relationship to be successful, there has to be great respect for one another, even when disagreements arise.

Although respect seems to be declining in today’s world, we must be sympathetic to those around us and regard their rights and feelings.

In that regard, here are some inspirational, wise, and powerful respect quotes, respect sayings, and respect proverbs collected from a variety of sources over the years.

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

Read more related content on our inspirational quotes category page.

Respect Quotes And Sayings About Life, Love, And Relationships

1. “I must respect the opinions of others even if I disagree with them.” – Herbert H. Lehman

2. Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” – Bruce Lee

3. “Men are respectable only as they respect.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

4. “Most good relationships are built on mutual trust and respect.” – Mona Sutphen

5. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

6. “Never judge someone by the way he looks or a book by the way it’s covered; for inside those tattered pages, there’s a lot to be discovered.” – Stephen Cosgrove

7. “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.” – Albert Einstein

8. “To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.” – Bono

9. “When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be.” – Thomas S. Monson

10. “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” – Bryant H. McGill

Respect Quotes And Sayings To Make Your Life Better

11. “Respect commands itself and it can neither be given nor withheld when it is due.” – Eldridge Cleaver

12. “You can demand courtesy but you have to earn respect.” – Lawrence Goldstone

13. “If we can respect the divine within us, if we can treat it with dignity, then we can respect others around us.” -Vishwas Chavan

14. Respect is an invention of people who want to cover up the empty place where love should be.” – Leo Tolstoy

15. “Life is short, and we should respect every moment of it.” – Orhan Pamuk

16. “Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners” ― Laurence Sterne

17. “Respecting someone indicate the quality of your personality.” – Mohammad Rishad Sakhi

18. “Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

19. “I cannot conceive of a greater loss than the loss of one’s self-respect.” – Mahatma Gandhi

20. “Respect is what we owe; love, what we give.” – Philip James Bailey

Respect Quotes And Sayings About Honoring Others

21. “I will not try to convince you to love me, to respect me, to commit to me. I deserve better than that; I AM BETTER THAN THAT…Goodbye.” ― Steve Maraboli

22. “We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws.” ― Hunter S. Thompson

23. “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

24. “If we lose love and self-respect for each other, this is how we finally die.” – Maya Angelou

25. “Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” – Albert Einstein

26. “Being brilliant is no great feat if you respect nothing.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

27. “Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.” – Albert Camus

28. “If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are.” – John W. Gardner

29. “Treat people the way you want to be treated. Talk to people the way you want to be talked to. Respect is earned, not given.” – Hussein Nishah

30. “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.” – Malcolm X

Powerful Respect Quotes And Sayings About Being Nice To Everyone

31. “I don’t care if you’re black, white, straight, bisexual, gay, lesbian, short, tall, fat, skinny, rich or poor. If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. Simple as that.” ― Robert Michaels

32. “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ― Winston S. Churchill

33. “Respect should be the first thing you give.” – Anonymous

33. “When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” – Dalai Lama

34. “Self-respect is the cornerstone of all virtue.” – John Herschell

35. “Take very little notice of those people who choose to treat you poorly. It is how they are defining their story, not yours.” – Lei Wah

36. “There are lots of people I admire and respect, but I don’t necessarily want to be like them. I’m too happy being myself.” – James D’arcy

37. “Be kind, don’t judge, and have respect for others. If we can all do this, the world would be a better place. The point is to teach this to the next generation.” – Jasmine Guinness

38. “A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone.” – Billy Graham

39. “Be loyal to those who are loyal to you. And respect everyone, even your enemies, and competition.” – John Cena

40. “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” – Jackie Robinson

Respect Quotes To Elevate Your Mindset

41. “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” – Dr. Seuss

42. “Be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, always offering respect onto others and never expecting any in return.” – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

43. “Honest communication is built on truth and integrity and upon respect of the one for the other.” – Benjamin E. Mays

44. “If we are not free, no one will respect us.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

45. “Treat everyone with respect and kindness. Period. No exceptions.” – Kiana Tom

46. “Once you figure out what respect tastes like, it tastes better than attention. But you have to get there.” – Pink

47. I love making new friends and I respect people for a lot of different reasons.” – Taylor Swift

48. “I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, even if he’s wrong, than the one who comes up like an angel and is nothing but a devil.” – Malcolm X
49. “Set the standard! Stop expecting others to show you love, acceptance, commitment, & respect when you don’t even show that to yourself.” – Steve Maraboli

50. “Probably no greater honor can come to any man than the respect of his colleagues.” – Cary Grant

Respect Quotes For Students

51. “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” – Richard Bach

52. “This is how you start to get respect, by offering something that you have.” – Mitch Albom

53. “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.” –
Clint Eastwood

54. “Respect is for those who deserve not for those who demand it.” – Paulo Coelho

55. “He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who respects others is constantly respected by them.” — Mencius

56. “Respect for the truth comes close to being the basis for all morality.” – Frank Herbert

57. “Respect is one of life’s greatest treasures. I mean, what does it all add up to if you don’t have that?” – Marilyn Monroe

58. “Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.” – Norman Cousins

59. “We don’t need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful.” – Taylor Swift

60. “If you treat people right they will treat you right… ninety percent of the time.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Truth And Respect Quotes

61. “The truest form of love is how you behave toward someone, not how you feel about them.” – Steve Hall

62. “Love is honesty. Love is a mutual respect for one another.” – Simone Elkeles

63. “I cannot compromise my respect for your love. You can keep your love, I will keep my respect.” – Amit Kalantri

64. “You demand respect and you’ll get it. First of all, you give respect.” – Mary J. Blige

65. “The secret of a happy life is respect. Respect for yourself and respect for others.” – Ayad Akhtar

66. “Respect toward others can’t be imposed. It’s a blessing or learning the hard way.” – Toba Beta

67. “If she does not respect you, she will replace you.” – Habeeb Akande

68. “When we love and respect people, revealing to them their value, they can begin to come out from behind the walls that protect them.” – Jean Vanier

69. “Never pay attention to someone who has not earned your respect.” – Habeeb Akande

70. “If you can’t Respect her, you don’t Deserve Her!” – Udayveer Singh

More Respect Quotes And Sayings

71. “Respect depends on reciprocity.” – Nyang Proverb

72. “I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity.” – Julius Erving

73. “If you are not being treated with respect, don’t be a doormat.” – Robert Rain

74. “Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.” – Albert Einstein

75. “Respect out of fear is no respect.” – M. K. Soni

76. “Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you’ve got to give it.” – R.G. Risch

77. “You will gain more respect and esteem through listening rather than through talking.” – Clive Harman

78. “To get down to the quick of it, respect motivates me – not success.” – Hugh Jackman

79. “Humility and respect tell much more about your background than your personality.” – Kate Iroegbu

80. “Responsibility and respect of others and their religious beliefs are also part of freedom.” -Horst Koehler

Respect Quotes And Sayings To Extend To All People

81. “Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.”-Jacques Maritain

82. “Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.” –Tecumseh

83. “If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem.” –Abraham Lincoln

84. “Be modest, be respectful of others, try to understand.” -Lakhdar Brahimi

85. “As all human beings are, in my view, creatures of God’s design, we must respect all other human beings. That does not mean I have to agree with their choices or agree with their opinions, but indeed I respect them as human beings.” -Stockwell Day 

86. “Assuredly, Loving Souls, you should go to God with all humility and respect, humbling yourselves in His presence, especially when you remember your past ingratitude and sins.” -Alphonsus Liguori

87. “I have great respect for the past. If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.” -Maya Angelou

88. “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?” -Confucius

89. “We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white.” –Aretha Franklin

90. “We will not agree on every issue. But let us respect those differences and respect one another.” -John Lynch

Respect Quotes And Sayings To Maintain Dignity

91. It’s not about winning or losing, but love and respect.” — Max Lucado

92.  “Surround yourself with people who respect and treat you well.” — Claudia Black

93. “It is not sufficient to be worthy of respect in order to be respected.” — Alfred Nobel

94. “But really, we also need to learn how to love one another as women. How to appreciate and respect each other.” — Chaka Khan

95. Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.” — Marcus Aurelius

96. “Respect children because they’re human beings and they deserve respect, and they’ll grow up to be better people.” — Benjamin Spock

97. “I always respect a woman.” — Enrique Iglesias

98. “My respect for human beings is based not on the colour of a man’s skin nor authority he may wield, but purely on merit.” — Nelson Mandela

99. “Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love.” — Jane Goodall

100. Only those who respect the personality of others can be of real use to them.” — Albert Schweitzer

Respect Quotes For A Harmonious Life

101. “I see a world in the future in which we understand that all life is related to us and we treat that life with great humility and respect.” — David Suzuki

102. “Respect is a serious thing in him who feels it, and the height of honor for him who inspires the feeling.” — Sophie Swetchine

103. “When people do not respect us we are sharply offended; yet in his private heart no man much respects himself.” — Mark Twain

104. Just as gold is burnt, cut and rubbed, Examine my words carefully and Do not accept them simply out of respect.” — Gautama Buddha

105. “The community owes us nothing. It’s up to us to go out and earn their respect.” — Jerry Colangelo

106. We are happy at the respect others pay our favorites, because we consider it a lively confirmation of our own choice, and as so much homage reflected on ourselves.” — Norm MacDonald

107. Love people enough to tell them the truth and respect them enough to trust that they can handle it.” — Iyanla Vanzant

108. “Don’t be a half-Christian. There are too many of such in the world. The world has a profound respect for people who are sincere in their faith.” — Billy Graham

109. “I don’t have any understanding of a human being who doesn’t respect the beauty of life and that goes for all creatures that have thoughts, feelings and needs.” — Alicia Silverstone

110. “Respect was mingled with surprise, And the stern joy which warriors feel In foemen worthy of their steel.” — Walter Scott

Respect Quotes To Elevate Relationships And Build Bridges

111. “The friendships which last are those wherein each friend respects the other’s dignity to the point of not really wanting anything from him.” — Cyril Connolly

112. “Man is still a savage to the extent that he has little respect for anything that cannot hurt him.” — E. W. Howe

113. “Respect a man, and he will do all the more.” — John Wooden

114. “The way to procure insults is to submit to them. A man meets with no more respect than he exacts.” — William Hazlitt

115. “Non-cooperation is a measure of discipline and sacrifice, and it demands respect for the opposite views.” — Mahatma Gandhi

116. “To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the breaking of bread.” — James A. Baldwin

117. “Set your expectations high; find men and women whose integrity and values you respect; get their agreement on a course of action; and give them your ultimate trust.” — John F. Akers

118. “The final test of a gentleman is his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.” — William Lyon Phelps

119. “If we as a people realized the greatness from which we came we would be less likely to disrespect ourselves.” — Marcus Garvey

120. “The honor we receive from those that fear us, is not honor; those respects are paid to royalty and not to me.” — Michel de Montaigne

Respect Quotes And Sayings That Teach The Art Of Honor

121. “It’s nice to know that people appreciate and respect you.” ― Marcel Carne

122. “By respect for life we become religious in a way that is elementary, profound and alive.” ― Albert Schweitzer

123. “I don’t respect religon. I don’t respect superstitious thinking and that is what religous is.” ― Bill Maher

124. “Every action in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those present.” ― George Washington

125. “Quality thoughts will turn their back on you if you don’t treat them with respect.” ― Dov Davidoff

126. When we feel that we are not sufficiently respected, we should ask ourselves whether we are living as we should.” ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

127. “What a delight it is to respect people!” ― Anton Chekhov

128. “Respect…is appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique.” ― Annie Gottlieb

129. “But respect yourself most of all.” ― Pythagoras

130. “You start to look at it with a deeper respect and I think that deeper respect for what you do builds more self-respect.” ― Jimmy Chamberlin

Respect Quotes And Sayings To Cultivate Respect And Empathy

131. “I played it right because that’s what you’re supposed to do – play it right and with respect.” ― Ryne Sandberg

132. It seems to me of great importance to teach children respect for life.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

133. He removes the greatest ornament of friendship who takes away from it respect.” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

134. “Any time you give a man something he doesn’t earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.” ― Woody Hayes

135. “Proper respect to others is the most prudent rule of directing the measure of reverence due to ourselves.” ― Norm MacDonald

136. “My peers accept me and respect me, and that’s enough.” ― Neil Diamond

137. “Be adorable always to each other; respect is everlasting.” ― Clarence Day

138. “To be capable of respect is almost as rare as to be worthy of it.” ― Joseph Joubert

139. “I always got great respect as a bass player.” ― Bill Wyman

140. “To safeguard democracy the people must have a keen sense of independence, self-respect, and their oneness.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Respect Quotes In Relationships

141. “Once you take care of people, people respect you.” ― George Weah

142. “The key is to learn to respect and honor the complications of other people’s lives.” ― Goldie Hawn

143. “All sides must learn to respect one another.” ― Reuven Rivlin

144. “When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us.” ― Arapaho proverb

145. “Respect is one of the greatest expressions of love.” ― Miguel Angel Ruiz

146. “Respect requires empathy, the capacity to anticipate and understand the feelings of others. It requires consideration.” ― Deborah Norville

147. “I respect people and expect that kind of respect back.” ― Dennis Franz

148. “The respect you show to others (or lack thereof) is an immediate reflection on your self respect.” ― Alex Elle

149. “Love is a two-way street constantly under construction.” ― Carroll Bryant

150. “Respect yourself and others will respect you.” ― Confucius

Which Respect Quotes And Sayings Were Your Favorites?

Although respect seems to be rapidly declining nowadays, we must remember to always act with politeness, thoughtfulness and civility towards others.

You’ll find a good reminder of this with these Condescension Quotes.

Hopefully, these respect quotes have reminded you of the importance to treat others with kindness and respect.

Did you enjoy these respect quotes and sayings?

Which of the quotes was your favorite?

Tell us in the comment section below.

We would love to hear all about it.