Great Respect Quotes for Kids and Students

Showing respect for others is one of the most important values in the world.  It means showing care for another person or thing, like the environment.

Without respect, everything around you would be less peaceful.  There would be more wars, more problems and less happiness.

You show respect in many ways everyday that you may not even realize!  Respect occurs when you:

• Listen to others
• Play fair
• Use good manners
• Wait your turn
• Compliment someone
• Pick up after yourself
• How you treat others

Being respectful is one of the key ingredients to being the best person you can be.  To learn more about respect, start by checking out some of the great respect quotations below:

• “Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves.” – U. Thant
• “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
• “Leave everything a bit better then you found it.” Unknown
• “We are all equal in the fact that we are all different. We are all the same in the fact that we will never be the same.” – C. JoyBell C.
• “It’s not so much the journey that’s important; as is the way that we treat those we encounter and those around us, along the way.” – Jeremy Aldana
• “Tolerance only for those who agree with you is no tolerance at all.” – Ray Davis
• “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “Nothing of real worth can ever be bought. Love, friendship, honour, valour, respect. All these things have to be earned.”
• “He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who respects others is constantly respected by them.” – Mencius
• “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.” – Albert Einstein
• “Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you’ve got to give it.” – R.G. Risch
• “Friendship- my definition- is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don’t have trust, the friendship will crumble.” – Stieg Larsson
• “Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.” – Laurence Sterne
• “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” – Bryan H. McGill
• “The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth.” – Chief Seattle
• “Who am I to judge what I don’t understand” – Unkown
• “A person’s a person no matter how small.” – Dr. Seuss
• “Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.” – Thomas Paine
• “Treat people exactly as you would like to be treated by them.” – Golden Rule
• “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.” – Albert Einstein
• “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?” – Confucius
• “I must respect the opinions of others even if I disagree with them.” –  Herbert H. Lehman
• “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” – Jackie Robinson
• “I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity.” – Julius Erving
• “To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.” – Bono
• “It is only when you accept how different you all are, that you will be able to see how much the same you all are. Don’t expect anybody to be the same as you, then you will see that you are in many ways the same as everybody.” C. JoyBell C.
• “All the events of your past have formed a lens through which you see the world. And since no one’s past is exactly like anyone else’s, no two people see alike.”
• “A fruit salad is delicious precisely because each fruit maintains its own flavor.” – Sean Covey
• “Differences were meant not to divide but to enrich.”- J. H. Oldham
• “Be modest, be respectful of others, try to understand.” – Lakhdar Brahimi
• “Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress.” – Mahatma Ghandi

Here is a video about Nicholas Lowinger, a young man we have featured on IMK, who shows great respect for the homeless:

Additional Resources:

• Check out other great IMK stories and videos that show respect towards other people and the environment.

Topics for Discussion:

• In what ways do you treat people with respect? Are there any ways in which you don’t?
• What happens when people are treated with respect?  How about when they are not treated with respect?
• Who is the most respectful person you know?  What makes them that way?

Take Action:

You can show respect every moment of everyday by doing things like:

• Practicing the Golden Rule
• Practicing Random Acts of Kindness
• Saying “please” and “thank you” and “excuse me”
• Making a point of not teasing and encourage your friends not to
• Being patient with yourself and others when a mistake is made
• Discussing with your parents what good manners are
• Practicing good table manners
• Making an effort not to gossip
• Being courteous toward everyone

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.