virgin islands scene

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
-- William Butler Yeats
 

 

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Reciprocal respect

Be generous in giving respect where it’s due. Be insistent and worthy of receiving respect in return.

When you live with integrity and respect for others, that obligates you to expect it to be reciprocated. If it’s not, then the most helpful action for everyone involved is for you to walk away.

It does not benefit another person if you allow that person to act with disrespect toward you. And it certainly doesn’t benefit you.

Respect can only exist when it flows in both directions. Otherwise you’re left with intimidation and submission, and that’s not a good situation.

By making sure that your position is respected, you’re empowered to offer your own respect. And by giving your genuine respect, you enable the other person to respect you.

Because of its reciprocal nature, respect can be challenging and often uncomfortable to achieve. Yet it’s very much worth the work, because it will serve as the basis for every other kind of achievement.

— Ralph Marston

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