Why is respect important?

TL;DR

Respect starts with how you treat yourself. Self-respect is what makes you steady: it sets clear boundaries and standards, so the people around you know where they stand. It also shapes how others treat you, because people tend to match the respect you already show yourself. You build it by keeping your word to yourself and acting on your own standards instead of chasing approval, and over time that is what earns respect from other people too.

Insights

Leila Hormozi makes the case that respecting yourself is not selfish, it is what makes you stable. When you respect yourself your boundaries are clear and your standards are non-negotiable, so the people around you know where they stand and nobody has to guess who they are dealing with. She also points out that being respected by others tends to follow this, not lead it: people catch on to the respect you already hold for yourself, so you have to go first.

Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman and former Navy SEAL DJ Shipley come at respect from the inside out. Their case is that self-respect is earned through your own actions and standards, and that many people lose it by letting how they feel in the moment, rather than their values, run the show.