Respect Everyone—the Wisdom of Malcolm X, St. Peter, Chief Tecumseh, and More

St. Peter, Tecumseh, and Malcolm X said, “Respect everyone.” It’s excellent advice.

The full version of Peter’s advice:

“Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.” — 1 Peter 2:17, New Living Translation

The full version of Malcolm’s advice:

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

The second part of Malcolm’s statement is so visceral that some readers miss the first. They go together: Treat everyone with respect, and if someone physically assaults you, defend yourself — but even when it’s over, be respectful. Malcolm knew Muhammad’s advice, “Do not speak ill of the dead.”

Peter’s “respect the king” and Malcolm’s “obey the law” do not mean you should submit to bad rulers or bad laws. Both men died because they kept speaking up for what they believed. A quote attributed to Tecumseh makes this explicit:

“Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.” — attributed to Tecumseh

I like the last part of the Tecumseh explanation because it points to a basic truth: When you say what you believe disrespectfully, you not only disrespect the person you are speaking to—you disrespect your audience, you disrespect yourself, and you disrespect your belief by sharing it in the worst way.

Some people say respect is a two-way street, but if you say others must be respectful first, you are saying they must be better than you. Respect is a one-way street. Respect yourself, and you can treat anyone with respect, no matter how hard they try to abuse you.

A few quotes about respecting others

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

“Civility costs nothing, and buys everything.” — Mary Wortley Montagu

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

“Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized.” — Albert Einstein

“You should respect each other and refrain from disputes; you should not, like water and oil, repel each other, but should, like milk and water, mingle together.” — Buddha

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

“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” — Voltaire

“For me, politeness is a sine qua non of civilization.” —Robert A. Heinlein

“I fear no one, but I respect everyone.” — Roger Federer

“I don’t have to agree with you to like you or respect you.” — Anthony Bourdain

“Do not contemplate your own good qualities, but contemplate the good qualities of others, and respect everyone as a servant would.” — Atisha, Kadampa Buddhism

“Abusive language and swearing are a legacy of slavery, humiliation, and disrespect for human dignity — one’s own and that of other people.” — Leon Trotsky

A few quotes against mockery

“A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me.” — Frederick Douglass

“If you can’t answer a man’s arguments, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.” — Elbert Hubbard

“I dissuade Party members from putting down people who do not understand. Even people who are unenlightened and seemingly bourgeois should be answered in a polite way. Things should be explained to them as fully as possible. I was turned off by a person who did not want to talk to me because I was not important enough. Maurice just wanted to preach to the converted, who already agreed with him. I try to be cordial, because that way you win people over. You cannot win them over by drawing the line of demarcation, saying you are on this side and I am on the other; that shows a lack of consciousness. After the Black Panther Party was formed, I nearly fell into this error. I could not understand why people were blind to what I saw so clearly. Then I realized that their understanding had to be developed.” ―Huey P. Newton

And a quote for calmness, which lets you treat others with respect

“No matter how emotional your opponents are, you must be calm.” — Martin Luther King