A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone.

The saying links the family to the formation of moral character: how a child learns to treat parents—figures of authority who also embody care and obligation—becomes a template for how the child will treat other people and institutions. It reflects a traditional Christian and civic ethic in which honoring parents is foundational to learning humility, gratitude, and self-restraint. The claim is also cautionary: permissiveness toward contempt or insolence at home is portrayed not as harmless “attitude,” but as training in disrespect that generalizes outward. In Billy Graham’s worldview, reverence for God and respect for others are cultivated through everyday disciplines, beginning in the household.