My mother inspired me to treat others as I would want to be treated regardless of age, race or financial status.

Hilfiger credits his mother with instilling a version of the “Golden Rule”: treating others with the same dignity and consideration one would want for oneself. By explicitly naming age, race, and financial status, the quote frames this ethic as universal rather than conditional—an insistence that respect should not fluctuate with social hierarchy or prejudice. In a fashion and business context, it also implies an approach to leadership and public life grounded in everyday decency: how one treats employees, customers, and strangers matters as much as status or success. The statement functions as a moral origin story, linking personal values to professional identity.