Respect yourself if you would have others respect you.

The maxim links social esteem to self-regard: the way one treats oneself—through conduct, boundaries, and moral seriousness—teaches others how to treat one in return. It implies that respect is not merely demanded but modeled and earned by consistent self-discipline and dignity. In a courtly, reputation-conscious world (the milieu often associated with Gracián’s aphoristic writing), the saying also functions as practical counsel: public honor is fragile, and self-respect expressed in actions and restraint helps secure one’s standing. More broadly, it suggests an ethical reciprocity between inner character and outward social relations.