self-esteem

 　　One of the tragedies of human nature is that those whose self-esteem is hurt sometimes hurt the self-esteem of others.

　　Self-respect is predicated on respecting others.

　　A person who doesn't know how to respect others will inevitably not receive respect in return.

　　To think that trampling on others' self-esteem will protect one's own is both selfish and a foolish display of self-righteous cleverness.

　　A person who fundamentally doesn't understand self-respect is often shallow; a person with excessive self-esteem may simply be overly vain.

　　Maintaining one's own self-respect is as important as respecting the self-respect of others.

　　Failing to maintain one's own self-respect is cowardice; failing to respect the self-respect of others is tyranny.

　　Unless one is a fool, everyone has self-respect.

　　Recently, after reading Ms. Yang Jiang's "Drinking Tea: Chronicles of the Years Bingwu and Dingwei," I felt a different kind of sacredness and greatness in self-respect. During the Cultural Revolution, Yang Jiang, whose head was shaved in a "yin-yang" style, calmly returned home and made a wig from her daughter's cut hair. She wore it every day, going to and from work peacefully and calmly…

　　From this, we can learn that self-respect is not in the eyes or mouths of others, but in one's own heart. As long as one remains full of self-understanding and respect, embracing a positive mindset, one will have the courage to face adversity and despise evil, while simultaneously upholding one's self-respect.

　　The strong self-respect we usually talk about is not simply being reserved and willful; it should be a noble spiritual realm and a strong and beautiful personality that one cultivates for oneself. It is not something that can be insulted at will. Others may trample on your dignity, deprive you of your freedom, or even your life, but they cannot stop you from respecting yourself.

　　Sometimes, self-respect not only reveals wisdom but also magnanimity. A truly self-respecting person can remain calm and restrain their impulses even in the face of humiliation, because they know that "a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."

　　Han Xin endured the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs because his future ambition was to "establish a great career," and we cannot say that Han Xin was weak because of this, much less that he lacked self-respect.

　　Self-respect can indeed be very fragile, even vulnerable; a single word or a small incident can easily damage one's self-esteem. One effective way to prevent the fortress of self-respect from being breached is through tolerance and silence.

　　For a proud and mean-spirited person, tolerance is a subtle form of admonition and torment; for an arrogant person lacking self-respect, silence is a more powerful form of contempt and mockery.

　　To endure what ordinary people cannot endure, to do what ordinary people cannot do—this is the act of a great hero.