# Value Seven — Respect [[american/American Character - The American Trust Code|← The American Trust Code]] ## Treat Every Person with Dignity Respect recognizes human worth without pretending that every claim, action, role, or level of competence is equal. It permits firm disagreement, correction, hierarchy, enforcement, and refusal while prohibiting the needless degradation of the person. A respectful citizen can contest an idea without turning contempt into evidence. Democratic dignity becomes most visible in unequal encounters. The senior introduces the junior properly, the host considers the least powerful guest, the expert explains without humiliation, and the citizen treats the worker with the same seriousness offered to the executive. Respect is not deference to rank. It is disciplined regard across rank. **Practices of respect** - Learn and use names correctly. - Listen long enough to understand the claim being answered. - Correct privately when public correction would serve only vanity. - Disagree with evidence and proportion rather than insult. - Make rules legible to people who were never taught them. Respect is the operating premise of [[american/American Comportment - 02 - Speech and Conversation|Speech and Conversation]], [[american/American Comportment - 03 - The Table|The Table]], and [[american/American Comportment - 09 - Everyday Civic Courtesy|Everyday Civic Courtesy]]. A free people will disagree; civilization begins with their refusal to make disagreement an excuse for degradation. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “The fundamental truth in American citizenship is that each man is entitled in the last resort to be judged solely on his worth as a man.” [[reminders/American Pride/The Fundamental Truth of American Citizenship by Theodore Roosevelt|∴]] > **— Theodore Roosevelt**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* > “Good inventors and designers deeply understand their customer.” [[reminders/Innovation/Understanding the Customer by Jeff Bezos|∴]] > **— Jeff Bezos**, *Simple Reminders on Real American Pride* <!-- BEGIN AMERICAN KNOWLEDGE ROUTER --> ## American Knowledge Router **System:** [[collections/American|American Collection]] · [[wiki/American System|American System]] · [[wiki/American Character|American Character]] · [[american/American Character - The American Trust Code|Branch source]] **Concepts:** [[wiki/Respect|Respect]] **Intelligence, defense, and alliance:** [[wiki/American Intelligence and Alliance Interface|American Intelligence and Alliance Interface]] · [[collections/The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace|The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace]] · [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]] <!-- END AMERICAN KNOWLEDGE ROUTER -->