--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You should not be esteemed by others if…" description: "\"“You should not be esteemed by others if you have no real inner virtue. People here in Japan esteem others on the basis of outward appearances, without..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17d/dogen-zenji-46748_bad-habit_you-should-not-be-esteemed-by-others-if_555233.jpg" --- # You should not be esteemed by others if you have no real… ![“You should not be esteemed by others if you have no real inner virtue. People here in Japan esteem others on the basis of outward appearances, without knowing anything about real inner virtue; so students lacking the spirit of the Way are dragged down into bad habits and become subject to…” quote by Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17d/dogen-zenji-46748_bad-habit_you-should-not-be-esteemed-by-others-if_555233.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17d/dogen-zenji-46748_bad-habit_you-should-not-be-esteemed-by-others-if_555233.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17d/dogen-zenji-46748_bad-habit_you-should-not-be-esteemed-by-others-if_555233.jpg) > ““You should not be esteemed by others if you have no real inner virtue. People here in Japan esteem others on the basis of outward appearances, without knowing anything about real inner virtue; so students lacking the spirit of the Way are dragged down into bad habits and become subject to temptation.”” [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True respect comes from inner virtue, not outward appearance; lacking inner moral leads to bad habits and temptation. **In simple terms:** Respect should be based on inner goodness. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner virtue first. Themes virtue authenticity self‑discipline Mood contemplative serene Type spiritual ethical When to use this quote - personal reflection - mindful practice - ethical decision‑making - educational guidance Key Concepts Buddhism ethical development Questions to Reflect On - How can you assess inner virtue? - What habits reflect true character? A Different Perspective External validation can distract from self‑growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habit/) [Bad habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habits/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [“Heroism isn’t some mysterious inner virtue, the Greeks believed; it’s a collection of skills that every man and woman can master so that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/heroism-isn-t-some-mysterious-inner-virtue-the-greeks-believed-it-s-a/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [Self-esteem is the basis for feminism because self-esteem is based on defining yourself and believing in that definition. Self-esteem is regarding yourself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-faludi/self-esteem-is-the-basis-for-feminism-because-self-esteem-is-based-on/) [Susan Faludi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-faludi/) > [Self-esteem is the basis of any democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democracy/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [You'd think that in a fight, NOT MOVING would be a bad habit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/you-d-think-that-in-a-fight-not-moving-would-be-a-bad-habit/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Movies are one of the bad habits that have corrupted our century. They have slipped into the American mind more misinformation in one evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/movies-are-one-of-the-bad-habits-that-have-corrupted-our-century-they/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) > [My bad habits aren't my title. My strengths and my talent are my title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/my-bad-habits-aren-t-my-title-my-strengths-and-my-talent-are-my-title/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [“So then, according to Jesus, the ‘evils’ which we think, say and do are not due primarily to our environment, nor are they bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-w-stott/so-then-according-to-jesus-the-evils-which-we-think-say-and-do-are/) [John R.W. Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-w-stott/) > [The game is played out of instinct, but everyone on the ice has habits - good and bad. 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To deny oneself means to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent-of-alaska/the-first-duty-of-a-christian-of-a-disciple-and-follower-of-jesus/) Innocent of Alaska > [I don't want to be overdramatic about it, but I'm starting to see a lot of my bad habits get the best of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-don-t-want-to-be-overdramatic-about-it-but-i-m-starting-to-see-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I have the same friends and the same bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-have-the-same-friends-and-the-same-bad-habits/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [Sometimes it doesn't take much to slip back into bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-deschamps/sometimes-it-doesn-t-take-much-to-slip-back-into-bad-habits/) [Didier Deschamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-deschamps/) > [“It's a very bad habit to put off disagreeable things...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/it-s-a-very-bad-habit-to-put-off-disagreeable-things/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Working at home is hard. It tends to give you bad habits. It feels more like you're going to work when you get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/working-at-home-is-hard-it-tends-to-give-you-bad-habits-it-feels-more/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) ## More by Dogen Zenji > [“At the moment of giving birth to a child, is the mother separate from the child? You should study not only that you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/at-the-moment-of-giving-birth-to-a-child-is-the-mother-separate-from/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“It's too late to be ready.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/it-s-too-late-to-be-ready/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“The longness and shortness of the present moment can be recognized by utilizing a big image of the moon, which is reflecting on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-present-moment-can-be-recognized-by/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“If you study a lot because you are worried that others will think badly of you for being ignorant and you'll feel stupid, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/if-you-study-a-lot-because-you-are-worried-that-others-will-think/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“If you have compassion and are imbued with the spirit of the Way, it is of no consequence to be criticized, even reviled, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/if-you-have-compassion-and-are-imbued-with-the-spirit-of-the-way-it/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“If you can not find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/if-you-can-not-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do-you/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. 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Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“I’m afraid I don’t suffer petty bureaucrats gladly. A very bad habit, but one I find hard to break. Nevertheless, you will find, Dr.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston-lincoln-child-2/i-m-afraid-i-don-t-suffer-petty-bureaucrats-gladly-a-very-bad-habit/) Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child > [When you're walking at the airport, you're expected to smile at people because they know you... I find that tough. I'm only trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kaif/when-you-re-walking-at-the-airport-you-re-expected-to-smile-at-people/) [Katrina Kaif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kaif/) > [Im not actually this tall, Ive got this bad habit of sitting on my wallet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan/im-not-actually-this-tall-ive-got-this-bad-habit-of-sitting-on-my/) [Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan/) > [Sometimes it doesn't take much to slip back into bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-deschamps/sometimes-it-doesn-t-take-much-to-slip-back-into-bad-habits/) [Didier Deschamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-deschamps/) > [I have the same friends and the same bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-have-the-same-friends-and-the-same-bad-habits/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [I don't want to be overdramatic about it, but I'm starting to see a lot of my bad habits get the best of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-don-t-want-to-be-overdramatic-about-it-but-i-m-starting-to-see-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny himself. To deny oneself means to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent-of-alaska/the-first-duty-of-a-christian-of-a-disciple-and-follower-of-jesus/) Innocent of Alaska > [“So, did you see that community center I was talking about?” “What? Where?” “We walked right past it, just before that grocery store. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pearce/so-did-you-see-that-community-center-i-was-talking-about-what-where/) [Jackson Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pearce/) > [The game is played out of instinct, but everyone on the ice has habits - good and bad. So the key to the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gretzky/the-game-is-played-out-of-instinct-but-everyone-on-the-ice-has-habits/) [Wayne Gretzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gretzky/) > [“So then, according to Jesus, the ‘evils’ which we think, say and do are not due primarily to our environment, nor are they bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-w-stott/so-then-according-to-jesus-the-evils-which-we-think-say-and-do-are/) [John R.W. Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-w-stott/) > [My bad habits aren't my title. My strengths and my talent are my title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/my-bad-habits-aren-t-my-title-my-strengths-and-my-talent-are-my-title/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [Movies are one of the bad habits that have corrupted our century. They have slipped into the American mind more misinformation in one evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/movies-are-one-of-the-bad-habits-that-have-corrupted-our-century-they/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) [Browse all 567 Bad habit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You should not be esteemed by others if you have no real inner virtue. 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