Dignity doesn’t just mean always being stiff and composed. It means a belief in oneself, that one is worthy of the best. Dignity means that what I have to say is important, and I will say it when it’s important for me to say it. Dignity really means that I deserve the best treatment I can receive. And that I have the responsibility to give the best treatment I can to other people.

Dignity is a value that creates irreplaceability.

What is dignity? The measure of liberty.

For us, for our children, Africa and its people teach us a powerful lesson -- that we must uphold the inherent dignity of every human being. Dignity -- that basic idea that by virtue of our common humanity, no matter where we come from, or what we look like, we are all born equal, touched by the grace of God. Every person has worth. Every person matters. Every person deserves to be treated with decency and respect. Throughout much of history, mankind did not see this. Dignity was seen as a virtue reserved to those of rank and privilege, kings and elders. It took a revolution of the spirit, over many centuries, to open our eyes to the dignity of every person. And around the world, generations have struggled to put this idea into practice in laws and in institutions.

The right to dignity is a fundamental and inalienable human right. Even in situations where human life may be sacrificed, such as in war, no one has the right to be deprived of their dignity, their right to self-preservation, or their right to maintain their sovereignty.

Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them.

il ne suffit pas de prendre en soi-même une décision pour acquérir la dignité ; il faut que cette décision soit suivie d’un acte qui en découle, et qui soit perceptible par les autres (même s’ils ne sont pas là pour le percevoir). Telle serait donc notre première définition de la dignité.

Where is there dignity unless there is honesty?

It is the essence of dignity to pretend to desire what you cannot prevent.

As all human rights derive from human dignity, it is important to recognize that human dignity is not a product of positivism but an expression of natural law and human rationality. Although an abstract concept, human dignity has engendered concrete norms of human rights, a practical mode d’emploi strengthened by enforcement mechanisms.

The only kind of dignity which is genuine is that which is not diminished by the indifference of others.

The second greatest value next to human life is the dignity of each person. We all possess dignity because we have been created by the love of God and his fingerprints are on our conscience and in our history. There we find a key to fraternity and not to hatred or rejection.

There is a certain kind of dignity we admire, and to which we aspire, in the person who refuses to meet anger with anger, violence with violence, or hatred with hatred.

Instead of the "rights" language, we prefer to focus on the cultivation of "dignity" and a healthy sense of "duty" toward the community, society, and country. Our duty is to promote or ensure dignity of the others, not only our own. Having said that, China, like the rest of the world, also needs to learn to do better in the promotion of dignity among all in the country as well as in the world.