Staff writers of The Viking Saga surveyed their families, friends, classmates and teachers by asking them the following question: What is your meaning of respect?

1. Jimmy Pizzuta, “I’d say respect is listening to what others have to say and having admiration for their qualities or abilities.”
2. Mr. McCarthy, “To respect is to recognize the humanity of others by listening before speaking and also starting dialog from a place of equal footing. Self respect involves looking into the mirror and being honest with yourself, being careful to never put yourself down because we all have the potential to grow.”
3. Mr. Marcantuono, “Respect needs to be earned through building trust with others, working hard, being dedicated, and showing responsibility. Showing respect towards others is one of the greatest personal qualities someone can possess.”
4. Mr. Culloty, “To me, respect is understanding and appreciating yourself, someone’s motivations and values, and your organization.” 
5. Mrs. Albuquerque, “Respect is accepting, embracing and appreciating all of the differences that exist within the  human race.”
6. Ms. Ingannamorte, “Respect is being a good listener and giving others a chance to express themselves without judgment.”
7. Claudia Fernandes, “Treating everyone the way you want to be treated – with pure kindness!” ❤️
8. Shari Li, “Honoring the thoughts and opinions of others even if you don’t agree with them.” 
9. Stephanie Zhang, “Treating everyone the way they deserve to be treated, regardless of color, race, gender, age, sexual orientation or religion.”  
10. Jose Aviles, “Courteous treatment, and being sensitive to other people’s thoughts and opinions.” 
11. Lizmaris Aviles, “Treating others with the diligence they deserve.” 
12. Ariande Mantilla, “Valuing an individual and treating them with kindness and equality. Seeing, admiring, and honoring their uniqueness.” 
13. Carmen Mantilla, “Listening to your elders when they ask you to do something.” 
14. Pasqual Mantilla, “When you give elders the respect they deserve after all their years alive.” 
15. Pegi Bracaj, “Acknowledging one’s feelings and allowing one to be his/her true self.”
16. Kayla Handago, “Respecting someone’s boundaries and listening to them when they want to be heard and also treating people the way you would want them to treat you in return.” 
17. Amina Mahmoud, “I’d say it mainly has to do with understanding other people’s boundaries, opinions, and beliefs. When you “respect” individuals, you’re referring to the way you treat or think about them. But you shouldn’t just respect other humans.. you have to respect your surroundings too.. like your living space, nature, things you own, things you borrow, etc.” 
18. Rei Bracaj, “Taking into consideration or giving attention to other people’s background, beliefs and rights.” 
19. Valdete Bracaj, “Respect is one of the principal values in life. Indeed, respect could be self-respect and also respecting others. In order for a relationship to function properly, respect should be present. Respect itself is not a one-sided relationship; hence if you respect people or take into consideration their feelings, you also deserve to be respected.” 
20. Ashleigh Hall, “ Respect to me means being kind and polite to others.”
21. Ashleigh Chaing, “ I think respect is a two way street.  If you respect someone, then they should respect you too.  Regardless of whom you are and what your beliefs are, everyone should respect each other because it’s one of the most important aspects of a civilized society.”
22. Brianna Cappuccino, “How someone treats me is how I will treat them and that’s what respect means.”
23. Elena Yared, “Respect means tolerating everyone no matter what.”
24. Rashell Gomez, “Respect means understanding other’s boundaries and giving the same treatment as you would like to receive back. It’s a mutual thing.”
25. Katherine Lasek, “Respect for me is treating one another correctly regardless of the circumstances.” 
26. Hailey Fernandez, “Respecting other people’s opinions no matter what and not giving attitude to people without a good reason.”
27. Fausto Martinez, “Respect is being honest with yourself and others.” 
28. Gerard Nifras, “Respect is acknowledging what others do for you.”
29. Umair Khan, “Respect is acknowledging people with treatment that they are entitled to.” 
30. Anonymous, “Respect is an appreciation of one’s actions or ideas.”
31. Nancy Kajo, “To me, respect is a necessity for one’s maturity. Respect means you can accept people for whom they are even if you have your differences with those people or you do not agree with them. It is when you are polite and proper towards others, even if they don’t give you that same admiration back.”
32. Anila Kataro, “Respect is knowing how to treat others with kindness; treat others well if they do so to you.”
33. Albert Kataro, “Respect is knowing how to care of others and elevating them to a higher level, helping them out, making them feel good, and appreciating them.”
34. Henry Kataro, “Respect is being able to help others if they need it and also being there to comfort others if they’re sad.”
35. Anonymous, “Respect means loving yourself enough that you don’t let people take advantage of you or walk all over you. Understanding your worth is essential to self-respect.”
36. Anonymous, “Accepting answers for what they are and not interfering with the way someone thinks. Do not try to change someone’s mind because you disagree.” 
37. Anonymous, “Understanding someone’s boundaries and knowing where the line is drawn.”
38. Anonymous, “Respect is showing kindness and consideration towards others even when no one is paying attention. Doing it from the bottom of your heart is what counts.”
39. Anonymous, “When you think and act positively towards both yourself and others.” 
40. Anonymous, “Understanding that people are going to have different views on certain topics because everyone is raised differently. Be mature enough to acknowledge and accept that.” 
41. Matthew O’Mara, “Respect is acknowledging the other side’s opinions no matter if they contradict your own. It is showing good morals throughout any interaction that you have.”
42. Anthony Mickheal,  “Respect is when you treat someone positively, when you lift someone up, when you accept others for whom they are no matter what race, religion or personality.”
43. Razmig S.,  “Respect isn’t something that’s just given, it’s earned. You have to work at it and show that you’re worthy. Respect is hard to earn but easy to lose.”
44. Anonymous, “Respect to me is something you give to others and is something precious that should be valued. Respect is given, not necessarily earned. I also see respect as honesty, being straightforward, and not sugarcoating anything so you can help the person improve.”