50 Classy Gentleman Quotes to Help You Earn Respect (2021)

These motivational gentleman quotes will inspire you to become an upstanding member of society.

Living a life of honor, determination, humility, and respect is a good start to becoming a modern gentleman. These inspirational quotes will encourage you on your journey of elegance and self-improvement.

What are the qualities of a gentleman?

Being a gentleman comes down to action and behavior. Anyone can indulge in a life of class and acclaim if they make the right choices. This collection of wise words will teach you how to be the perfect gentleman.

Gentlemen still exist in the world today, but they are rare. It can be difficult to always maintain a thoughtful and dapper demeanor.

Show these quotes to your husband or boyfriend if you want to encourage them to start acting like a modern gentleman.

These incredible pieces of advice come from the minds of celebrities, philosophers, and other leading experts on true gentlemen. 

Don’t forget to also read these good man quotes that will inspire you to do your best.

Gentleman quotes that will inspire you to live a classy, dapper life

1. “A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.” – George Bernard Shaw

2. “A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me.” – Frederick Douglass

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of John Locke quotes on character, wealth, and more.

3. “A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else.” – George Savile 

4. “A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone’s feelings unintentionally.” – Oscar Wilde

5. “Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.” – Henri Bergson

6. “It is almost a definition of a gentleman to say that he is one who never inflicts pain.” – John Henry Newman

7. “Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him.” – John Locke

8. “Being male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of age. But being a gentleman is a matter of choice.” – Vin Diesel   

9. “Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor.” – Benjamin Disraeli

10. “With a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and with a fraud I try to be a fraud and a half.” – Otto von Bismarck

Gentleman quotes that will inspire you to make the right choices

11. “As a general rule, it pays to be confident, helpful and nice.” – Colin Wright

12. “A gentleman is never rude except on purpose – I can honestly be nasty sober, believe you me.” – Christopher Hitchens

13. “Don’t raise your voice. Improve your argument.” – Desmond Tutu

14. “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.” – Bob Dylan   

15. “I would like to think that I’m a gentleman and a nice guy.” – Logic

16. “A gentleman knows his actions carry more weight than any words spoken.” – Unknown

17. “Whether the gentleman is capable or not, he is loved all the same; conversely the petty man is loathed all the same.” – Xun Kuang

18. “Prayer gives a man the opportunity of getting to know a gentleman he hardly ever meets. I do not mean his maker, but himself.” – William Inge

19. “No gentleman ever discusses any relationship with a lady.” – Keith Miller

20. “Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.” – Theodore Roosevelt

These inspiring promise quotes about keeping your word that will remind you to always be honest and honorable.

Gentleman quotes to encourage you on your journey of elegance and self improvement

21. “Choose being kind over being right and you’ll be right every time.” – Richard Carlson

22. “My ideal man is faithful, honest, and a gentleman who knows how to treat women.” – Irina Shayk

23. “Excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.” – Ralph Marston

24. “For me, the best thing you can do as a man in loving someone is to do your best, go on that walk, and at the end of that walk be as much of a gentleman as you were in the beginning.” – Ryan Adams

25. “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” – William Ernest Henley

26. “This is the final test of a gentleman: his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him.” – William Lyon Phelps

27. “A gentleman is simply a patient wolf.” – Lana Turner

28. “I think you should take your job seriously, but not yourself. That is the best combination.” – Dame Judi Dench   

29. “Profaneness is a brutal vice. He who indulges in it is no gentleman.” – Edwin Hubbel Chapin

30. “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill

Gentleman quotes to give you a fresh perspective

31. “I was brought up to be a gentleman. That means you know how to walk, talk and dress the part.” – Brian McKnight

32. “Hardship is the native soil of manhood and self-reliance.” – John Neal

33. “It’s attention to detail that makes the difference between average and stunning.” – Francis Atterbury

34. “I’m a gentleman, if nothing else. It’s taken me years to become one, but finally I have a sense of propriety.” – Eric Stoltz

35. “The look of a gentleman is little else than the reflection of the looks of the world.” – William Hazlitt

36. “If you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’ Brien

37. “I am a gentleman. My natural inclination is to be on my best behavior.” – Joe Wilson

38. “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates 

39. “The word of a gentleman is as good as his bond; and sometimes better.” – Charles Dickens

40. “Good manners are just a way of showing other people that we have respect for them.” – Bill Kelly

More gentleman quotes to inspire you

41. “Anyone can be heroic from time to time, but a gentleman is something you have to be all the time.” – Luigi Pirandello

42. “Masculinity is not something given to you, but something you gain. And you gain it by winning small battles with honor.” – Norman Mailer

43. “A man is only as good as his words are.” – Frank Sinatra

44. “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

45. “If they respect you, respect them. If they disrespect you, still respect them.” – Mohammad Zeyara

46. “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.” – Laurence Sterne

47. “The very first thing you learn if you’re a gentleman is that you never compare one woman to another. That’s the way of all death.” – Patrick Macnee

48. “A gentleman has his eyes on all those present; he is tender toward the bashful, gentle toward the distant, and merciful toward the absent.” – Lawrence G. Lovasik

49. “A true gentleman is one who is never unintentionally rude.” – Unknown

50. “And though it is much to be a nobleman, it is more to be a gentleman.” – Anthony Trollope

Gentleman quotes that show why they’re important

51. “A true gentleman is one that apologizes anyways, even though he has not offended a lady intentionally. He is in a class all of his own because he knows the value of a woman’s heart.” -Shannon Alder

52. “A gentleman is someone who does not what he wants to do, but what he should do.”  -Haruki Murakami

53. “Chivalry: It’s the little boy that kisses my hand, the young man who holds the door open for me, and the old man who tips his hat to me. None of it is a reflection of me, but a reflection of them.”  -Donna Lynn Hope 

54. “The gentleman is dignified but not arrogant. The small man is arrogant but not digified.” -Confucius

55. “A gentleman by definition is a man who makes everyone around him feel comfortable. Arrogance who only thinks of himself without considering the needs of others is the opposite of a gentleman. They can both be wealthy, they don’t have to be, but they cannot both be gentlemen.” -Oliver Oyanadel

56. “Though he was her enemy, he treated her with unfailing courtesy.”  -Jacqueline Carey

57.“he was a gentleman on whom I built / an absolute trust.” ― Sharon Olds

58. “A gentleman, I hope it will become clear, is not simply a man who stands apart. He is a man who stands up for others—sometimes even for his enemies—often when those others have no clue that he is there for them.”  -Brad Miner

59. “Gentlemen always walk ladies home.”  -Gabriellyn Gidman

60. “Austen suggests that a gentleman is made, not born – and made only through a process of painful self-reflection and discovery.”  -Emily Auerbach 

Which of these inspirational gentleman quotes encourages you to indulge in a life of elegance?

Being a true gentleman requires a lifetime of hard work and consistent behavior. Although the path to excellence may be challenging, the results are worth it.

Gentlemen are successful and well-liked people. If you want the motivation to change your life and become an upstanding member of society, read these gentleman quotes. 

The first step to becoming a gentleman is understanding the traits and lifestyle you’re expected to maintain. This collection of quotes and advice will give you a fresh perspective on everything.

It’s possible to reach your dreams if you create a plan and follow through with action. Share these gentleman quotes with all of the men you know who could use inspiration or guidance.

What are your favorite gentleman quotes and sayings to guide you as you live a classy, dapper life? Let us know in the comment section below.