Quotes about dignity

Dignity is a word that has been used a lot in the media recently in view of how we ensure dignity for individuals in hospitals, and this got me thinking about the word and what it actually means. Here are some quotes:

Dignity is like a perfume; those who use it are scarcely conscious of it. Christina of Sweden.

Dignity does not float down from heaven it cannot be purchased nor manufactured. It is a reward reserved for those who labour with diligence. Bill Hybels

Where is there dignity unless there is honesty? Cicero

Dignity does not consist in possessing honours, but in deserving them. Aristotle

No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. Booker T. Washington

Let not a man guard his dignity, but let his dignity guard him. Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is a healthful hardiness about real dignity that never dreads contact and communion with others, however humble. Washington Irving

Dignity, so is it about appearance and personal bearing or more about the expectation of personal respect? Do we demand dignity, expect it or earn it?  Food for thought!