Acharya Prashant explains that what is commonly understood as respect is often nothing more than fear manifesting as conduct. People associate respect with formal gestures like bowing or speaking politely, which are rooted in comparison and measurement of status. He argues that if respect is based on someone's talent or merit, it is violent and temporary because it disappears once the comparison changes. True respect, derived from the root of the word 'spectare', means to see clearly or to look again. It is synonymous with understanding, realization, and proximity rather than keeping a distance through formal protocols. He further clarifies that 'Samman' means right understanding or knowing properly. Real respect is not about bowing one's head while remaining ignorant; it is about listening and understanding. He emphasizes that real respect and love are not two different things; pure respect is pure love. Without love, respect is false and hypocritical. Similarly, he redefines self-respect not as pride or 'Swabhimaan', which he identifies as ego, but as self-knowledge or 'Atmagyan'. He warns that a person who claims to be full of pride is often violent and fake, whereas true self-respect is the act of knowing oneself.