# Whose good opinion of you do you value most? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016 "2010-03-27T14:48:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/21 "2010-03-28T01:55:00Z")
My husband’s, of course. My mom’s, again of course. My dissertation advisor’s, for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/22 "2010-03-28T02:50:22Z")
First, wife, then my (adult) kids, relatives and finally friends. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/23 "2010-03-28T03:27:41Z")
Myself, of course and I’m not being facetious. Self-Respect means doing the right thing even when no one else is watching. Once you say that someone else’s opinion of you is more important than your own opinion of yourself, then you say that the most important thing is not getting caught. The question is: Will you do something you know is wrong even if people whose good opinion you value don’t think it is wrong or will never find out? If you don’t have the respect of the person you see in the mirror, then the respect of others is worthless. Maybe the question should be: Whose good opinion do you value the most after your own? ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/24 "2010-03-28T06:38:49Z")
My mother, grandfather and uncle. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/25 "2010-03-28T12:41:17Z")
My dog seems to occasionally respect me. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/26 "2010-03-28T14:48:17Z")
My partner. No one else’s opinion matters much. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/27 "2010-03-28T16:04:38Z")
Also my Wife. On some stuff, she is just spot on. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/28 "2010-03-28T18:51:36Z")
The guy I currently work for has been a real mentor for me in this latest career change (AOD counselor), so him. My lovely wife’s opinion of me has stayed unrealistically high throughout our 19 years together, so I don’t think about it too much. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/29 "2010-03-28T21:20:46Z")
My spouse has the only opinions of me that matter to me. If I think I’ve said something that lessens me in her eyes, I feel physically ill. Happily, that’s a rare occurrence, as she thinks I’m wondrous. Poor, deluded woman. . . ---
**Author:** ![miamouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@miamouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miamouse)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/30 "2010-03-28T23:48:40Z")
My children. Their dad has been more of an example of what not to do, so that leaves me very little room to make any errors. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/31 "2010-03-29T14:37:57Z")
1. My husband. 2. My dogs. 3. My father-in-law. 4. My editor. 5. My mother-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/32 "2010-03-29T17:11:52Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > That’s because you’re sane, dear. > > It’s my own fault for not specifying “other than yourself,” though. Thanks. Still mine, before anyone’s, but I’ll add my SO to the mix. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/33 "2010-03-29T17:23:11Z")
> [@Dereknocue67](#): > > My dog seems to occasionally respect me. 😃 My thoughts exactly! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/34 "2010-03-29T17:27:38Z")
Mine, of course - but beyond that, my sister’s. For some reason, she thinks well of me, and I would prefer that she continue to do so. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016/35 "2010-03-30T03:02:03Z")
It varies. In different aspects of my life, different people’s opinions matter. Overall, though, my younger brother’s opinion is extremely important. He is intelligent, capable, responsible, ethical, and supremely reasonable. I know there are areas in my life (finances, anyone?) where he, at best, feels pity for me. There are other areas where I am the person he confers with, and that is deeply flattering. My mom is another person who is amazingly capable. She has more work ethic in her pinkie than I do in my entire body. I know I don’t live up to her expectations as far as my weight, my health, or my career, but I am so built up when she mentions something about me that she admires. Generally speaking, the people I respect are the ones whose opinions matter. It can even be a person I don’t particularly like, as I don’t expect to like everyone in existence, and there are some abilities and qualities that exist independent of personality type. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-good-opinion-of-you-do-you-value-most/534016.md?page=1)