Skip to main content

Motivation Quote by Kenny Dalglish

"What is called for is dignity. We need to set an example"

About this Quote

Dignity is doing two jobs at once here: it’s a moral claim and a defensive shield. Coming from Kenny Dalglish, a football figure whose authority was forged in the hottest glare of English sport, the line reads like a refusal to let chaos dictate the terms. He’s not asking for better optics so much as insisting on a code - the old-school belief that how you carry yourself matters when everyone else is watching and judging.

The phrasing is deliberately plain. “What is called for” sounds almost bureaucratic, like a memo, which is the point: it drains emotion out of a moment that likely wants to overflow with it. In football culture, that kind of understatement is a power move. It says, we’re not going to feed the circus. “We need” turns it from personal virtue into collective obligation. No one gets to opt out. It’s a dressing-room sentence: short, firm, built to travel.

Then there’s the kicker: “set an example.” Dalglish isn’t just talking to players; he’s talking to a wider ecosystem - fans, media, club staff, maybe even rival supporters. The subtext is reputational triage: football is always one scandal away from being reduced to a stereotype, and “example” is a demand to be bigger than the moment. It’s also a subtle assertion of leadership. When you call for dignity, you’re positioning yourself as the person who defines what dignity looks like - and who gets to police it.

Quote Details

TopicLeadership
SourceHelp us find the source
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Dalglish, Kenny. (2026, January 16). What is called for is dignity. We need to set an example. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/what-is-called-for-is-dignity-we-need-to-set-an-101789/

Chicago Style
Dalglish, Kenny. "What is called for is dignity. We need to set an example." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/what-is-called-for-is-dignity-we-need-to-set-an-101789/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"What is called for is dignity. We need to set an example." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/what-is-called-for-is-dignity-we-need-to-set-an-101789/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Kenny Add to List
Kenny Dalglish quote on dignity and leadership
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

Scotland Flag

Kenny Dalglish (born March 4, 1951) is a Athlete from Scotland.

4 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

Adam Savage, Entertainer
Kenneth Burke, Philosopher
Kenneth Burke