How do you gain respect in a relationship?

You may find my answer very odd, but it is the fact if you want your friends, relatives, children, parents even your wife should respect, value and honour your relationship, then you need to restrain yourself.

Try your best to restrain yourself from legitimate desires. Avoid your legitimate desires and needs as much as you can, not unlawful desires which are already prohibited. Never demand any reward. In other words, limit your desires, treat others with sincerity and love in response do not expect good treatment.

There is a proverb in the Urdu Language, "Do good with others and throw it in the river." Act upon this saying. Just think positive points of others, speak well and do good but don't expect anything from them in reward.
Soon you will observe that they will notice your importance. They will desire your friendship & feel your absence. If you practice all this sincerely, success is behind all these hardships, you will become a successful person in this world as well as in the hereafter. Don't worry about a few people if they think they have used you, made you fool. The matter is the opposite. You are smart enough and they ... you are working on long term policy and they are practicing shortcut. One day these short cuts (wounds) will become cancer for them.

Try it unless it is too late.