Final answer:
The advice given is to maintain one's personal standards and self-respect, encouraging individuals to not lower their standards to keep people around but to hold others to their level as an assertion of power. The correct answer is A) Lower your standards to keep people around.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is advising regarding personal standards to maintain self-respect by making others meet your standards. It emphasizes the importance of holding on to your values and not compromising them just to remain in the presence of others.
It draws upon the notion that setting and adhering to one's own standards is an embodiment of self-respect and ultimately a form of power. The advice reflects the views of many philosophers such as Confucius, who discussed virtue and moral rectitude, believes in the power of self-improvement, and the importance of maintaining personal integrity.
It emphasizes the importance of not compromising personal values and lowering standards to fit in or please others.
Instead, the advice suggests that individuals should hold themselves to a high standard and expect others to meet them at that level. This promotes self-respect, empowerment, and healthy relationships based on mutual respect.