Here is some advice on maintaining dignity from The Doctrine of Virtue, Part III: On Servility, Section 12:

* Be no man's lackey.
* Do not let others tread with impunity on your right.
* Do not accept favors you don't require.
* Do not become a parasite, or a flatterer, or a beggar (these are all the same thing).
* Be thrifty, as to avoid destitution.
* Complaining, even crying out over bodily pain, is unworthy.
* Do not kneel or prostrate yourself on the ground, as doing so subjects oneself to false humility before an idol, rather than true humility under the bounds of reason.