It’s not easy to remain calm and collected in the glare of intense public scrutiny, especially when the opposition is set on denying your integrity, competence and accomplishments. But call it grace, poise or dignity, Kamala Harris has managed to make a positive case for her candidacy every day since President Biden endorsed her to take his place on the Democratic ticket. Think about it: No presidential nominees in modern history have faced such a direct challenge to the authenticity of their identity and by extension their qualifications to be the president.

I can tell you with confidence that the various and sundry racist, misogynist and sexist insults hurled at Ms. Harris must sting. They are a reminder of the disgraceful lengths that Republican senators took to shame me when I challenged Clarence Thomas’s fitness to be appointed to the Supreme Court. What helped me stay composed was knowing that I was not the first woman to have her sanity, truthfulness and virtue falsely impugned. Even now, when I am attacked, my mother’s firm but gentle admonition rings in my ears: “You know who you are and what you can do.” Lesson learned: Never let the people who despise you define you.

One key to surviving under such pressure is to forcefully embrace the value of your own capabilities and principles. “Don’t be confined to other people’s perception about what this looks like, and how you should act in order to be,” Ms. Harris said this year. That posture is evident in the clarity and directness with which she states her qualifications for the presidency. During their debate last month, when Ms. Harris exposed Donald Trump’s weaknesses without lowering herself to his level, the strength of her dignity was made even more obvious. She told us that she knew “Donald Trump’s type,” and she proved her point without self-congratulations.

One facet of Vice President Harris’s dignity is her recognition of the right of others to be treated with respect. Take Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s remark that “my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.” Ms. Sanders’s statement was a clumsy attempt to alienate Ms. Harris from women with children. Ms. Harris responded by showing her commitment to valuing all women. She spoke with heart about her love of being a stepmother to two children. And she reminded us that women are routinely made aware of our own shortcomings and limitations — whether or not we have kids.

By staying true to herself — her refusal to be thrown on the defensive by personal attacks — Ms. Harris is showing people how to protect and nurture their own self-worth. I say this because I have witnessed how composure under duress can inspire others. When I left Washington, D.C., following the Senate committee’s grueling questioning of my truthfulness, my only consolation was to remind myself that I had done my best. Since then, I’ve heard from countless people who said they were inspired by my grace and in turn claimed their dignity by sharing their stories of harassment and abuse.

Truth be told, “dignity” and many similar words are loaded. We rarely talk about men’s grace, particularly in the political arena. We often save that conversation for women, perhaps because a man’s leadership worthiness is assumed, while a woman has to prove herself highly competent to lead. In today’s politics, hubris, dissembling, anger, fearmongering and personal grievances are brandished and accepted as proof of power, confidence and competence. Equanimity itself is preyed upon as a sign of weakness.