But what is a person’s “reputation”? What is this thing which may not be “taken lightly”? Clearly, it is not a possession which may be said to belong to him in the way, for example, his clothes do. In fact, a person’s reputation does not “belong” to him at all. A person’s reputation is what other people think of him; it consists of the thoughts which other people have.

A man does not own his reputation any more than he owns the thoughts of others - because that is all his reputation consists of. A man’s reputation cannot be stolen from him any more than can the thoughts of other people be stolen from him.

- Walter Block, Defending the Undefendable