(CNN) A Houston school has removed a quote popularized by a former New York madam after social media controversy over the saying, which was posted in a hallway above school lockers, according to CNN affiliate KTRK.

The quote: "The more you act like a lady, the more he'll act like a gentleman."

The decal letters were taken down Saturday, school district officials told KTRK.

The saying had been on a wall above lockers in Gregory-Lincoln Education Center for the Performing and Visual Arts for five years, according to KTRK, but it was removed after a mother posted an image of the quote to social media.

Some saw it as sexist or misogynistic. Some saw it as a way of reminding young people about respect.

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