Manners Quotes - Page 16

• The challenge of manners is not so much to be nice to someone whose favor and/or person you covet (although more people need to be reminded of that necessity than one would suppose) as to be exposed to the bad manners of others without imitating them.

  Judith Martin

  Nice, People, Challenges

  Judith Martin (1990). “Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn-of-the-Millennium”, p.121, Simon and Schuster

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• Like language, a code of manners can be used with more or less skill, for laudable or for evil purposes, to express a great variety of ideas and emotions. In itself, it carries no moral value, but ignorance in use of this tool is not a sign of virtue.

  Judith Martin

  Ignorance, Skills, Ideas

  Judith Martin (1996). “Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson”

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• Shame is the proper reaction when one has purposefully violated the accepted behavior of society. Inflicting it is etiquette's response when its rules are disobeyed. The law has all kinds of nasty ways of retaliating when it is disregarded, but etiquette has only a sense of social shame to deter people from treating others in ways they know are wrong. So naturally Miss Manners wants to maintain the sense of shame. Some forms of discomfort are fully justified, and the person who feels shame ought to be dealing with removing its causes rather than seeking to relieve the symptoms.

  Judith Martin

  Law, People, Missing

  Judith Martin (1996). “Miss Manners Rescues Civilization: From Sexual Harassment, Frivolous Lawsuits, Dissing, and Other Lapses in Civility”, Crown

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• The introduction of Christianity, which, under whatever form, always confers such inestimable benefits on mankind, soon made a sensible change in these rude and fierce manners.

  Edmund Burke

  Rude, Benefits, Fierce

  Edmund Burke (1963). “Edmund Burke: Selected Writings and Speeches”, p.87, Transaction Publishers

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• Our manners, our civilization, and all the good things connected with manners and civilization, have, in this European world of ours, depended for ages upon two principles: I mean the spirit of a gentleman, and the spirit of religion.

  Edmund Burke

  Mean, Civilization, Two

  Edmund Burke, Robert MONTGOMERY (Author of “Satan.”.) (1853). “Edmund Burke: being first principles selected from his writings. With an introductory essay by Robert Montgomery”, p.127

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• Unsociable humors are contracted in solitude, which will, in the end, not fail of corrupting the understanding as well as the manners, and of utterly disqualifying a man for the satisfactions and duties of life. Men must be taken as they are, and we neither make them or ourselves better by flying from or quarreling with them.

  Edmund Burke

  Taken, Men, Understanding

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• It is for the most part in our skill in manners, and in the observations of time and place and of decency in general, that what is called taste by way of distinction consists; and which is in reality no other than a more refined judgment.

  Edmund Burke

  Reality, Skills, Way

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• Manners, really good ones, make it possible to live with almost anyone, gracefully and pleasantly.

  Margaret Mead

  Margaret Mead, Margaret Mary Caffrey, Patricia A. Francis (2006). “To Cherish the Life of the World: Selected Letters of Margaret Mead”, p.14, Basic Books

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• Good company requires only birth, education, and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential; but a little learning is by no means a dangerous thing in good company; on the contrary, it will do very well.

  Jane Austen

  Friendship, Nice, Mean

  Jane Austen (2013). “Persuasion In Modern English”, p.296, BookCaps Study Guides

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• Animals are murdered to produce meat; vegetables are torn up, peeled, and chopped; most of what we eat is treated with fire; and chewing is designed remorselessly to finish what killing and cooking began. People naturally prefer that none of this should happen to them. Behind every rule of table etiquette lurks the determination of each person present to be a diner, not a dish.

  Margaret Visser

  Determination, Animal, Fire

  Margaret Visser (2015). “The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners”, p.17, Open Road Media

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• Eating is aggressive by nature, and the implements required for it could quickly become weapons; table manners are, most basically, a system of taboos designed to ensure that violence remains out of the question.

  Margaret Visser

  Tables, Weapons, Violence

  Margaret Visser (2015). “The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners”, p.10, Open Road Media

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• If an armed nation were a polite nation, America would be paradise. We have more than 200 million guns in private owernship here. But our manners are not getting better.

  Molly Ivins

  Gun, America, Get Better

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• Politeness induces morality. Serenity of manners requires serenity of mind.

  Julia Ward Howe

  Serenity, Mind, Morality

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• Men and women must be educated, in a great degree, by the opinions and manners of the society they live in. In every age there has been a stream of popular opinion that has carried all before it, and given a family character, as it were, to the century. It may then fairly be inferred, that, till society be differently constituted, much cannot be expected from education.

  Mary Wollstonecraft

  Character, Men, Age

  Mary Wollstonecraft (2013). “Vindication of the Rights of Women”, p.18, Lulu.com

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• Custom is a mutable thing; yet we readily recognize the permanence of certain social values. Graciousness and courtesy are never old-fashioned.

  Emily Post

  Social Values, Courtesy, Certain

  Emily Post (1960). “Etiquette: the blue book of social usage”

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• Most old people ... are disheartened to be living in the ailing house of their bodies, to be limited physically and economically, to feel an encumbrance to others - guests who didn't have the good manners to leave when the party was over.

  Barbara Walters

  Party, People, House

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• It's the Point of Your View that Decides What You See - / One Man's Flop Is Another Man's Hit. / From Manners to Movies, the Picture Keeps Changing / Depending Upon Where You Sit.

  Bette Midler

  Men, Views, Perspective

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• An acquaintance with the muses, in the education of youth, contributes not a little to soften manners. It gives a delicate turn to the imagination and a polish to the mind.

  Samuel Richardson

  Education, Giving, Imagination

  Samuel Richardson (1980). “A collection of the moral and instructive sentiments: a facsimile reproduction”, Scholars Facsimilies & Reprint

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• The child takes most of his nature of the mother, besides speech, manners, and inclination.

  Herbert Spencer

  Mother, Children, Speech

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• as everybody knows, truthfulness and agreeable manners are often divorced on the ground of incompatibility.

  Margaret Deland

  Incompatibility, Truthfulness, Divorced

  Margaret Deland (2010). “Around Old Chester”, p.182, Wildside Press LLC

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• Private problems don't constitute an excuse for bad manners.

  Margaret Millar

  Problem, Excuse, Bad Manners

  Margaret Millar (2002). “Best Mysteries of All Time: A Stranger in My Grave”, Impress

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• England is the only civilised country in the world where it is etiquette to fall on the food like a wolf the moment it is served. Elsewhere it is comme il faut to wait until everybody has helped himself to everything and until everything on everybody's plate is stone cold.

  Virginia Graham

  Country, Fall, Waiting

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• Let a man use great reverence and manners to himself.

  Pythagoras

  Men, Use, Reverence

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• in love, gallantry is necessary. Even when the first wild desire is gone, especially then, there is an inherent need for good manners and consideration, for the putting forth of effort. Two courteous and civilized human beings out of the loneliness of their souls owe that to each other.

  Ilka Chase

  Loneliness, Two, Effort

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• A code of behavior is an inevitable part of life in any community, and if we hadn't inherited ours, we should have had to invent one.

  Millicent Fenwick

  Should Have, Community, Behavior

  Millicent Fenwick (1948). “Vogue's book of etiquette: a complete guide to traditional forms and modern usage”

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