Quotes from Letitia Baldrige

I've become a master of the apology.

If you really screw up, send roses.

That's how a nation's manners are going to be taught - from watching others' behavior and learning from the effects of that behavior.

If you take five taxis a day, one driver will be nasty, and the other four are perfectly nice. You remember the nasty one. But you should remember the four who were nice.

Doubleday is used to my talking about manners because I am, after all, known for that, and that's my persona.

I'm a businesswoman, and Ms. is an appropriate form of address.

For years, people have re-dialed when the line was busy. They waited their turn. When I'm put on hold, I always hope that as my revenge, their other call will be someone wanting to sell them something.

We need grace in our lives, and I'm not talking about heavenly grace. I'm talking about human grace. We should try and be warm and friendly.

I've had a charmed life.

Chivalry isn't dead. It's just no longer gender-based.

Kids today and for the last 20 years have held the fork and knife in unbelievable ways. They hold the fork with a fist and the knife like a saw and they shovel it in. It doesn't matter to them which way they hold their knife and fork. They eat every which way. I'm amazed they get food into their mouths at all.

If you are someone's guest on a corporate jet, the most important thing to remember is not just to be on time, but to be early. If you hold up the departure of the jet by as much as 10 minutes, you may cause the plane to wait in line for another hour or two before obtaining new clearance.

The best thing we can do to save the planet is set a good example for our kids at home.

I saw an e-mail from one guy who's about 23 to one of peers. His parting sign-off was 'Don't let the bedbugs bite.' Now that's really poetic.

I talk about beepers going off in the middle of a concert and people being late and not apologizing, and people not RSVP-ing, and adult children going back to live with their parents, which we didn't have in the '60s and '70s.

The polished executive is ultimately the happy executive who can walk gracefully through life.

Politeness decrees that you must listen to be kind; intelligence decrees that you must listen to learn.

There is so much bad manners and oafishness in large corporations.

It's stylish to have people over. But unstylish to make them bring food. It's so tacky, making everybody appear at the door with a dish. Better to order in, use a caterer or bring prepared food into your kitchen.

A man or woman can be known and respected for good taste, regardless of job or income level, if they make good choices in clothes, have good table manners, are kind and organize their home to look warm, welcoming, clean, and appropriate to their station in life.

You'd be surprised how much easier it is to conduct business over tea than over lunch or dinner in a bustling restaurant.

At tea time, all the noise, greed and aggressiveness of the '80s can be drowned out. For 45 minutes, anyway.

I'm for anything that teaches consideration and kindness. If one can teach one's son to dance with the ugliest little girl in the room, that's the best lesson they can ever learn.

We're a nation of latchkey children. Manners start at home, and no one is at home teaching manners so that children have respect for others.