Quotes About Etiquette

Miss Manners hereby absolves everyone from feeling any embarrassment deliberately imposed by others.

It is a general rule to err on the side of formality rather than of intimacy.

But sometimes one hears an Etiquette-Buster's confession that rings true: "You make me feel guilty." I'm not going to bother, this argument goes, so we need to lower the standard so I don't look bad. On

We're talking tradition here, for heaven's sake. Not literary analysis. Do you consider "Good morning" to be a weather report?

Miss Manners has always believed that people who do not acknowledge presents are annoyed at receiving them, and she respects that preference.

Anyone who could remember the heyday of the cocktail party probably doesn't.

As dear Erasmus said, "It is part of the highest civility if, while never erring yourself, you ignore the errors of others." Besides, it is a law of nature that he who corrects others will soon do something perfectly awful himself. On

Miss Manners' attitude is that it is better to bar the door to unwanted guests than to back them out through it.

The numbers at a dinner should not be less than the Graces, nor more than the Muses," stated the Roman formula, when guests lay three to a couch. If the Graces are busy, you could try the Fates, who are not asked out as often.

She expects you to keep your eyes still while you say to the conductor, "Of course, I'd be glad to, but I especially wanted to sit by the window. Would you be good enough to find me another window seat? And then we could change.

GENTLE READER

Lady" is not used before the lady's first name unless she is the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl; those who come by the title through marriage use it before the husband's name. Fortunately

How do you do?" depending on the formality of the occasion, and whether you can count on the other person to understand that the answer to "How do you do?" is "How do you do?" even though that makes two questions in a row. (Etiquette opposes any declaration of being pleased to meet someone on the cynical grounds that it may not turn out to be a pleasure.) The

Without such rules, there are no exchanges of ideas, only exchanges of set positions and insults. People who disagree rapidly move from talking over one another to shouting one another down, and from expressing their opinions on the matter at hand to expressing their opinions of the intelligence and morality of those who disagree with them.

Oh, I'm terribly sorry, but I can't." "I'd love to, but I'm afraid it's impossible." "Unfortunately, I can't, but I hope you can find someone." It

Any attempt to explain that they are undecided, rather than declining, should be brushed aside with the explanation that although you need to plan now, you understand that they are not in a position to accept and you wouldn't dream of pushing them.

Getting children to say 'Please' and 'Thank you,' directly and in writing, is one of the chief tasks of child-rearing. It is a simple matter, requiring about ten years of contant vigilance, but those who give up on it might as well—and generally do—concede failure on the entire enterprise of civilizing their young.

the chair is the correct place for you to leave your napkin if you get up in midmeal; it is at the end of the meal that it is left to the side of the plate. Parking

Yes, indeed. "Good morning" is an opener, and "Good day" is a closer.

The polite thing would be to say to the noisy person, "I beg your pardon, but I can't hear the music. I wonder if you would mind talking more softly?" By the time you have said all this, a third party will utter a loud shush, thereby accomplishing your purpose without sacrificing your manners.

you must take inedibles out the way you put them in.

Once a cad was someone who enticed a lady into consummating a promised marriage before the ceremony had taken place.

the life preserver to be tossed is: "I don't think you realize how that sounds. I can't imagine that you really believe that, but in any case, let's talk about something else.

One can become quite proficient at this amiable patter; the trick is to omit the instructive parts when attending formal dinner parties outside the house.