Quotes About Etiquette

Do not laugh loudly and obnoxiously.

keep your language free of obscenities. Do not dip into the gutter in search of cheap laughs.

Early is on time, on time is late, and late is uacceptable.

My sweet Harriet," he murmured. "I am delighted to see that you are still unpolished." She scowled up at him. "I assure you I am working very hard on that project, too, sir.

Ah, yes. The lovely Claudia. We certainly would not want the Angel to become concerned about her hoyden of a cousin, would we?" Augusta

Clearly no one knew the socially correct way to deal with a brawl in a ballroom that had been started by a lady.

I meant no offense." "Yet you offend so well.

Look here', he said, frowning, 'You shouldn't joke about matters related to food.

Politeness is the most acceptable hypocrisy

A lady is a woman who makes it easy for a man to be a gentleman.

Hold a bottle by the neck and a woman by the waist. Never the other way around".

Fine manners are the mantle of fair minds.

Don't answer the door in a wedding dress and veil, he might not think you're joking.

My mother always said 'Don't bother other people.' I think that's good advice.

She could always go back to hostessing. She knew how to show someone a seat.

can take over a week for a Venus flytrap to devour its prey, and it may only eat a few bugs in its life. Although people can force a trap to close by running a finger along it, carnivorous plant enthusiasts consider this rude.

Do not smoke without asking permission or sit so near (as in a train) that the smoke might annoy.

Do not speak of repulsive matters at table.

Everyone knows that a man can always marry even if he reaches 102, is penniless, and has all his faculties gone. There is always some woman willing to take a chance on him. (from the Complete Book of Etiquette, 1952)

The modern rule is that every woman should be her own chaperon.

I have no use for people who exhibit manners.

Good manners have much to do with the emotions. To make them ring true, one must feel them, not merely exhibit them.

Well, I'm sorry. Again. For like the millionth time. If there's anything I can do ... I'd offer to pay for your dry cleaning, but you're wearing a T-shirt, and that's just, like weird - I mean, who dry-cleans their T-shirts?

Eventually, a Soviet general sat down in the empty seat next to Howley. Rank-conscious, the Russian visibly shuddered when he realized he was sitting next to someone of much lower position. 'I see you're a colonel,' he said through an interpreter. Howley looked up from his plate and grumbled, 'I see you're a general. Here, have some salami.