Quotes About Manners

Could there be finer symptoms? Is not general incivility the very essence of love?

His cold politeness, his ceremonious grace, were worse than anything.

I assure you. I have no notion of treating men with such respect. That is the way to spoil them.

Is not general incivility the very essence of love?

But I hate to hear you talking so like a fine gentleman, and as if women were all fine ladies, instead of rational creatures. We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.

Pray, pray be composed, and do not betray what you feel to every body present

I do not cough for my own amusement.

Whom are you going to dance with?' asked Mr. Knightley. She hesitated a moment and then replied, 'With you, if you will ask me.' Will you?' said he, offering his hand. Indeed I will. You have shown that you can dance, and you know we are not really so much brother and sister as to make it at all improper.' Brother and sister! no, indeed.

I have no pretensions whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man.

He listened to her with silent attention, and on her ceasing to speak, rose directly from his seat, and after saying in a voice of emotion, 'To your sister I wish all imaginable happiness; to Willoughby, that he may endeavor to deserve her,' took leave, and went away.

My idea of good company, Mr Elliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company. You are mistaken, said he gently, that is not good company; that is the best. Good company requires only birth, education, and manners (...)

Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing? Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together, and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as possible.

Mr. Knightley seemed to be trying not to smile; and succeeded without difficulty, upon Mrs. Elton's beginning to talk to him.

I never wish to offend, but I am so foolishly shy, that I often seem negligent, when I am only kept back by my natural awkwardness.

A man who has nothing to do with his own time has no conscience in his intrusion on that of others.

No- I cannot talk of books in a ballroom; my head is always full of something else.

It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy. I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples.

Manners is what holds a society together. At bottom, propriety is concern for other people. When that goes out the window, the gates of hell are shortly opened and ignorance is King.

If any young men come for Mary or Kitty, send them in, for I am quite as leisure.

Nobody meant to be unkind, but nobody put themselves out of their way to secure her comfort.

I should like balls infinitely better,' she replied, 'if they were carried on in a different manner; but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were made the order of they day.' 'Much more rational, my dear Caroline, I dare say, but it would not be near so much like a ball.

Upon my word, said her ladyship, you give your opinion very decidedly for so young a person. Pray, what is your age?

Es cierto que no tengo la facilidad que poseen otros —señaló Darcy— de conversar con soltura con aquellos que no conocen. No puedo ceñirme al tono de su conversación, ni fingirme interesado por sus asuntos, como veo hacer tan a menudo.

What made you so shy of me, when you first called, and afterwards dined here? Why, especially, when you called, did you look as if you did not care about me? Because you were grave and silent, and gave me no encouragement. But I was embarrassed. And so was I. You might have talked to me more when you came to dinner. A man who had felt less, might.