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Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson

Book by Judith Martin · 8 quotes · Manners, People, Believe

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Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson Quotes

“The idea that people can behave naturally, without resorting to an artificial code tacitly agreed upon by their society, is as silly as the idea that they can communicate by a spoken language without commonly accepted semantic and grammatical rules.”

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Book:Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson
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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.”

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Book:Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson
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“Nobody believes that the man who says, 'Look, lady, you wanted equality,' to explain why he won't give up his seat to a pregnant woman carrying three grocery bags, a briefcase, and a toddler is seized with the symbolism of idealism.”

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Book:Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson
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“Nowadays, we never allow ourselves the convenience of being temporarily unavailable, even to strangers. With telephone and beeper, people subject themselves to being instantly accessible to everyone at all times, and it is the person who refuses to be on call, rather than the importunate caller, who is considered rude.”

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Book:Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson
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“. . . women were brought up to have only one set of manners. A woman was either a lady or she wasn't, and we all know what the latter meant. Not even momentary lapses were allowed; there is no female equivalent of the boys-will-be-boys concept.”

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Book:Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson
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“One reason that the task of inventing manners is so difficult is that etiquette is folk custom, and people have emotional ties to the forms of their youth. That is why there is such hostility between generations in times of rapid change; their manners being different, each feels affronted by the other, taking even the most surface choices for challenges.”

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Book:Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson
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“The rationale that etiquette should be eschewed because it fosters inequality does not ring true in a society that openly admits to a feverish interest in the comparative status-conveying qualities of sneakers. Manners are available to all, for free.”

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Book:Common courtesy: in which Miss Manners solves the problem that baffled Mr. Jefferson
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