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Judith Martin

Judith Martin Quotes

Journalist

Judith Martin, known by her pen name Miss Manners, is an American journalist and columnist renowned for her insights into etiquette and social norms. Born on September 13, 1938, she has been writing a etiquette column for The New York Times since 1962, remaining a prominent figure in the public eye to this day.

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Famous Judith Martin Quotes

“The etiquette of intimacy is very different from the etiquette of formality, but manners are not just something to show off to the outside world. If you offend the head waiter, you can always go to another restaurant. If you offend the person you live with, it's very cumbersome to switch to a different family.”

Ifs World Persons Different Shows Family Manners Intimacy Restaurants Etiquette Showing Off Outside World Waiter Formality Family Man Different Families

Author:Judith Martin

“The challenge of manners is not so much to be nice to someone whose favor and/or person you covet (although more people need to be reminded of that necessity than one would suppose) as to be exposed to the bad manners of others without imitating them.”

People Needs Persons Challenges Nice Favors Manners Exposed Being Nice Imitating Bad Manners

Book:Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn-of-the-Millennium

Source: Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn-of-the-Millennium

“Only a person who considers himself too good for you is good enough.”

Persons Enough Good Enough

Book:Gilbert: a comedy of manners

Source: Gilbert: a comedy of manners

“Shame is the proper reaction when one has purposefully violated the accepted behavior of society. Inflicting it is etiquette's response when its rules are disobeyed. The law has all kinds of nasty ways of retaliating when it is disregarded, but etiquette has only a sense of social shame to deter people from treating others in ways they know are wrong. So naturally Miss Manners wants to maintain the sense of shame. Some forms of discomfort are fully justified, and the person who feels shame ought to be dealing with removing its causes rather than seeking to relieve the symptoms.”

Source: Miss Manners Rescues Civilization: From Sexual Harassment, Frivolous Lawsuits, Dissing, and Other Lapses in Civility

“Should you happen to notice that another person is extremely tall or overweight, eats too much or declines convivial drinks, has red hair or goes about in a wheelchair, ought to get married or ought not to be pregnant -- see if you can refrain from bringing these astonishing observations to that person's attention.”

Ifs Should Persons Happens Attention Too Much Hair Ought Drink Married Red Observation Tall Decline Pregnant Astonishing Refrain Overweight Wheelchairs Red Hair

Author:Judith Martin

“Whamming someone smaller than oneself in order to teach that person civilized behavior is not within Miss Manners' concept of propriety, much less logic.”

Persons Order Teach Missing Behavior Concepts Logic Oneself Manners Civilized Propriety Civilized Behavior Miss Manners

Book:Miss Manners' guide to rearing perfect children

Source: Miss Manners' guide to rearing perfect children

“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.”

People Persons Subjects Refuse Stranger All Time Manners Rude Telephones Convenience Importunate Miss Manners

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

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

“A small wedding is not necessarily one to which very few people are invited. It is one to which the person you are addressing is not invited.”

People Persons Wedding Invited

Book:Miss Manners on Weddings

Source: Miss Manners on Weddings