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Quote by Judith Martin

“We have the reverse of the Puritan work ethic in America now. No one ever becomes a star by plugging along year after year. What is needed is flair, talent, 'an eye,' contacts, charisma, and, most of all, naturalness.”

Quote by Judith Martin

Book:Style and substance: a comedy of manners

Work

Style and substance: a comedy of manners

This book is a satirical examination of the complexities of polite society, featuring a cast of characters engaged in witty and often absurd social interactions that highlight the absurdities of class and decorum. more

Author

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. more

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“Smart people duck when they hear the dread announcement 'I'm going to be perfectly honest with you.”

People Honest Honesty Conversation Smart Ducks Dread Smart People Announcements

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

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

“You think death is any better an excuse for desertion than any other?”

Thinking Excuse Desertion

Author:Judith Martin

“The civil unrest of recent days must come to an end, and the healing process must begin for the future of the community. We will provide assistance both in ending the violence and enabling the healing process in Benton Harbor.”

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“Meanwhile, the empty forms of social behavior survive inappropriately in business situations. We all know that when a business sends its customers 'friendly reminders,' it really means business.”

Knows Mean Form Social Situation Behavior Empty Letters Debt Customers Friendly Reminders Really Mean Social Behavior

Author:Judith Martin

“Protocol is etiquette with a government expense account.”

Government Accounts Definitions Expenses Etiquette Protocol

Book:Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior

Source: Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior

“People say when you're in love, you don't need etiquette. Well, you need it then more than anything. Or they say, "At home I can just be myself." What they mean is they can be their worst selves... They always mean they will save all their anxiety about how to behave for somebody like the head waiter of a restaurant, someone they'll never see again.”

People Needs Wells Mean I Can Self Home Worst Love You Anxiety Behave Restaurants Etiquette Waiter

Author:Judith Martin

“People think, mistakenly, that etiquette means you have to suppress your differences. On the contray, etiquette is what enables you to deal with them; it gives you a set of rules.”

People Thinking Giving Mean Differences Deals Etiquette

Author:Judith Martin

“Etiquette is about all of human social behavior. Behavior is regulated by law when etiquette breaks down or when the stakes are high - violations of life, limb, property and so on. Barring that, etiquette is a little social contract we make that we will restrain some of our more provocative impulses in return for living more or less harmoniously in a community.”

“Society cannot exist without etiquette ... It never has, and until our own century, everybody knew that.”

Century Etiquette

Author:Judith Martin

“To sacrifice the principles of manners, which require compassion and respect, and bat people over the head with their ignorance of etiquette rules they cannot be expected to know is both bad manners and poor etiquette. That social climbers and twits have misused etiquette throughout history should not be used as an argument for doing away with it.”

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