Home / Topics / Etiquette Quotes

Etiquette Quotes

Browse 405 quotes about Etiquette.

Etiquette Quotes

“As a general rule, do not kick the shins of the opposite gentleman under the table, if personally unaquainted with him; your pleasantry is liable to be misunderstood--a circumstance at all times unpleasant.”

Ifs Circumstances Opposites Tables All Time Manners Gentleman Kicks Misunderstood Etiquette Liable Dining Pleasantries

Book:The Complete Illustrated Lewis Carroll

Source: The Complete Illustrated Lewis Carroll

“I can get dressed earlier in the evening with every intention of going to a dance at midnight, but somehow after the theatre the thing to do seems to be either to go to bed or sit around somewhere. It doesn't seem possible that somewhere people can be expecting you at an hour like that.”

People I Can Seems Hours Bed Intention Dance Theatre Evening Things To Do Expecting Midnight Etiquette

Author:Robert Benchley

“Washington society has always demanded less and given more than any society in this country--demanded less of applause, deference,etiquette, and has accepted as current coin quick wit, appreciative tact, and a talent for talking.”

Country Given Talking Talent Currents Accepted Wit Coins Etiquette Applause Appreciative Tact Deference Quick Wit

Author:M. E. W. Sherwood

“The etiquette of romantic love is as elaborate as that surrounding the Emperor of China.”

Romance Love Is Romantic China Romantic Love Etiquette Emperor

Author:Mason Cooley

“To be a social success, do not act pathetic, arrogant, or bored. Do not discuss your unhappy childhood, your visit to the dentist,the shortcomings of your cleaning woman, the state of your bowels, or your spouse's bad habits. You will be thought a paragon (or perhaps a monster) of good behavior.”

“At the dinner table, if you can't think of anything to say, sit quietly. Don't throw rolls, or chew on your napkin.”

Ifs Thinking Tables Dinner Etiquette Dinner Table Napkins

Author:Mason Cooley

“To help someone in need is not charity it is proper etiquette.”

Needs Helping Charity Etiquette

Author:Robert Breault

“Good manners, to those one does not love, are no more a breach of truth, than "your humble servant," at the bottom of a challengeis; they are universally agreed upon, and understand to be things of course. They are necessary guards of the decency and peace of society.”

Doe Truth Courses Bottom Humble Manners Servant Good Man Decency Etiquette Good Manners Breach

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“Were you to converse with a king, you ought to be as easy and unembarrassed as with your own valet-de chambre; but yet every look,word, and action should imply the utmost respect.... You must wait till you are spoken to; you must receive, not give, the subject of conversation, and you must even take care that the given subject of such conversation do not lead you into any impropriety.”

Giving Should Looks Care Action Given Easy Waiting Subjects Ought Kings Conversation Take Care Royalty Etiquette Converses Words And Actions Valet

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“I have seen many people, who while you are speaking to them, instead, of looking at, and attending to you, fix their eyes upon the ceiling, or some other part of the room, look out of the window, play with a dog, twirl their snuff-box, or pick their nose. Nothing discovers a little, futile, frivolous mind more than this, and nothing is so offensively ill-bred.”

People Mind Looks Littles Play Eye Rooms Dog Picks Window Ill Boxes Manners Noses Etiquette Attending Frivolous Snuff

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“The pejorative term "political correctness" was adapted to express disapproval of the enlargement of etiquette to cover all people, in spite of this being a principle to which all Americans claim to subscribe.”

People Political Term Principles Claims Spite Etiquette Political Correctness Adapted Correctness Disapproval Enlargement

Book:Star-Spangled Manners: In Which Miss Manners Defends American Etiquette (For a Change)

Source: Star-Spangled Manners: In Which Miss Manners Defends American Etiquette (For a Change)

“Doesn't matter what a person's name is as long as he behaves himself.”

Persons Long Matter Names Behave Etiquette

Book:The Collected Works of Lucy Maud Montgomery: 20 Novels & 170+ Short Stories, Poems, Letters and Memoirs (Including The Complete Anne Shirley Series, Chronicles of Avonlea & Emily Starr Trilogy): Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of Windy Poplars, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside, Emily of New Moon, The Story Girl, The Golden Road, Pat of Silver Bush, The Blue Castle & many more

Source: The Collected Works of Lucy Maud Montgomery: 20 Novels & 170+ Short Stories, Poems, Letters and Memoirs (Including The Complete Anne Shirley Series, Chronicles of Avonlea & Emily Starr Trilogy): Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of Windy Poplars, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside, Emily of New Moon, The Story Girl, The Golden Road, Pat of Silver Bush, The Blue Castle & many more

“Starch makes the gentleman, etiquette the lady.”

Gentleman Etiquette

Author:Beau Brummell

“China is exciting because it is an extremely curious and interested market. What more can a designer ask for? The client here is bold and willing to try new things, which a country with a long fashion history wouldn't dare. France or England is weighed down by all these rules, elaborate etiquette, do's and don'ts. Things here move incredibly quickly.”

Trying Long Country Moving Asks Fashion Willing Exciting England Dare China Curious France Designer New Things Clients Etiquette Willing To Try

Author:Michael Kors

“Manners or etiquette ('accessibility, affability, politeness, refinement, propriety, courtesy, and ingratiating and captivating behavior') call for no large measure of moral determination and cannot, therefore, be reckoned as virtues. Even though manners are no virtues, they are a means of developing virtue.... The more we refine the crude elements in our nature, the more we improve our humanity and the more capable it grows of feeling the driving force of virtuous principles.”

“You know, you can make a small mistake in language or etiquette in Britain, or you could when I was younger, and really be made to feel it, and it's the flick of a lash, but it would sting, and especially at school where there's not much privacy, and so on. You could, yes, undoubtedly be made to feel crushed.”

Knows Feels Made School Language Mistake Britain Privacy Etiquette Crushed Lashes Small Mistakes

Author:Christopher Hitchens

“Every one of us is an artist, and as an artist, you really can stroll into any venue that you want, as long as you take your time to learn the etiquette of that venue.”

Want Long Artist Etiquette Venues Take Your Time

Author:Terrence Howard

“Excepting a religious ceremonial, there is no occasion where greater dignity of manner is required of ladies and gentlemen both, than in occupying a box at the opera. For a gentleman especially no other etiquette is so exacting.”

Religious Greater Dignity Boxes Occasions Gentleman Opera Etiquette Ladies And Gentlemen

Book:Etiquette: In Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home

Source: Etiquette: In Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home

“"Keep your hands to yourself!" might almost be put at the head of the first chapter of every book on etiquette.”

Firsts Book Hands Might Chapters Etiquette

Book:Etiquette: In Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home

Source: Etiquette: In Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home

“Manners are made up of trivialities of deportment which can be easily learned if one does not happen to know them; manner is personality - the outward manifestation of one's innate character and attitude toward life.... Etiquette must, if it is to be of more than trifling use, include ethics as well as manners. Certainly what one is, is of far greater importance than what one appears to be.”

Ifs Knows Wells Doe Made Character Use Happens Attitude Greater Personality Ethics Importance Manners Manifestation Innate Etiquette Trifling Triviality

Book:Emily Post's Etiquette

Source: Emily Post's Etiquette

“Always be polite to a dragon. It's harder than it sounds. Dragon etiquette is incredibly complicated, and if you make a mistake, the dragon eats you.”

Ifs Sound Mistake Harder Complicated Dragons Polite Etiquette

Book:Calling on Dragons

Source: Calling on Dragons

“Truth is now simply a matter of etiquette: it has no authority, no sense of rightness, because it is no longer anchored in anything absolute. If it persuades, it does so only because our experience has given it its persuasive power, but tomorrow our experience might be different.”

Ifs Doe Different Matter Might Given Tomorrow Truth Is Authority Absolutes Etiquette Persuasive

Author:David F. Wells

“The problem with clichés is not that they contain false ideas, but rather that they are superficial articulations of very good ones...If...we are obliged to create our own language, it is because there are dimensions to ourselves absent from clichés, which require us to flout etiquette in order to convey with greater accuracy the distinctive timbre of our thought.”

Ifs Ideas Problem Order Language Greater Very Good Dimensions Our Thoughts Superficial Obliged Absent Etiquette Accuracy Distinctive Articulation Timbre

Author:Alain de Botton

“I'm completely at ease on a set. I'm pretty comfortable most places, but hitting the mark and knowing set etiquette and understanding cameras and lenses are second nature. It's a language I've spoken for years.”

Years Language Understanding Knowing Comfortable Mark Cameras Ease Hitting Lenses Etiquette

Author:Zoe Bell

“There were a lot of people shouting out. I know it's not proper tennis etiquette, but this is the first time I've ever played here that the crowd has been behind me like that. Today I felt American, you know, for the first time at the U.S. Open. So I've waited my whole career to have this moment and here it is. ... It was great. It was awesome. It was like winning gold.”

People Knows Firsts Has Beens Whole Moments Today Winning Felt Behinds Careers First Time Gold Crowds Tennis Etiquette Shouting

Author:Venus Williams

“Working- and Middle-class families sat down at the dinner table every night - the shared meal was the touchstone of good manners. Indeed, that dinner table was the one time when we were all together, every day: parents, grandparents, children, siblings. Rudeness between siblings, or a failure to observe the etiquette of passing dishes to one another, accompanied by "please" and "thank you," was the training ground of behavior, the place where manners began.”

Source: Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond

“The etiquette of blurbs means it's not hard to not blurb something (if it's not by a friend, or student): everyone knows how many books you're deluged with. You can just say you never got to it.”

Ifs Knows Mean Book Hard Know How Students Etiquette

Author:Jim Shepard

“I think that there's etiquette for every means of communication. People are very judgmental and have strict rules. I don't think you should end a relationship with a Post-it note. I know some people who get offended when an e-mail is sent as a "thank you" note instead of a hand-written card.”

“I was here at Spurs as a kid, too, and I cleaned David Ginola and David Howells boots. I got a nice tip of £60 from each of them at Christmas. Howells was quick to give me this but I had to ask Les Ferdinand to explain to Ginola about our boot etiquette and the tradition of tipping at Christmas. Everyone wanted to clean Les Ferdinand s boots because he was the best tipper. He gave out £100 one year.”

Giving Years Kids Wanted Asks Nice Tradition Give Me Clean Boots Etiquette Spurs Tipping Christmas Eve

Author:Peter Crouch

“In social matters, pointless conventions are not merely the bee sting of etiquette, but the snake bite of moral order.”

Matter Order Literature Social Moral Bites Conventions Bees Snakes Social Change Etiquette Pointless

Book:Lump It Or Leave It

Source: Lump It Or Leave It

“Human beings everywhere in the world are affected by the global media now. Still, what I have noticed in the east Asia, in the indigenous world, Alaska in particular, and in back country farm and ranch country, is a higher sense of etiquette, and more respectful manners. Urban middle class cosmopolitan world peoples of all races have become speedy and rude. This is a pretty big generalization though.”

World Country Manners Middle Class Urban Rude Indigenous Etiquette Respectful

Author:Gary Snyder

“We already know that anonymous letters are despicable. In etiquette, as well as in law, hiring a hit man to do the job does not relieve you of responsibility.”

Knows Men Wells Doe Jobs Law Responsibility Letters Etiquette In-laws Hiring Despicable Anonymous Letters

Author:Judith Martin

“One of the big no-nos in cyberspace is that you do not go into a social activity, a chat group or something like that, and start advertising or selling things. This etiquette rule is an attempt to separate one's social life, which should be pure enjoyment and relaxation, from the pressures of work.”

Should Bigs Social Groups Pure Activity Pressure Selling Advertising Enjoyment Relaxation Etiquette Social Life Cyberspace Selling Things

Author:Judith Martin

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.”

“Nothing is less important than which fork you use. Etiquette is the science of living. It embraces everything. It is ethics. It is honor.”

Important Use Honor Ethics Embrace Etiquette Forks

Author:Emily Post

“He who observes etiquette but objects to lying is like someone who dresses fashionably but wears no vest.”

Lying Objects Dresses Etiquette Vests

Author:Walter Benjamin

“Politeness, n: The most acceptable hypocrisy.”

Manners Hypocrisy Acceptable Polite Etiquette Politeness Being Polite

Book:The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

Source: The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

“Politeness is the art of choosing among your thoughts.”

Art Manners Polite Courtesy Etiquette Politeness Good Manners Being Polite Courtesy Manners

Author:Madame de Stael

“And doing a film in that period, and having to really celebrate what they wore back then, how they sat and how they spoke. You know, what the etiquette was back then for a lady. All of those things are like putting on a wig and transforming yourself, which I love.”

Knows Film Periods Celebrate Sat Spokes Etiquette Transforming Wigs Transforming Yourself

Author:Charlize Theron

“The Australian Book of Etiquette is a very slim volume.”

Book Volume Etiquette Australian Slim

Book:The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific

Source: The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific

“Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot.”

Inspirational Education Doors Integrity Manners Etiquette Good Manners Best Education Opening Doors

Author:Clarence Thomas

“I hadn't been out to the hives before, so to start off she gave me a lesson in what she called 'bee yard etiquette'. She reminded me that the world was really one bee yard, and the same rules work fine in both places. Don't be afraid, as no life-loving bee wants to sting you. Still, don't be an idiot; wear long sleeves and pants. Don't swat. Don't even think about swatting. If you feel angry, whistle. Anger agitates while whistling melts a bee's temper. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved.”

Ifs Thinking Knows World Want Feels Littles Long Stills Like You Fine Lessons Angry Idiot Little Things Temper Pants Bees Yards Etiquette Sleeves Hives Whistling Agitate

Book:The Secret Life of Bees

Source: The Secret Life of Bees

“The world was my oyster but I used the wrong fork.”

World Used Manners Etiquette Forks Oysters Good Manners Table Manners

Author:Oscar Wilde

“Apparently you don't have to observe the Rules of Etiquette when reuniting with a muderous spouse.”

Spouse Etiquette Reuniting

Author:Jennifer Rardin

“Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people's bad manners.”

People Inspirational Mean Sometimes Manners Polite Etiquette Good Manners Bad Manners Being Polite

Author:H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“Etiquette requires the presumption of good until the contrary is proved.”

Contrary Etiquette Presumption

Author:Emily Post

“Insofar as he'd formed any opinion of her, it was that she suffered from misplaced gentility and the mistaken belief that etiquette meant good breeding. She mistook mannerisms for manners.”

Belief Opinion Manners Mistaken Etiquette Breeding Misplaced Good Breeding Mannerisms Gentility

Book:The Truth: (Discworld Novel 25)

Source: The Truth: (Discworld Novel 25)

“Why were there so many barriers between us, always? Barriers of clothing, of etiquette, of time and age and reason.”

Reason Age Barriers Clothings Etiquette

Book:Alice I Have Been: A Novel

Source: Alice I Have Been: A Novel

“Could I tell them I was sorry their loved one was dead, when he’d tried to kill me? There was no rule of etiquette for this; even my grandmother would have been stymied.”

Has Beens Sorry Grandmother Sympathy Loved Ones My Grandmother Kill Me Etiquette

Book:Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set

Source: Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set

“You are very clever,' said the old man shyly. 'I would like to eat your brains, one day,' For some reason the books of etiquette that Daphne's grandmother had forced on her didn't quite deal with this. Of course, silly people would say to babies, 'You're so sweet I could gobble you all up!', but that sort of nonsense seemed less funny when it was said by a man in war paint who owned more than one skull. Daphne, cursed with good manners, settled for, 'It's very kind of you to say so.”