Quotes about Courtesy

To recall a voter's name is statesmanship. To forget it is oblivion.

Agriculture must mediate between nature and the human community, with ties and obligations in both directions. To farm well requires an elaborate courtesy toward all creatures, animate and inanimate. It is sympathy that most appropriately enlarges the context of human work. Contexts become wrong by being too small - too small, that is, to contain the scientist or the farmer or the farm family or the local ecosystem or the local community - and this is crucial.

Don't walk in my head with your dirty feet.

If I'm on a bus and an old lady gets on, I get up.

Did you hear what I was playing, Lane? I didn't think it polite to listen, sir.

The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her, if she is pretty, and to some one else, if she is plain.

Courtesy is often the manifestation of trust, acceptance, and respect. We demonstrate courtesy by graciousness, consideration for one another, sincerity, listening, how we talk about teammates who aren't present, and the type of humor we use when jesting with one another.

PRINCIPLE 5 Let the other person save face.

Curtsy while you're thinking what to say. It saves time.

It isn't etiquette to cut anyone you've been introduced to. Remove the joint!

Relating personal problems to associates and customers. Your personal problems are important to you—and only you. Everyone has their share and they don't want to hear about yours.

Nothing surprises me, I can anticipate others' reactions, I understand what gestures mean, silences, formulas of courtesy, ambiguous responses. Only there do I feel comfortable socially—despite the fact I rarely behave as I'm expected to—because there I know how to behave and my good manners rarely fail me.