P. J. O'Rourke Quotes

I'm trying to be more of a gentleman.

Gentlemen don't do that.

My dad was a particularly polite kind of guy, very courteous. So when we got on a bus, he would always encourage me and my younger brother to get up and offer our seat to an old lady. I grew up kind of liking that, thinking, y'know, that's a nice thing, that's a courtesy.

Courtesy is a lady's armor.

The more you act like a lady, the more he'll act like a gentleman.

I'm a gentleman.

Father told me that if I ever met a lady in a dress like yours, I must look her straight in the eyes.

I've met the Queen a couple of times, and she's been delightful. In fact, I often find myself thinking: 'What would the Queen do in this situation? Write a thank-you note? Yes, I'll do that.' She's all about courtesy.

To Americans, English manners are far more frightening than none at all.

Being a gentleman is a worthy goal.

I love old-fashioned manners, as long as it's not forced. I can tell when it's natural or when someone is just trying to impress me.

I'm a gentleman, if nothing else. It's taken me years to become one, but finally I have a sense of propriety.

I'm teaching my daughters to be ladies by showing them how to dress appropriately when they leave the house, and how to be thoughtful and polite.

The Japanese have perfected good manners and made them indistinguishable from rudeness.

No gentleman ever discusses any relationship with a lady.

Tipping your hat to a lady is good form. If you're at a dinner table, you'd most certainly take your hat off - cowboy hat, baseball hat, or otherwise.

I am a gentleman. My natural inclination is to be on my best behavior.

There's no chivalry in culture any more. Sometimes you meet someone who everyone says is polite and you're like, 'Wow,' but then it's like, 'Hang on, isn't everyone supposed to be polite?'

If a man holds a door open for me or pulls back a chair so that this old bag can sit down, I'm delighted.

There used to be an art form called the 'comedy of manners.' Why aren't comedies of manners made now in this country? The answer is simple. We no longer have manners to speak of.

Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.

There's a civility that has always been a part of me.

Listen, I'm a gentleman at the end of the day.

Good manners are a sign of strength.

Except in streetcars one should never be unnecessarily rude to a lady.