Georges Duhamel Quotes

For me, politeness is a sine qua non of civilization.

Ceremonies are different in every country, but true politeness is everywhere the same.

I am a journalist in the field of etiquette. I try to find out what the most genteel people regularly do, what traditions they have discarded, what compromises they have made.

Politeness is the chief sign of culture.

I grew up being taught, 'Do unto others as they would do unto you.' I would get scolded for not being polite.

In England, we have such good manners that if someone says something impolite, the police will get involved.

Manners are the hypocrisy of a nation.

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

By the by, if the English race had done nothing else, yet if they left the world the notion of a gentleman, they would have done a great service to mankind.

When you've been brought up in variety, I think timing is always important in your life. If I'm ever late for anything, whether it's personal or business, I always apologise. 'I'm sorry I'm late,' and all that. And if somebody is late meeting me, I expect them to say 'I'm sorry I'm late.' It's just, shall we say, showbiz etiquette of my day.

I never let my politics supersede my manners.

People don't know how to behave in public anymore.

I think the thing I miss most in our age is our manners. It sounds so old-fashioned in a way. But even bad people had good manners in the old days, and manners hold a community together, and manners hold a family together; in a way, they hold the world together.

My family trained me to be polite to people I had just met, and that included strangers. You speak when you're spoken to. You look people in the eye when they address you and when you address them back.

Nowadays, manners are easy and life is hard.

I have a respect for manners as such, they are a way of dealing with people you don't agree with or like.

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

People are pretty respectful for the most part.

Grownups have to say 'please,' too.

Manners are the basic building blocks of civil society.

Etiquette is all human social behavior. If you're a hermit on a mountain, you don't have to worry about etiquette; if somebody comes up the mountain, then you've got a problem. It matters because we want to live in reasonably harmonious communities.

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

I would never disrespect anyone.

Civility is not simply about manners.

A hat should be taken off when you greet a lady and left off for the rest of your life. Nothing looks more stupid than a hat.