Ashlan Gorse Cousteau Quotes

I am perfectly capable of writing things about myself that one doesn't discuss in polite company, but I was raised by people who said you don't discuss politics, you don't discuss religion, and you certainly don't discuss people's sex lives.

We must learn which ceremonies may be breached occasionally at our convenience and which ones may never be if we are to live pleasantly with our fellow man.

Wearing the correct dress for any occasion is a matter of good manners.

The American sense of decorum is falling apart.

Writers on etiquette receive a continuous flow of questions on subjects such as 'When is it too early in the season to wear white accessories?' and 'What is the proper gift to send to a family in mourning?'

Every culture is different in terms of what is taboo and what is acceptable. I grew up in Singapore, where people are very mindful of that. One can see that as restriction or as consideration for a fellow person living within a shared environment.

American life is based on a reassurance that we like one another but won't violate one another's privacies. This makes it a land of small talk.

I come from a part of Nigeria where a lot of value is placed on implicit communication. The 'well brought up' child is the one who can pick up nonverbal cues from adults and interpret them correctly.

People in England have a lot of respect. It is relaxed here.

Manners are just a formal expression of how you treat people.

Good manners require space and time.

It is in bad taste," is the most formidable word an Englishman can pronounce.

We're not supposed to mention f***ing in mixed company, but that's exactly where it takes place.

Good general-purpose manners nowadays may be said to consist in knowing how much you can get away with.

Cover that bosom that I must not see: souls are wounded by such things.

...if you are overdressed, it is a comment on them. If you are under dressed, it is a comment on you.

To seem sorrowful is not in good taste: You're supposed to seem bored.

A party is a slightly artificial event where one learns the rudiments of human behavior at its most admirable: speaking when spoken to, looking somebody in the eye, shaking hands and being friendly under duress.

to a Southerner it is faux pas, not sins, that matter in this world.

A youth, when at home, should be filial, and, abroad, respectful to his elders.

Wave the flag, wave the Bible, wave your sex or your business degree, whatever you want, just don't wave that thing at me.

Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.

When one is polite in German, one lies.

... it is a great mistake to confuse conventionality with simplicity ... it takes a good deal of intelligence and a great many inhibitions to follow a social code.

Perhaps what you call conventionality, I call decency.