Maya Angelou Quotes

I encourage courtesy. To accept nothing less than courtesy, and to give nothing less than courtesy. If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And if we have the effrontery to talk to anybody with less than courtesy, we tell ourselves and the world we are not very intelligent.

It is more comfortable for me, in the long run, to be rude than polite.

A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me.

Just because you can say things that are uncivil does not mean that your should say things that are uncivil.

It's so important to have manners and treat people from all walks of life the way they should be treated.

My one thing is respect. I don't care about anything else. You should respect everyone around you - the people who work for you, peers. Be classy.

I get a choice every time I have to open my mouth: that it can be with civility and dignity and grace - or not.

Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.

To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered.

Courtesy is a lady's armor.

Etiquette does not render you defenseless. If it did, even I wouldn't subscribe to it. But rudeness in retaliation for rudeness just doubles the amount of rudeness in the world.

There's no excuse for rudeness.

A bad manner spoils everything, even reason and justice; a good one supplies everything, gilds a No, sweetens a truth, and adds a touch of beauty to old age itself.

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

Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person.

If someone's being less than courteous to you, I don't think you need to pay any attention to them.

I am at heart a gentleman.

I would never disrespect anyone.

Civility is not simply about manners.

A man needs to be polite, not just to me but to everyone. I watch that. How does he treat the waiter? How does he treat the coat-check girl? How does he treat the driver?

The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater ennoble it.

Only once in my life was I on the edge of incivility. I do not like to be unkind.

To refuse graciously is to confer a favor.

I'm very much a gentleman in what I do.

Callousness and insolence bring to bare unanimous social condemnation, while the simple efforts of politeness are admired; even in those who are otherwise despised.