Andrew Solomon Quotes

I never let my politics supersede my manners.

The etiquette question has become of so much importance as to be an object of state.

I'm not disrespectful, I try to be polite.

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

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.

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

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

Civility is not simply about manners.

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

Formalized rules of manners were so great because they left no room for basic human haplessness. They allowed us to circumvent our natural boorish tendency to disregard the feelings of others.

Etiquette requires us to admire the human race.

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.

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

One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness.

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

The greater the controversy, the more you need manners.

There's no excuse for rudeness.

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.

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

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

People are pretty respectful for the most part.

Manners are the basic building blocks of civil society.

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

You can't be truly rude until you understand good manners.

To refuse graciously is to confer a favor.