Judith Martin quotes - page 2

If it's against state law, it's generally considered a breach of Etiquette. (Judith Martin)
Adorable children are considered to be the general property of the human race. Rude children belong to their mothers. View quote
Judith Martin
Allowing an unimportant mistake to pass without comment is a wonderful social grace. View quote
Judith Martin
The family dinner table is the cornerstone of civilization and those who 'graze' from refrigerators or in front of the television sets are doomed to remain in a state of savagery. View quote
Judith Martin
Generosity and gratitude are inseparably linked. View quote
Judith Martin
Ideological differences are no excuse for rudeness. View quote
Judith Martin
There is no etiquette rule that decrees one must give out personal information to anyone who asks. View quote
Judith Martin
Freedom without rules doesn't work. And communities do not work unless they are regulated by etiquette. View quote
Judith Martin
Chaperons, even in their days of glory, were almost never able to enforce morality; what they did was to force immorality to be discreet. This is no small contribution. View quote
Judith Martin
Email is very informal, a memo. But I find that not signing off or not having a salutation bothers me. View quote
Judith Martin
If written directions alone would suffice, libraries wouldn't need to have the rest of the universities attached. (Judith Martin)
My children did not go through a stage of being rude to their parents. I'm sorry if that sounds incredible. View quote
Judith Martin
Indeed, Miss Manners has come to believe that the basic political division in this country is not between liberals and conservatives but between those who believe that they should have a say in the love lives of strangers and those who do not. View quote
Judith Martin
Being polite does not mean being mummified. View quote
Judith Martin
Obviously I'm going to be polite, so nobody has anything to fear from me. View quote
Judith Martin
Presents are symbolic. When you give them in your personal life, they should show that you are paying attention to the person to whom you're giving them. View quote
Judith Martin
'Honesty' in social life is often used as a cover for rudeness. But there is quite a difference between being candid in what you're talking about, and people voicing their insulting opinions under the name of honesty. View quote
Judith Martin
. . . women were brought up to have only one set of manners. A woman was either a lady or she wasn't, and we all know what the latter meant. Not even momentary lapses were allowed; there is no female equivalent of the boys-will-be-boys concept. View quote
Judith Martin
Life is full of wonderful passions that come and go over the years, but the only one that will never let you down is reading. View quote
Judith Martin
We are all born rude. No infant has ever appeared yet with the grace to understand how inconsiderate it is to disturb others in the middle of the night. View quote
Judith Martin
You think death is any better an excuse for desertion than any other? (Judith Martin)
Nowadays people consider it a disgrace to admit that they are not stressed. View quote
Judith Martin
There are always proper responses, even to rude questions. View quote
Judith Martin
Why bring children into a world where no one writes letters? View quote
Judith Martin
People who put slipcovers, doilies, plastic protectors, and cellophane on everything good that they own rarely live to see an occasion so good that all these covers are removed. View quote
Judith Martin