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Manners are like primary colors, there are certain rules and once you have these you merely mix, i.e., adapt, them to meet changing situations.
Emily Post
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Manners are foundational rules that can be adapted to different situations.

In this quote, Emily Post emphasizes that just as primary colors serve as the basic building blocks for a wide range of colors, manners act as fundamental principles that guide our behavior in social situations. Once we understand these essential rules, we can mix and adapt them to suit the unique contexts we encounter in our interactions, ensuring that we are respectful and considerate in diverse scenarios.

Themes

MannersAdaptationSocial BehaviorRulesRelationships

In practice

Example use cases

In a professional setting, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of adapting manners during a team meeting.

More from Emily Post

Etiquette requires the presumption of good until the contrary is proved.
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If you are hurt, whether in mind or body, don't nurse your bruises. Get up, and light-heartedly, courageously, good-temperedly, get ready for the next encounter.
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To make a pleasant and friendly impression is not alone good manners, but equally good business.
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An overdose of praise is like 10 lumps of sugar in coffee; only a very few people can swallow it.
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Any child can be taught to be beautifully behaved with no effort greater than quiet patience and perseverance, whereas to break bad habits once they are acquired is a Herculean task.
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Courtesy demands that you, when you are a guest, shall show neither annoyance nor disappointment--no matter what happens.
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