Etiquette requires the presumption of good until the contrary is proved.
Emily PostRead
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.
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
All quotes →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.
Emily PostRead
To make a pleasant and friendly impression is not alone good manners, but equally good business.
Emily PostRead
An overdose of praise is like 10 lumps of sugar in coffee; only a very few people can swallow it.
Emily PostRead
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.
Emily PostRead
Courtesy demands that you, when you are a guest, shall show neither annoyance nor disappointment--no matter what happens.
Emily PostRead
Similar quotes
I'm not convinced about marriage. Divorce is so easy, and that fact that gay people are not allowed to marry takes much of the meaning out of it. Committing yourself to one person is sacred.
Natalie PortmanRead
If you know someone who’s depressed, please resolve never to ask them why. Depression isn’t a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather. Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness, and loneliness they’re going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side. It’s hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed, but it is one of the kindest, noblest, and best things you will ever do.
Stephen FryRead
In so many ways, my soccer career taught me about seeing the value of all people, whether or not society sees it first. Relationships with people who are perceived to be 'different' have taught me the same lesson.
Julie FoudyRead
We must love one another, yes, yes, that's all true enough, but nothing says we have to like each other. It may be the very recognition of all men as our brothers that accounts for the sibling rivalry, and even enmity, we have toward so many of them.
Peter De VriesRead
Marriage is but slavery made to appear civilized.
Albert EinsteinRead
Forgiving does not usually happen at once. It is a process, sometimes a long one, especially when it comes to wounds gouged deep. And we must expect some lapses...some people seem to manage to finish off forgiving in one swoop of the heart. But when they do, you can bet they are forgiving flesh wounds. Deeper cuts take more time and can use a second coat.
Lewis B. SmedesRead