Top Judith Martin Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Judith Martin Biography

Judith Martin (née Perlman; born September 13, 1938), better known by the pen name Miss Manners, is an American journalist, author, and etiquette authority.

Read about Judith Martin in Wikipedia

Random Authors

Judith Martin Quotes

One reason that the task of inventing manners is so difficult is that etiquette is folk custom, and people have emotional ties to the forms of their youth. That is why there is such hostility between generations in times of rapid change; their manners being different, each feels affronted by the other, taking even the most surface choices for challenges.

Emotional, Hostility, People, Rapid, Ties, Youth

One of the big no-nos in cyberspace is that you do not go into a social activity, a chat group or something like that, and start advertising or selling things. This etiquette rule is an attempt to separate one's social life, which should be pure enjoyment and relaxation, from the pressures of work.

Groups, Relaxation, Selling, Selling Things, Work

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.

Grace, Inconsiderate, Middle, Night, Rude

The most conventional statements are both true and welcome.

Conventional, Statements, True, Welcome, Women

Protocol is etiquette with a government expense account.

Account, Definitions, Etiquette, Expense, Government

When you're in love, you put up with things that, when you're out of love you cite.

Cite, Citing, Love, Love You, Positive, Things

The underlying principles of manners- respect, fairness, and congeniality.

Congeniality, Fairness, Principles, Respect, Women

Perhaps the greatest rudenesses of our time come not from the callousness of strangers, but from the solicitousness of intimates who believe that their frank criticisms are always welcome, and who feel free to "be themselves" with those they love, which turns out to mean being their worst selves, while saving their best behavior for strangers.

Believe, Criticisms, Friendship, Intimates, Mean, Worst

The more skillful the performance of false cheer, the more pleasing the effect is upon one's public and on that private audience to whom one owes even more.

Audience, Cheer, Deception, Performance, Public

Society cannot exist without etiquette. . . It never has, and until our own century, everybody knew that.

Century, Etiquette, Exist, Society

Learn graceful ways of saying no and of pointing out that this pressure to do something is not in line with most people's wishes.

Learn, Line, Lines, People, Pointing, Wish

You don't want to look too chic at a Washington party or people will think you don't have a job worth losing.

Jobs, Look, Party, Thinking, Worth

Allowing an unimportant mistake to pass without a comment is a wonderful social grace. . . Children who have the habit of constantly correcting should be stopped before they grow up to drive spouses and everyone else crazy by interrupting stories to say, 'No, dear -- it was Tuesday, not Wednesday.

Allowing, Children, Crazy, Drive, Growing Up

everyone old enough to have a secret is entitled to have some place to keep it.

Enough, Entitled, Everyone, Old, Secret

many of the guests will eventually leave the table to watch football on television, which would be a rudeness at any other occasion but is a relief at Thanksgiving and probably the only way to get those people to budge.

Football, Guests, People, Relief, Thanksgiving, Watch

A young lady is a female child who has just done something dreadful.

Child, Children, Female, Parent, Young

The invention of the teenager was a mistake. Once you identify a period of life in which people get to stay out late but don't have to pay taxes - naturally, no one wants to live any other way.

Children, Growing Up, Inspirational, Life, Live, Mistake

The etiquette of intimacy is very different from the etiquette of formality, but manners are not just something to show off to the outside world. If you offend the head waiter, you can always go to another restaurant. If you offend the person you live with, it's very cumbersome to switch to a different family.

Different, Family, Formality, Manners, Offend, World

Honesty is a virtue, but not the only one. If you're in a courtroom you need the whole truth and nothing but the truth; in the living room, sometimes you need anything but. Often.

Honesty, Living, Needs, Nothing, Rooms, Virtue

She only maintains that it is possible, under some circumstances, for a lady to murder her husband; but that a woman who wears ankle-strap shoes and smokes on the street corner, though she may be a joy to all who know her and have devoted her life to charity, could never qualify as a lady.

Corner, Husband, Possible, Shoes, Smoking

››

Judith Martin Biography

Contact Us

About us