Judith Martin
Judith Martin
Judith Martin, better known by the pen name Miss Manners, is an American journalist, author, and etiquette authority...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth13 September 1938
CountryUnited States of America
night keys worry
I have always believed that the key to a happy marriage was the ability to say with a straight face, 'Why, I don't know what you're worrying about. I thought you were very funny last night and I'm sure everybody else did, too.
good-night morning flower
The etiquette business has its emergencies, heaven knows, but it is in the nature of etiquette emergencies that once one realizes what one has done, it is too late. One might as well get a good night's sleep and send flowers with an apology in the morning.
night rude grace
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.
people
People read informality as, 'Do whatever you feel like,' and whatever you feel like might be disastrous.
children sounds stage
My children did not go through a stage of being rude to their parents. I'm sorry if that sounds incredible.
american-author civilized fit fresh society
We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society.
fear obviously
Obviously I'm going to be polite, so nobody has anything to fear from me.
clothing high realize
The language of clothing is high symbolism and we all, in moments where we need to know this, realize it.
added means people simply useful wonderful
The mistake people keep making is that if they find a wonderful new tool, like email, they have to give up all others. They don't. You have simply added another very useful means to your communications repertoire.
life paying personal presents whom
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.
becomes commonly deleted erase evidence people showing wiser
We're now seeing email that people thought they had deleted showing up as evidence in court. You can't erase email. As that becomes more commonly realized, people will be a little wiser about what they type.
freedom unless work
Freedom without rules doesn't work. And communities do not work unless they are regulated by etiquette.
etiquette hermit human matters reasonably social somebody worry
Etiquette is all human social behavior. If you're a hermit on a mountain, you don't have to worry about etiquette; if somebody comes up the mountain, then you've got a problem. It matters because we want to live in reasonably harmonious communities.
amount render subscribe
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.