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.

GENTLE READER: You, sir, are an anarchist, and Miss Manners is frightened to have anything to do with you. It is true that questioning the table manners of others is rude. But to overthrow the accepted conventions of society, on the flimsy grounds that you have found them silly, inefficient and discomforting, is a dangerous step toward destroying civilization.

A general rule of etiquette is that one apologizes for the unfortunate occurrence, but the unthinkable is unmentionable.

Hypocrisy is not generally a social sin, but a virtue.

the obligation to express gratitude deepens with procrastination. The longer you wait, the more effusive must be the thanks.

It is, indeed, a trial to maintain the virtue of humility when one can't help being right.

We are born charming fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society.