It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanisms of friendship.

About Colette

Portrait of Colette

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (French: [sidɔni ɡabʁijɛl kɔlɛt]; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette or as Colette Willy, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her 1944 novella Gigi,...

More quotations from Colette

We only do well the things we like doing.

I love my past. I love my present. I'm not ashamed of what I've had, and I'm not sad because I have it no longer.

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.

A happy childhood is poor preparation for human contacts.

happiness childhood preparation

The true traveler is he who goes on foot, and even then, he sits down a lot of the time.

More quotations tagged with “etiquette”

Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot.

—Clarence Thomas

Cleanliness and order are not matters of instinct; they are matters of education, and like most great things, you must cultivate a taste for them.

—Benjamin Disraeli

That's the secret of entertaining. You make your guests feel welcome and at home. If you do that honestly, the rest takes care of itself.

—Barbara Hall

Politeness, n. The most acceptable hypocrisy.

—Ambrose Bierce

Most people have seen worse things in private than they pretend to be shocked at in public.

—Edgar Watson Howe

privacy shock etiquette propriety

History

11 Jul 2015 Added