Southern Living
Southern Culture
25 Quotes That Remind Us Why Southern Manners Are So Important

25 Quotes That Remind Us Why Southern Manners Are So Important

Mama always said good manners go a long way.

By Jorie Nicole McDonald

January 31, 2018

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There are three things folks below the Mason-Dixon take very seriously: fried food, college football, and good manners. Southern babies are basically born writing thank-you notes, and they grow up understanding the importance of proper etiquette in every situation. After all, when out-of-towners visit Dixie, they are welcomed with an unmistakable feeling of Southern hospitality, and that is certainly no accident. Hostess gifts, holding the door open for the person behind you, and the distinctive "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" as a sign of respect saturate the South, and these friendly qualities keep people coming back for more. Whether you're looking for an insightful statement or a humorous quote, a lot has been said on the topic of good manners and proper etiquette. It's never too late to refresh your memory on a few Southern values or to learn something new. Check out some of our favorite declarations about the significance of politeness.

1. Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go. - Margaret Walker

2. Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot. - Clarence Thomas

3. Whoever one is, and wherever one is, one is always in the wrong if one is rude. - Maurice Baring

4. Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use. - Emily Post

5. Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people's bad manners. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

6. Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. - Eric Hoffer

7. Honesty in social life is often used as a cover for rudeness. But there is quite a difference between being candid in what you're talking about and people voicing their insulting opinions under the name of honesty. - Judity Martin

8. Good manners are just a way of showing other people that we have respect for them. - Bill Kelly

9. Politeness is the art of choosing among one's real thoughts. - Abel Stevens

10. Politeness and consideration for others is like investing pennies and getting dollars back. - Thomas Sowell

11. Let's not confuse traditional behaviours with good manners. The definition of etiquette is gender neutral - it simply means we strive at all times to ensure a person in our company feels at ease. - Lynn Coady

12. Manners are the ability to put someone else at their ease...by turning any answer into another question - Tina Brown

13. When you know you can do something, and you feel good about yourself, you do not have to devalue others. - John Patrick Hickey

14. Speak with caution. Even if someone forgives harsh words you've spoken, they may be too hurt to ever forget them. Don't leave a legacy of pain and regret of things you never should have said. - Germany Kent

15. Wisdom tells us that the best time for silence is when we are mad or upset. - John Patrick Hickey

16. Consideration is the basis of etiquette, and it starts at home. If you can't show consideration to your spouse, child or family member any consideration you show outside is shallow and a farce. - Chinha Raheja

17. To learn etiquette, is actually learning how to see others, and respect them. - Yixing Zhang

18. Etiquette means behaving yourself a little better than is absolutely essential. - Will Cuppy

19. Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners. - Laurence Sterne

20. Politeness is half good manners and half good lying. - Mary Wilson Little

21. The greater the controversy, the more you need manners. - Judith Martin

22. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

23. Politeness is like an air-cushion—there may be nothing in it, but it wonderfully eases the joltings along the rough road of life. - H.W. Beecher

24. To disagree, one doesn't have to be disagreeable. - Barry M. Goldwater

25. As is the case with all good things in life - love, good manners, language, cooking - personal creativity is required only rarely. - Leon Krier