Courtesy
Courtesy comes from old French 'courteis' (12th century) and is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the gentry was compiled in courtesy books. One of the most influential of these was Il Cortegiano (The Courtier) which not only covered basic etiquette and decorum but also provided models of sophisticated conversation and intellectual skill.
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Famous quotes containing the word courtesy:
“Poe gives the sense for the first time in America, that literature is serious, not a matter of courtesy but of truth.”
—William Carlos Williams (1883–1963)
“When courtesy fails, be nasty, brutish, and short.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking. I could well wish courtesy would invent some other custom of entertainment.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)