Civility Quotes

The candor of a civilized mind comes from the ability to question self before action; the reverse is the case for the creative mind; act first, then question later.

Val Uchendu

the veneer of civilization is exceedingly thin

Karin Tansek

Coarseness occurs in a land where platitude inflames this sense of entitlement to more of almost everything, but less of manners and taste, with their irritating intimations of authority and hierarchy.

George F. Will

Civility is not a specific code of behavior as much as it is a call to unrelenting preemptive thought, and steady effort to care about influence on others.

John R. Dallas Jr.

Virtue became less the harsh and martial self-sacrifice of antiquity and more the modern willingness to get along with others for the sake of peace and prosperity.

Gordon S. Wood

If the secret core of potlatch is the reciprocity of exchange, why is this reciprocity not asserted directly, why does it assume the “mystified” form of two consecutive acts each of which is staged as a free voluntary display of generosity? Here we encounter the paradoxes of forced choice, of freedom to do what is necessary, at its most elementary: I have to do freely what I am expected to do. (If, upon receiving a gift, I immediately return it to the giver, this direct circulation would amount to an extremely aggressive gesture of humiliation, it would signal that I refused the other’s gifts — recall those embarrassing moments when elderly people forget and give us last year’s present once again … ) …the reciprocity of exchange is in itself thoroughly ambiguous; at its most fundamental, it is destructive of the social bond, it is the logic of revenge, tit for tat. To cover this aspect of exchange, to make it benevolent and pacific, one has to pretend that each person’s gift is free and stands on its own. This brings us to potlatch as the “pre-economy of the economy,” its zero-level, that is, exchange as the reciprocal relation of two non-productive expenditures. If the gift belongs to Master and exchange to the Servant, potlatch is the paradoxical exchange between Masters. Potlach is simultaneously the zero-level of civility, the paradoxical point at which restrained civility and obscene consumption overlap, the point at which it is polite to behave impolitely.

Slavoj Žižek

Democracy is the worst insult to any society that is increasingly secular and growing in incivility for there it is more abused than used.

Newton G Kibiringi

It is not enough just to be good. We must be good for something. We must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for our presence. And the good that is in us must be spread to others. This is the measure of our civility.

Gordon B. Hinckley

The system wears a mask of civility, yet will quickly reveal its true nature in the form of magnificently-purposed violence when needed.

Bryant McGill

Be wary of those propagating too much about liberty, ideology, and civility; they just might be oppressors in the making.

Aniruddha Sastikar

He accomplished wonders of diplomacy on the principle, never give way, and never give offense.

Barbara W. Tuchman

Be civilized. Grudges are for Neanderthals. – Hubert Humphrey

David Pietrusza

The missing link between humans and apes? It's certainly those brutes who haven't yet learned to respect privacy.

Raheel Farooq

That is why I often find myself at such cross-purposes with the modern world: I have been a converted Pagan living among apostate Puritans.

C.S. Lewis

People who cannot restrain their own baser instincts, who cannot treat one another with civility, are not capable of self-government... without virtue, a society can be ruled only by fear, a truth that tyrants understand all too well

Charles W. Colson

We hear a great deal about the rudeness of the ris- ing generation. I am an oldster myself and might be expected to take the oldsters' side, but in fact I have been far more impressed by the bad manners of par- ents to children than by those of children to parents. Who has not been the embarrassed guest at family meals where the father or mother treated their grown-up offspring with an incivility which, offered to any other young people, would simply have termi- nated the acquaintance? Dogmatic assertions on mat- ters which the children understand and their elders don't, ruthless interruptions, flat contradictions, ridicule of things the young take seriously some- times of their religion insulting references to their friends, all provide an easy answer to the question "Why are they always out? Why do they like every house better than their home?" Who does not prefer civility to barbarism?

C.S. Lewis

Honesty defines self respect.

Unarine Ramaru

Aspire to decency. Practice civility toward one another. Admire and emulate ethical behavior wherever you find it. Apply a rigid standard of morality to your lives; and if, periodically, you fail as you surely will adjust your lives, not the standards.

Ted Koppel

A civil tongue speaks the language of masters. An uncivil tongue reveals character flaws of its master.

John R. Dallas Jr.

Good manners is just being respectful of others. Whether you know them or not, you should show respect for all people.

John Patrick Hickey

Everything has a consequence to it.

John Patrick Hickey

Posting your thoughts on any social media site is like telling you most deeply held secret to the town gossip. Not a wise move.

John Patrick Hickey

We watch death and destruction on TV, in movies, over the news and online so much that it is just a part of our lives. It was never meant to be that way. In the end, we have paid a heavy price for our curiosity.

John Patrick Hickey

Social media is just that - social.

John Patrick Hickey

It seems that the days of public modesty and concern about how we look are far from us. I will not say they are gone forever, in culture nothing is forever.

John Patrick Hickey

I believe that when a person has hope in the future, believe in their ability to achieve and understand that God made them for a purpose, then they will, in the end, and achieve great things.

John Patrick Hickey

Posting something that is encouraging and well done compared to something that is trashy and common is the difference between eating a fine meal or the scraps from making that meal.

John Patrick Hickey

Be a blessing to all you are connecting with on social media. Encourage, rejoice and celebrate with each and every one. You will find that it will do wonders for your own attitude as well as those who may struggle with a negative mind-set.

John Patrick Hickey

Success-minded people know that first and foremost, in all we do, we must think of others first. By thinking of others, how they feel and what they need, will not cost you a thing nor will it lessen what you have to say.

John Patrick Hickey

Positive people on the other had are not those who deny what is going on around them for some pie-in-the-sky type of thinking. Positive people are very award of the problems, disasters and difficulties that are happening all around them. What they do not do is give into defeat.

John Patrick Hickey

If someone is trying to share a laugh and you personally do not find it funny, then just move on and leave it alone. Do not steal someone else’s humor.

John Patrick Hickey

Heroes show us courage, honor, integrity and strength. Now more than ever, we need heroes.

John Patrick Hickey

We have gotten so use to humor being something nasty and offensive that we started to believe that was the only way to get a laugh.

John Patrick Hickey

To be truly grateful for the kindness of other and to have those you love in your life is a great and powerful emotion.

John Patrick Hickey

The rules from those who are politically correct restrict what you can say to or about anything in our daily life. They tell you what to call others and what others can call you.

John Patrick Hickey

It is not the job for those who are angry about the events of the day to strike out and post things that they hope will incite anger in others as well. Do not sell your social media friends short as far as their ability to find the news for themselves.

John Patrick Hickey

Every decision you ever make has its own consequences. Freedom is not the issue. You have freedom to do what you want, you just cannot do it and not pay the price for it.

John Patrick Hickey

Wisdom tells us that the best time for silence is when we are mad or upset.

John Patrick Hickey

As a success-minded person, you should always be looking to not only do your job but do it with excellence and go the extra mile.

John Patrick Hickey

Let your heroes be known. Give praise and honor to those to whom it is rightly due. Spend more time posting stories about heroes than you do about the wrongs in the world. When we know about heroes and we see those who perform heroic acts, we too want to be heroes. There is a hero in all of us. Heroes are important.

John Patrick Hickey

Success-minded people must understand that the use of profane and obscene words have no place in their vocabulary.

John Patrick Hickey

No matter who it is or what you think of them, never rejoice in the pain of others. It lowers you to a level you should not be at.

John Patrick Hickey

We are all different and we all have a different sense of humor.

John Patrick Hickey

Keep the personal, personal and do not be guilty of spreading bad feelings.

John Patrick Hickey

Trustworthiness is a mark of a success-minded person. To be seen as trustworthy is a great compliment. When people trust you, they expect that you will honor their trust.

John Patrick Hickey

Not everyone will support every mission or work, you can still enjoy their friendship. No one likes to feel that the only reason you are friends is what you can get out of them.

John Patrick Hickey

If you want friends you must be friendly. Always complaining and posting negative comments is not going to bring you friends. No one likes to get puked on.

John Patrick Hickey

Gossip has always been a problem. It is one of the most powerful, addictive behaviors there is. As long as the human race has had a common language they have used it to gossip.

John Patrick Hickey

Remember that people who seek to do evil can play hit and miss all they want. People who are seeking companionship online have to be right every time. Miss out on this one and the price could be very dear, even costing your life.

John Patrick Hickey

By no means do I think that playing games online is wrong or rude. However, constantly sending requests is an act of bad manners as well as being very annoying to the one receiving them.

John Patrick Hickey

It is rudeness of the highest order to hit a family when they are down.

John Patrick Hickey

Remember this, posting pictures are like speaking words, you cannot take them back.

John Patrick Hickey

If you are going to share something with a person, first look on their social media accounts and see how they have handled other people trust. If someone has shared the secrets of others, they will share yours.

John Patrick Hickey

Okay, I cannot say this without being very direct. If you are looking for a spouse or even a romance through social media, you are looking for trouble.

John Patrick Hickey

. . . the authors had developed indices that could be employed to measure the state of a civilization, to determine if society was healthy, in decline, or perhaps even dead. The indicators keyed in on everything from the accumulation of refuse to declines in everyday civility. They looked at how a society treated its most vulnerable citizens; examined a culture's architecture, gauging its scale in relation to humans and the surrounding natural world. One of the primary indicators, however, was a measure of the ability of a society's citizens to listen to each other and truly hear what was being said. It evaluated by gradations the ability of individuals to stand motionless for prolonged periods, receptive to their surroundings.

Robert H. Lieberman

If the idea of loving those whom you have been taught to recognize as your enemies is too overwhelming, consider more deeply the observation that we are all much more alike than we are unalike.

Aberjhani

Only in this world of topsy-turvy attitudes could outright stupidity, such as I had displayed, be something that got me high marks. I had an amused glimmering of a notion at that point: If I ever turned out to be a complete and utter fool, I could wind up running the whole kingdom. It was something to consider.

Peter David

I am worn out with civility. I have been talking incessantly all night, and with nothing to say. But with you there may be peace. You will not want to be talked to. Let us have the luxury of silence.

Jane Austen

Civility (sabhyata,) is the sign of one with the right belief (enlightened view, samkit) and etiquette is the sign of one with a wrong belief (deluded view, bhranti).

Dada Bhagwan

The conversation soon turned upon fishing, and she heard Mr. Darcy invite him, with the greatest civility, to fish there as often as he chose while he continued in the neighbourhood, offering at the same time to supply him with fishing tackle, and pointing out those parts of the stream where there was usually most sport. Mrs. Gardiner, who was walking arm in arm with Elizabeth, gave her a look expressive of her wonder. Elizabeth said nothing, but it gratified her exceedingly; the compliment must be all for herself. Her astonishment, however, was extreme; and continually was she repeating, "Why is he so altered? From what can it proceed? It cannot be for me, it cannot be for my sake that his manners are thus softened. My reproofs at Hunsford could not work such a change as this. It is impossible that he should still love me.

Jane Austen

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Civility Quotes

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