Definition of Politeness

Politeness

High finish; smoothness; burnished elegance.

The quality or state of being polite; refinement of manners; urbanity; courteous behavior; complaisance; obliging attentions.

Related Definitions:

Behavior, Being, Burnished, Complaisance, Courteous, Elegance, Finish, High, Obliging, Of, Or, Polite, Quality, Refinement, Smoothness, State, The, Urbanity

Politeness Quotations

In truth, politeness is artificial good humor, it covers the natural want of it, and ends by rendering habitual a substitute nearly equivalent to the real virtue.
Thomas Jefferson

True politeness consists in being easy one's self, and in making every one about one as easy as one can.
Alexander Pope

Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.
Arthur Schopenhauer

For me, politeness is a sine qua non of civilization.
Robert A. Heinlein

Politeness, n: The most acceptable hypocrisy.
Ambrose Bierce

I want minimum information given with maximum politeness.
Jackie Kennedy

I place a high moral value on the way people behave. I find it repellent to have a lot, and to behave with anything other than courtesy in the old sense of the word - politeness of the heart, a gentleness of the spirit.
Fran Lebowitz

Politeness is a desire to be treated politely, and to be esteemed polite oneself.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Art requires neither complaisance nor politeness; nothing but faith, faith and freedom.
Gustave Flaubert

Virtue, perhaps, is nothing more than politeness of soul.
Honore de Balzac

Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.
Otto von Bismarck

Politeness is the flower of humanity.
Joseph Joubert

One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness.
Josh Billings

Politeness is the art of choosing among your thoughts.
Madame de Stael

Callousness and insolence bring to bare unanimous social condemnation, while the simple efforts of politeness are admired; even in those who are otherwise despised.
Bryant H. McGill

Courteousness is consideration for others; politeness is the method used to deliver such considerations.
Bryant H. McGill

Politeness is the poison of collaboration.
Edwin Land

It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanism of friendship.
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

Politeness makes one appear outwardly as they should be within.
Jean de la Bruyere

Ceremonies are different in every country, but true politeness is everywhere the same.
Oliver Goldsmith

Politeness is organized indifference.
Paul Valery

In Japan, I was immensely impressed by the politeness, industrious nature and conscientiousness of the Japanese people.
Paul Getty

Punctuality is the politeness of kings.
Louis XVIII

Politeness is as much concerned in answering letters within a reasonable time, as it is in returning a bow, immediately.
Philip Stanhope

The chief prerequisite for a escort is to have a flexible conscience and an inflexible politeness.
Marguerite Gardiner

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

When suave politeness, tempering bigot zeal, corrected 'I believe' to 'one does feel'.
Ronald Knox

It is impossible to practice parliamentary politics without having patience, decency, politeness and courtesy.
Khaleda Zia

The only true source of politeness is consideration.
William Gilmore Simms

Politeness is only one half good manners and the other half good lying.
Mary Wilson Little

More Politeness Quotations

Politeness Translations

politeness in Dutch is beleefdheid, hoffelijkheid
politeness in Italian is cortesia

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