Quote

The truly essential bargain between host and guest requires the guest only to respond promptly, show up on time, socialize with other guests, thank the host, write additional thanks and reciprocate. You needn't bring anything.

Judith Martin

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Judith Martin
Age: 86
Born: 1938
Born: September 13
Economist
Journalist
Washington
District of Columbia
Show
Respond
Reciprocate
Write
Thank
Promptly
Shows
Thanks
Bargain
Women
Requires
Bargains
Anything
Essential
Additional
Writing
Essentials
Guest
Time
Truly
Guests
Bring
Host
Socialize

More quotes by Judith Martin

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A general rule of etiquette is that one apologizes for the unfortunate occurrence, but the unthinkable is unmentionable.
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The etiquette question that troubles so many fastidious people New Year's Day is: How am I ever going to face those people again?
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many of the guests will eventually leave the table to watch football on television, which would be a rudeness at any other occasion but is a relief at Thanksgiving and probably the only way to get those people to budge.
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The way one was brought up isn't an excuse for rude behavior.
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I have always believed that the key to a happy marriage was the ability to say with a straight face, 'Why, I don't know what you're worrying about. I thought you were very funny last night and I'm sure everybody else did, too.
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You should resolve not to seek public approval of your private business, when you are not also prepared to accept public disapproval.
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Allowing an unimportant mistake to pass without comment is a wonderful social grace.
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When you consider how epidemic boredom is in our time, you have to concede that entertaining is a healing art.
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We already know that anonymous letters are despicable. In etiquette, as well as in law, hiring a hit man to do the job does not relieve you of responsibility.
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We are all entitled to our little harmless habits, but we are not entitled to demand approval for them.
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One of the big no-nos in cyberspace is that you do not go into a social activity, a chat group or something like that, and start advertising or selling things. This etiquette rule is an attempt to separate one's social life, which should be pure enjoyment and relaxation, from the pressures of work.
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A young lady is a female child who has just done something dreadful.
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Honesty has come to mean the privilege of insulting you to your face without expecting redress.
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The invention of the teenager was a mistake. Once you identify a period of life in which people get to stay out late but don't have to pay taxes - naturally, no one wants to live any other way.
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Chaperons, even in their days of glory, were almost never able to enforce morality what they did was to force immorality to be discreet. This is no small contribution.
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For email, the old postcard rule applies. Nobody else is supposed to read your postcards, but you'd be a fool if you wrote anything private on one.
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What you have when everyone wears the same playclothes for all occasions, is addressed by nickname, expected to participate in Show And Tell, and bullied out of any desire form privacy, is not democracy it is kindergarten.
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Nowadays people consider it a disgrace to admit that they are not stressed.
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[after the death of a loved one] It is when there is nothing more to be done that the reality of the loss often hits with full force.
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It's far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.
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