It's Far More Impressive When Others Discover

The More Skillful The Performance Of False Cheer, The More Pleasing The Effect Is Upon One's Public And On That Private Audience To Whom One Owes Even More.

It's No Longer Socially Acceptable To Make Bigoted Statements And Racist Remarks. Some People Are Having An Awful Time With That: 'i Didn't Know Anybody Would Be Offended!' Well, Where Have You Been? I Remember When People Got Away With It And They Don't Anymore. That's Fabulous.

People, In Forming Their Opinions Of Others, Are Usually Lazy Enough To Go By Whatever Is Most Obvious Or Whatever Chance Remark They Happen To Hear. So The Best Policy Is To Dictate To Others The Opinion You Want Them To Have Of You.

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.

Shame Is The Proper Reaction When One Has Purposefully Violated The Accepted Behavior Of Society. Inflicting It Is Etiquette's Response When Its Rules Are Disobeyed. The Law Has All Kinds Of Nasty Ways Of Retaliating When It Is Disregarded, But Etiquette Has Only A Sense Of Social Shame To Deter People From Treating Others In Ways They Know Are Wrong. So Naturally Miss Manners Wants To Maintain The Sense Of Shame. Some Forms Of Discomfort Are Fully Justified, And The Person Who Feels Shame Ought To Be Dealing With Removing Its Causes Rather Than Seeking To Relieve The Symptoms.