The Most Conventional Statements Are Both True

The Family Dinner Table Is The Cornerstone Of Civilization And Those Who 'graze' From Refrigerators Or In Front Of The Television Sets Are Doomed To Remain In A State Of Savagery.

Sometimes We Do Things A Certain Way Just Because That Is The Way We Do Things.

It Is Wrong To Wear Diamonds Before Luncheon, Except On One’s Marriage Rings. Before, After, And During Breakfast, Luncheon And Dinner, It Is Vulgar To Wear A Mixture Of Colored Precious Stones. It Is Always A Comfort To Know That So Many Things One Can’t Afford To Do Anyway Are Vulgar.

From Memorial Day To Labor Day, You May Wear White Shoes. Not Before And Not After. As A Command, The White Shoe Edict Should Be Clear And Simple Enough. Do Not Violate It. In A Society In Which Everything Else Has Become Relative, A Matter Of How It Makes You Feel, A Question Between You And Your Conscience, And An Opportunity For You To Be Really You, This Is An Absolute.

Indeed, Miss Manners Has Come To Believe That The Basic Political Division In This Country Is Not Between Liberals And Conservatives But Between Those Who Believe That They Should Have A Say In The Love Lives Of Strangers And Those Who Do Not.