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George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior: And Other Writings
"Labour to keep alive in your breast that little celestial fire called conscience."
"Run not in the streets. . .nor with mouth open; go not upon the toes nor in a dancing fashion."
George Washington was known as a remarkably modest and courteous man. Humility and flawless manners were so ingrained in his character that he rarely if ever acted without them.
The "Rules of Ci...more
"Run not in the streets. . .nor with mouth open; go not upon the toes nor in a dancing fashion."
George Washington was known as a remarkably modest and courteous man. Humility and flawless manners were so ingrained in his character that he rarely if ever acted without them.
The "Rules of Ci...more
Hardcover, 187 pages
Published
February 1st 2008
by Sourcebooks
(first published 1987)
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A light and breezy read, certainly worth perusal. This book would be an excellent gift for a teenager, especially a 15 year old as that was Washington's age at the time he wrote the rules. One note of caution: I read the version first produced in 1989 by The Mount Vernon Ladies Association, with an introduction by Letitia Baldrige and it certainly does present a rather cheerful and glowing slant on Washington in their commentary (not that he had many faults, but he was human afterall!). The grav...more
Originally written in about 1595, (good manners never really go out of style do they?)these rules governed the conduct of our first president George Washington. Here is the first:
1. Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.
This one had my boys laughing:
13. Kill no vermin, or fleas, lice, ticks, etc. in the sight of others; if you see any filth or thick spittle put your foot dexterously upon it; if it be upon the clothes of your companions, p...more
1. Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.
This one had my boys laughing:
13. Kill no vermin, or fleas, lice, ticks, etc. in the sight of others; if you see any filth or thick spittle put your foot dexterously upon it; if it be upon the clothes of your companions, p...more
Have endured a week of people that really need to read this book! Then I realized I never rated it here. Thinking over the little rules here really makes me smile, at least! It's great fun with the writing style and manners covered. I seem to remember something about "do not bedew another man with your spittle by approaching too close when you speak." ;-p And while I think we can thank our lucky stars that some rules (such as how to politely pick lice off oneself in public) are no longer relevan...more
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We are told that at age 14, George Washington wrote down 110 rules under the title "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation." I doubt that anyone would question that he lived his life by these rules.
Some, of course, we would consider antiquated, but there are many gems here: Rule #1 - Every action done in company ought to be done with some sign of respect to those that are present;" Rule #6 - Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you sh...more
Some, of course, we would consider antiquated, but there are many gems here: Rule #1 - Every action done in company ought to be done with some sign of respect to those that are present;" Rule #6 - Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you sh...more
Jun 12, 2008
Krista
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history/government buffs, etiquette buffs
Shelves:
history-ish
Fun, short read that - aside from reminding me of a few basic manners I'd forgotten - imparts a sense of who the young George Washington was. Really neat to see the old spellings and young writing style!
Not as interesting as I thought it might be. On the other hand, I could recommend reading it to a lot of people, as they lack much of a sense of civility (the more interesting part of the book). The portion dedicated to the art of conversation is dated (still making some good points) and seems somewhat superficial. Perhaps the art of "small talk" was considered more valuable in Washington's day. Whether or not any of the principles in the book influenced other people when it was published is har...more
Well for me, basic principles (what we now call protocol) on how to conduct yourself (in terms of clothing, eating, behaving, conversing).
But truth be told - a lot more people, the public really, should read this. Not everyone has had protocol training. But even so, this is something that we learn, and learn even more throughout our lifetime. And its a set of skills that will stick with you throughout your dealings with other people in whatever way.
Manners are but fading - and we need a renaiss...more
But truth be told - a lot more people, the public really, should read this. Not everyone has had protocol training. But even so, this is something that we learn, and learn even more throughout our lifetime. And its a set of skills that will stick with you throughout your dealings with other people in whatever way.
Manners are but fading - and we need a renaiss...more
George Washington's 2nd rule:
"When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body, not usually discovered."
Packed with excellent gems such as this. Also, just interesting reading--many of the etiquette 'rules' (that Washington copied down at age 14 from a translation of French maxims) hold true today. Some are curious and not surprisingly obsolete, others rather thoughtful and deep. But at only 110 maxims long--it's a fast, entertaining read that would appeal to a wide variety of people:...more
"When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body, not usually discovered."
Packed with excellent gems such as this. Also, just interesting reading--many of the etiquette 'rules' (that Washington copied down at age 14 from a translation of French maxims) hold true today. Some are curious and not surprisingly obsolete, others rather thoughtful and deep. But at only 110 maxims long--it's a fast, entertaining read that would appeal to a wide variety of people:...more
A fun and thoughtful little book. Well worth the 15 minutes it takes to read. While some of the rules are outdated or have no application in a soiety of equals, most of them were gems of eternal wisdom. These would be great to have printed on posters in classrooms around the country. "When another speaks be attentive yourself and disturb not the audience." And for young children who are still working to understand the rules of appropriate behavior, these are great, short answers to many preschoo...more
Nov 02, 2011
Sandie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
colonial-history,
historical-figures
One part intriguing, one part common sense, all this book is is a list of all the rules of proper etiquette those of the upper class in colonial america lived by. It's maybe paper thin and a little bigger than the palm of my hand but it's packed with interesting rules - things that made me laugh out loud in some instances. Definitely a must-read for anyone who is captivated by the colonial era or George Washington for that matter. And the language...proper and showy, just like it should be.
I was amazed at this book and all the rules that it gave. My teacher recommended this book for me because I was doing a research paper on rudeness for my college paper and I was at the beginning thinking that this book was not going to provide me with the information that I was going to need. I was wrong and when I began to read the book I ABSOLUTELY loved it!!! Now I can see why my teacher loved this book.. It provided all the morals that people should have nowadays but lack now..
Very interesting book of proverbs. And he wrote this when he was fourteen! I wish all parents went over these rules with their fourteen-year old children. Had to think of my own translations for not spitting in the fire and other things that no longer apply to our culture. But that process made the book even more interesting - trying to figure out why there was a rule for some things.
Mar 20, 2012
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction,
manners
I read the version sold at Mount Vernon, as it caught my eye in the gift shop. Nearly all the rules are perfectly applicable in a modern age, and definitely made me think about where I'm falling short!
Reaffirms the notion that Washington really was as correct and poised in reality as one imagines in the abstract- but with a sense of humor. Delightful (tiny) read!
Reaffirms the notion that Washington really was as correct and poised in reality as one imagines in the abstract- but with a sense of humor. Delightful (tiny) read!
The Washington College "Little Red Book," I received my copy as an entering freshman in 2005. As good ol' George reminded us all at the 2011 commencement, everyone (including WAC students on May Day) should remember rule #7:
Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out your chamber half dressed.
George Washington's top 110 rules on how to properly act in public. I am in flagrant daily violation of about 100 of them. (A hazzard of living in 21st Century America, I'm afraid.) Taken as a whole, this explains why Washington seems so "vanilla", no personality -- he was intentionally trying not to stand out in any way.
Lots of good advice to live by.
The speeches were very interesting, noting his views and thoughts. However, reading them was somewhat awkward due to the 18th century language and sentence structure. It ended up being a fractured or broken read ... a little bit on the disjointed side.
All in all it was a quick read, and who couldn't use reminders of civility in this day and age!!
The speeches were very interesting, noting his views and thoughts. However, reading them was somewhat awkward due to the 18th century language and sentence structure. It ended up being a fractured or broken read ... a little bit on the disjointed side.
All in all it was a quick read, and who couldn't use reminders of civility in this day and age!!
Every American ought to read--no, ought to own this book. It's only 44 pages, hardly a book at all. And the Rules of Civility are more a curiosity than anything else. But each of us should read and ponder the four addresses, especially Washington's 1796 statement on the occasion of him not seeking a third term as President, once a year.
A great read.
A great read.
A fun little book to read. This is a copy of Washington's personal journal of codes to live by. Most are still applicable for today and some are out dated, but what sticks out is Washington's humility and plain old common, or should I say, Christian decency.
It's George "MF'ing" Washington. What else needs to be said?
Take 10 minutes out of your day and read this at least once a week.
Send a copy to those idiots in D.C.
I sent my Representative and both Senators a copy last month.
Take 10 minutes out of your day and read this at least once a week.
Send a copy to those idiots in D.C.
I sent my Representative and both Senators a copy last month.
Specifically went looking for this small book by George Washington. In an espisode of West Wing, Pres. Bartlett is quoting it. Thought it might be interesting. In essence, most of the manners listed would still be good if we all followed today, though some were humorous.
Sep 19, 2011
Steph
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history-non-fiction,
humor
I rank this so highly only for such gems as "Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out your chamber half dressed," which provided my siblings and I with countless excellently worded "rules" to holler at each other.
Interesting read and one that I should pick up more often. http://ow.ly/62Wfq . Only 30 pages and 110 maxim. My favorite is the last:
"Labour to keep alive in your breast that little celestial fire called conscience." - George Washington
"Labour to keep alive in your breast that little celestial fire called conscience." - George Washington
A tiny and almost incomprehensible section on table manners and eating. Really, don't put your elbows on the table. That's apparently the height of rudeness. Also, don't clean your teeth with the table cloth. For school, though, so I don't have to like it.
Jul 12, 2010
Amy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-books,
politics-and-patriotic
We just have a little pamphlet like version. It contains the 110 rules, nothing else. We have been laughing and having fun reading these! Mostly they are his rules of etiquette and what-not. Still fun to read the rules that he wrote as a youngster, then continued to live his life by as he led our country.
Oct 02, 2011
Mcatherine Lunsford-bowles
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents with children who read
Recommended to Mcatherine by:
NPR
When my sons were teens, I tucked a copy of this book into Christmas Stockings...that was 25 years ago and they still report to me that the lessons learned from the book continue to serve them well.
interesting primarily for antiquarian reasons - what manners, customs, etc. were common in the 18th century? how did GW view himself, social status, his place in society, etc.
This is a very little book that has alot to say. A gift from a man I have known and worked with for many years - who practices what George preaches.
I loved reading all of these little snippets of wisdom from George Washington. Everyone can learn something from this little volume.
This principal of George Washington High School quotes this at least weekly and quotes decorate our halls. A good primer.
This is a great book filled with all sorts of wisdom. I never new George Washington was a man of such manners.
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Born in 1732 into a Virginia planter family, he learned the morals, manners, and body of knowledge requisite for an 18th century Virginia gentleman.
He pursued two intertwined interests: military arts and western expansion. At 16 he helped survey Shenandoah lands for Thomas, Lord Fairfax. Commissioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indi...more
More about George Washington...
He pursued two intertwined interests: military arts and western expansion. At 16 he helped survey Shenandoah lands for Thomas, Lord Fairfax. Commissioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indi...more
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“Quotes About God S Will
Quotes tagged as "god-s-will" (showing 1-36 of 38)
“Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do--then do it with all your strength.”
― George Washington”
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Quotes tagged as "god-s-will" (showing 1-36 of 38)
“Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do--then do it with all your strength.”
― George Washington”
