The Kennedys tried to avoid using the big U-shaped table, but when they couldn't, they had several tricks - including keeping the flowers simple - to keep it from appearing overly stiff and formal.
Politeness decrees that you must listen to be kind; intelligence decrees that you must listen to learn.
If somebody is disrespecting somebody, we should step in - even at the risk of getting slugged over the head.
It's stylish to have people over. But unstylish to make them bring food. It's so tacky, making everybody appear at the door with a dish. Better to order in, use a caterer or bring prepared food into your kitchen.
Everybody forgets names and faces, and it's just inconsiderate to expect someone who isn't your boss or your sister-in-law to know exactly who you are.
What the bride should do is call guests who have young children and say: 'I'd love to have the kids at the wedding, but we won't have room. Would you get a baby sitter, and when we get back from our honeymoon, we'll have you guys over?'
Manners make the world work. They're not only based on kindness but also efficiency. When people know what to do, the world is smoother. When no one knows what to do, it's chaos.
An excellent wine, someone's best attempt at cooking, and the candles and flowers on the table can turn the simplest dinner into an unforgettably romantic event.
The best thing we can do to save the planet is set a good example for our kids at home.
We have a lot of societal problems that we have to fix in the 1990s.
I was considered the luckiest of all the female gypsies since I landed the job as social secretary to Ambassador and Mrs. David Bruce at the American Embassy.
Administrations had come and gone in Pennsylvania Avenue, but many old entertaining traditions had survived - thru habit and not thru merit.
We have lost the art of conversation. People are shy and don't know how to approach other people, and they are missing opportunities for relationships. And no one's entertaining at home anymore. They're not having people over for dinner.
If you are someone's guest on a corporate jet, the most important thing to remember is not just to be on time, but to be early. If you hold up the departure of the jet by as much as 10 minutes, you may cause the plane to wait in line for another hour or two before obtaining new clearance.
At tea time, all the noise, greed and aggressiveness of the '80s can be drowned out. For 45 minutes, anyway.
There are major CEOs who do not know how to hold a knife and fork properly, but I don't worry about that as much as the lack of kindness.
For every rude executive who makes it to the top, there are nine successful executives with good manners.
I have grandchildren who are going to need every cent I make.
We're a nation of latchkey children. Manners start at home, and no one is at home teaching manners so that children have respect for others.
The polished executive is ultimately the happy executive who can walk gracefully through life.
