Quote of the Day (Robert A. Heinlein, on Rudeness and ‘A Dying Culture’)

“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”—American science-fiction writer, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988), Friday (1982)

Well, in at least one case, large-scale public rudeness can precipitate a riot.

Quote of the Day (Arthur Schopenhauer, on Why ‘It Is a Stupid Thing To Be Rude’)

“It is a wise thing to be polite; consequently, it is a stupid thing to be rude. To make enemies by unnecessary and willful incivility, is just as insane a proceeding as to set your house on fire. For politeness is like a counter—an avowedly false coin, with which it is foolish to be stingy.” — German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), The Wisdom of Life and Counsels and Maxims, translated by T. Bailey Saunders (1851)

Quote of the Day (Eric Hoffer, on Rudeness)

“Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.”—American longshoreman-turned-philosopher Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), The Passionate State of Mind: And Other Aphorisms (1954)