50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know Revised and Expanded: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why

by John Bridges, Bryan Curtis

Overview

In an ever-changing world, good manners never go out of style. These essential skills and tips will help you in several aspects as you grow into manhood.

He knows how to shake hands. He knows how to be a good sport. He knows how to give a genuine compliment and how to speak his mind without being offensive. His friends listen to what he has to say, and he returns the favor. He knows how to achieve the perfect knot in a necktie and, more important, he knows when he should be wearing a tie in the first place.

In 50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know, you will learn about:

• learn how to gain trust and earn respect,
• understand how to do things the right way and why it’s important, and
• realize immediate payoffs for good behavior.

50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know is a young man’s guide to becoming the type of guy that people respect and enjoy. This updated guide to traditional standards of behavior proves that manners never go out of style—they’re a crucial skillset that a young man needs to excel in whatever he chooses to do.

Becoming a gentleman doesn’t happen in an instant; it’s a lifelong exercise in refining etiquette, social interaction, and personal discipline. It all begins here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401603823
Publisher:	Harper Horizon
Publication date:	04/26/2022
Series:	The GentleManners Series
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	120,522
Product dimensions:	4.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	8 - 14 Years

About the Author

John Bridges, author of How to Be a Gentleman, is also the coauthor, with Bryan Curtis, of seven other volumes in the best-selling GentleManners series. He is a frequent guest on television and radio news programs, always championing gentlemanly behavior in modern society. Bridges has appeared on the Today Show, the Discovery Channel, and CBS Sunday Morning, and has been profiled in People magazine and the New York Times.

Bryan Curtis is an author and the president of Dance Floor Books. He is the author/coauthor and editor of more than 25 books, including My South, My Southern Food, Classic Wisdom for the Good Life, Classic Wisdom for the Professional Life, and the popular GentleManners series.

Read an Excerpt

50 THINGS EVERY YOUNG GENTLEMAN SHOULD KNOW

WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT, AND WHY

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By John Bridges Bryan Curtis

Rutledge Hill Press

Copyright © 2007 John Bridges and Bryan Curtis
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-40160-294-9

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Chapter One

Saying "Please"

Saying "please" is the simplest thing you will ever have to do. It is like taking the easiest class at your school. It is a slam dunk. It's probably smart to start using the word "please" as often as you can, beginning right now. It will make life go much more smoothly for you.

Here's what's in it for you: Remember when you were three or four and you would ask for something, and before your mom would give it to you, she would stand there asking, "What do you say?" and of course you would say, "Pleeeeeeeese." And she would give it to you. That was cute when you were three. But look how old you are now.

If you haven't already started using "please" all the time, you should be worried. And your parents certainly ought to be concerned. They may even be asking themselves, "Should we even bother putting him in the will?" or "Why should we be worrying about sending him to college? He can't even say 'please.'"

Start practicing now:

At the breakfast table, you don't say, "Can I have some cereal?"

Instead, you say, "May I have some cereal, please?"

If somebody asks, "Do you want sugar on your cereal?" you don't say, "Yeah."

Instead, you say, "Yes, please."

If you're on a crowded elevator, you don't say, "Can somebody over there press nine?"

Instead, you say, "Would someone press nine, please?"

If you come to the door, and your hands are full, you don't say, "Hey! Somebody get the door!" Instead, you say, "Would you hold the door open for me, please?"

"Please" is a lot like plasma televisions, great cars, and having cash in your pocket. It makes the world a nicer place to live in.

Learn how to use it, and start using it now. It will take you far.

* You do

Say "please" any time you are asking someone to do something for you. That means, when you're in a restaurant, you say to the waiter, "May I have another soda, please?"

* You don't

Assume, just because other people are doing their jobs, that you don't have to show appreciation for their efforts.

* Why

One day you will realize that you should be as nice to the person who opens the door for you at Trump Tower as you would be to Donald Trump himself. If you learn that now, you will be way ahead of the game.

A gentleman knows that "please" and "thank you" go together like nachos and cheese.

* * *

A gentleman says "please" to anyone offering him assistance. It does not matter if he is being offered an order of fries or free tickets to a football game.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from 50 THINGS EVERY YOUNG GENTLEMAN SHOULD KNOW by John Bridges Bryan Curtis Copyright © 2007 by John Bridges and Bryan Curtis. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction xi

1 Saying "Please" 1

2 Saying "Thank You" 4

3 Saying "Excuse Me" 8

4 Making an Apology 11

5 Accepting an Apology 15

6 Introducing Your Friends to Your Parents 18

7 Saying "Ma'am" and "Sir" 22

8 Asking Permission 25

9 Paying a Compliment 28

10 Accepting a Compliment 31

11 Knowing When to Keep Your Mouth Shut 34

12 Listening to and Talking to Adults 37

13 Shaking Hands 41

14 Meeting People with Physical Challenges 45

15 Accepting a Gift You Don't Like 48

16 Accepting a Gift You Like 52

17 Writing a Thank You Note 55

18 Selecting a Gift 59

19 Answering the Telephone 63

20 Taking Phone Messages 69

21 Using a Cell Phone 73

22 Winning Well 79

23 Losing Well 82

24 How to Act in Places Where You Are Bored 85

25 How to Behave in a Movie Theater 89

26 Traveling on an Airplane 93

27 Walking in Front of Other People 97

28 Responding to Invitations 100

29 Using a Napkin 104

30 Using the Correct Fork 108

31 Using a Knife and Fork 112

32 Refusing Foods You Can't Eat 115

33 Dealing with Foods You Don't Like 118

34 Ordering from a Menu 122

35 How to Use Chopsticks 126

36 Opening the Door for Other People 128

37 A Gentleman Goes Online 131

38 Borrowing and Sharing 139

39 The Unzipped Zipper and Other Embarrassing Situations 143

40 Boundaries: Yours and Theirs 147

41 Taking Pride in Your Appearance 151

42 Tying Your Own Tie 155

43 Shining Your Shoes 160

44 When to Take Off Your Cap 164

45 Taking Care of Your Fingernails 167

46 Handkerchiefs and Tissues 169

47 Picking Up After Your Pet 172

48 Picking Up After Yourself 176

49 Putting Down the Toilet Seat 180

50 Personal Hygiene 183

Index 187