Do you think that like Henry V (Of England) said in Shakespeares play that 'Manners Maketh the Man'?

Question

I think this is true because usually you can tell a lot about somebody when youve only just met them from their mannerisms what do you think?

Answer 1

Yes, I agree with the sentiment. We are all onions in that there are many layers to who we are. The uppermost layer, the one the rest of the world sees first is the layer that constitutes our manners and finish.

When we are first introduced to another person their greeting and appearance is, so far, all we have to make our initial assessment of them as a person. If I receive a limp, abbreviated handshake and a fleeing eye the impression made upon me is unfavorable. On the other hand if I'm proffered a firm, steady hand and easy eye contact I assume, barring additional information, I'm dealing with a gentleman. There is similar criteria leading to the assumption that a woman is, indeed, a lady.

That's not to say I look down my nose at those I deem not a gentleman or lady. A goodly portion of my close friends are rough and unfinished and that's fine, but when I'm dealing with a gentleman or a lady I afford them the requisite courtesy and respect. The same things I have come to expect.

When gentlemen meet it's much like two strangers meeting who happen to be members of the same secret society. Your eye naturally checks their finger for a ring with a familiar symbol. You may know nothing about them, but you know they have this one thing in common with you and that is enough.

Answer 2

Manners do maketh the man or woman in any instance, at the end of the day we all are guilty of being consumed with the greed of wealth.

Manners cost nothing but can tell a person more about you than any material object.

Answer 3

Yes, I do... except that the quote predates William Shakespeare by about 200 years!

The phrase is actually attributed to William of Wykeham (1324 - 1404), a Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England; the man who founded Winchester College and New College, Oxford, both of which use the phrase as their official motto to this day.

One meaning is presumed to be, though it has commonly been understood otherwise, that 'a man's real worth is to be estimated not from the outward and accidental advantages of birth, rank and fortune, but from the endowments of his mind and his moral qualifications.'

Answer 4

'Manners Maketh the Man.'

William of Wykeham, Motto of Winchester College and New College, Oxford
(1324 - 1404)

Answer 5

It depends what you mean by manners. I don't think knowing which fork to use in a restaurant is even slightly important. However, saying please and thank you, letting someone else go in front of you in a queue, those are manners. I suppose it is the same as being polite. We could do with more of it!!

Answer 6

I don't think that manners Maketh the man.
I believe that manners Maketh the gentleman

Answer 7

"it is the mind that makes the man" - Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid)

I think this quote sums up my opinion of how we should look at people and judge them (in as much as we are qualified to judge). No matter how a person looks, their customs, practices and how they dress, we should consider their morals and innate character before we condemn them.

Having said all this I consider politeness is very imporant in life.

Answer 8

Absolutely.

Answer 9

I think there's a lot of truth in that. The way we treat other people really defines who we are inside.

Here's a quote I heard recently, along the same lines: "It's not what you gather in life that's important, but what you scatter."

Answer 10

yes, i do. I think however amazing a person maybe, if they are not polite and caring, then they are not truly a good person.manners can transform you from an ordinary person, to one who people remember and respect, and so yes, i agree with Mr William Shakespeare. (Oh, and btw - a fab play! studied it for my AS coursework)