J. R. R. Tolkien Quotes

My whole life, I've been told to 'wait my turn' and 'know my place.'

When people complain of the decay of manners they have in mind not the impudent abbreviations of the crowd, but the decline in bowing and scraping and in speaking of one's employer as "the master." What the rich mean by the good manners of the poor is usually not civility, but servility.

We submit to the majority because we have to. But we are not compelled to call our attitude of subjection a posture of respect.

People in power, they're so used to people kind of playing up to them.

A Gorean slave girl in the presence of a free man or woman always kneels, unless excused from doing so.

It is the coward who fawns upon those above him. It is the coward who is insolent whenever he dares be so.

In my day you didn't speak until spoken to.

The only requirement of a fan or a patient is the surrender to authority.

All of us are subjected to somebody else's power at some point. So once in a while you kiss ass. So what? Either you make your peace with that early, or you end up living your life as a crank and a misfit.

One principal object of good-breeding is to suit our behaviour to the three several degrees of men, our superiors, our equals, and those below us.

Nice customs curtsy to great kings.

Always be on time. Never try to make any personal engagements. Do as little talking as humanly possible. Never be disturbed by anything. Always do what you're told to do as quickly as possible. Remember to lean back in a parade, so that people can see your husband. Don't get too fat to ride three on a seat. Get out of the way as quickly as you're not needed.

The respected intellectuals are those who conform and serve power interests.

Therefore, a person should first be changed by a teacher's instructions, and guided by principles of ritual. Only then can he observe the rules of courtesy and humility, obey the conventions and rules of society, and achieve order.

Must! Is must a word to be addressed to princes? Little man, little man! Thy father, if he had been alive, durst not have used that word.

The wit knows that his place is at the tail of a procession.

The English, the plain English, of the politest address of a gentleman to a lady is, I am now, dear Madam, your humble servant: Pray be so good as to let me be your Lord and Master.

When the Lord sent me forth into the world, He forbade me to put off my hat to any, high or low.

Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us?

I am not bound to please thee with my answer.

In 1600, when Shakespeare's audience at the Globe heard 'Hamlet' for the first time, every one of them knew very well what it meant to be handed a cup of wine by a figure of authority and told to drink.

If you treat with courtesy your equal, who is privileged to resent an impertinence, how much more cautious should you be to your dependents, from whom you demand a respectful demeanor.

Those who know the least obey the best.

I remember being taught my place.