25 ETIQUETTE RULES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

Unfortunately, many people consider respect for the rules of etiquette as something shameful, considering it a feature of classy aesthetes who are removed from real life.
In fact, the basic rules of etiquette are pretty simple. It’s a culture of speech, common courtesy, neat appearance, and control over your emotions.
Here are the etiquette rules which every self-respecting person should know:

• If you say, ’I invite you,’ that means you pay. You may say, ’Let’s go to a restaurant,’ and in this case, everyone pays for themselves. If a man offers to pay for a woman, she can agree.
• Never pay a visit without a calling first. If someone came to see you without warning, you might be wearing a bathrobe and hair curlers! One British lady liked to say that when uninvited guests showed up on her doorstep, she always put shoes on, and grabbed a hat and an umbrella. If she liked the person, she exclaimed, ’I just got home!’ If not, she sighed and said, ’Ah, what a pity, I was just on my way out.’
• Don’t put your phone on the table in public. By doing so, you show how important a role this device plays in your life, how bored you are of what’s happening, and that at any moment you’re ready to stop a useless conversation and once again check your Instagram feed, answer an important call, or try new levels in Angry Birds.
• Nine things should be kept secret: age, wealth, family quarrels, religion, medical problems, love affairs, gifts, honor, and disgrace. Drivers should remember that puddle-splashing of passers-by is an amoral behavior.
• A man should always walk on a woman’s left-hand side. Military men are the only exception, because they should be ready to salute.
• If someone offends you, you shouldn’t return the favor or raise your voice to the person who insulted you. Don’t sink to their level. Just smile and leave the ill-mannered company.
• Avoid meaningless talk on the phone. If you need someone to talk to, it’s better to meet with them in person.
• Your shoes should always be clean.
• Most people believe that the only proper way of eating sushi is using chopsticks. However, this really depends. Men, unlike women, can eat sushi with their hands.
• If you’re walking along with someone and your companion greets a person you don’t know, you should also greet them.
• A man never carries a woman’s handbag. However, he can take her coat to carry it to the cloakroom.
• Don’t invite a girl on a date if you’re going to be texting all the evening.
• In the cinema, theatre, or concert hall, you should move to your seat facing those sitting. A man goes first.
• A man should never touch a woman without her permission. This means that it is unacceptable to: hold her hand, touch her during a conversation, and push her or take her hand above the elbow (unless a man is helping her to get into or out of a car, or cross the street).
• If someone calls to you rudely (’You there!’), you shouldn’t answer. Be a model of good etiquette and polite social manners.
• The golden rule when using perfume is moderation. If you can still smell your perfume in the evening, everyone else is already tired of it.
• A well-bred man will always show proper respect to a woman.
• In a woman’s presence, men may only smoke with her permission.
• Whoever you are — a company director, an academician, an elderly woman, or a student — when you enter a room you should be the first person to greet everyone there.
• Respect the privacy of correspondence. Parents shouldn’t read their children’s letters. Couples should show the same respect for each other. Сhecking someone’s pockets in search of love notes, letters, and other things is extremely rude.
• Don’t try to chase fashion. It’s better to wear nice, even if not fashionable, things than look awful in a brand-new suit.
• If you’re forgiven after you’ve apologized, don’t touch the offensive subject again just to say you’re sorry. You should try to avoid such mistakes in the future.
• Avoid laughing and talking too loudly, as well as staring at people — it’s insulting.
• Don’t forget to thank your loved ones, relatives, and friends. They help you not because they have to. It’s their desire. Appreciate them.

As Jack Nicholson, an American actor, said:
’I think much of decency. How to pass a plate. Not to shout from one room to another. Not to open a closed door without knocking. Let a lady pass. The aim of these endless simple rules is to make life better. I pay close attention to my manners. Etiquette matters. It’s a simple and comprehensible language of mutual respect.’
Let’s respect each other!