George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation (Little Books of Wisdom)

This booklet is full of information that is so needed today. Our
society should be taught Washington's civility. I am proud to
have this material and to pass it on to family and friends.
Washington's rules of civility and decent behavior in company
should be required reading in schools.

Pithy advice for the great unmannered masses if they can translate to modern day., although the style is charming. And just imagine what the times were like by the instructions for hygiene and eating!

Loved this gidt. Historical relevance becasue it was transposed from a French lesson book by George Washington. Simple, one-line thoughts on social behavior for young men. Easy and quick to read so teenagers/college men will actually read it!!

There are several good rules in this book that could and should be used today. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Colonial American History or wants to learn more about how Goerge Washington lived and thought.

Incredibly disappointing with the "book" that was delivered to me. It was printed only a few days before, as indicated on the last page, not that that would warrant such displeasure; however, the text is incomplete, in several places indicating [manuscript damaged]. A quick search shows that the original text is not incomplete, like bn publishing (the printer) indicated, instead they simply left their copy incomplete.

If, in the future, i'm ever given the choice, i'd rather forgo the book than purchase another item of this quality.

While actually written by a French Jesuit priest in the 16th century, George copied this down as a penmanship lesson when he was 14 years old, and he lived by its precepts his entire life. It is a pithy book on proper behavior.

Kindle book is as expected. Fun to read the rules from a bygone era. Of course, with appropriate modification to fit the times, every one of his rules is directly relevant to today. I am satisfied.

George Washington’s 110 “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior In Company and Conversation” is well worth the read, but DO NOT waste money on the edition by BN Publishing! The Father of Our Country deserves better than this!
At least 32 of the Rules have errors (as indicated below), and in 9 places chunks of text are missing and replaced with “[damaged manuscript]”. I basically paid $3.99 for a cover to use for the free versions that can be found on Wikipedia or downloaded from the Library of Congress (see references at the bottom of this review). The back page says it was printed three days after I ordered it?!
The product info says it's 48 pages when only 16 pages have text. There are another 16 pages that are either blank or have product info. It includes no notes or introduction. And how have they copyrighted material that’s in the public domain?
As shown below, it is riddled with typographical and grammatical errors, and incorrect verbiage. the store’s “Look Inside” feature exposes almost none of it. I will just list here the errors I found in my copy after a cursory read, in order by Rule:
NOTE: I’ve seen versions that have a Rule 5 that is missing from this text (“Gentlemen lay with their things on the floor, not within a pile of like family members”) and some that have two Rule 27s, but the Rule numbers I’m using here correspond to those of the BN Publishing edition. I’ve also put the decimal number equivalent after the Roman numerals for readability.
Rule XIII (13): The entire last part from “behavior or saluting” until the end should not be included; it is also seen where it should be at the end of Rule 27.
Rule XXIV (24): Roman numeral is incorrectly listed as “XIV” (14 instead of 24). Text just says “[damaged manuscript}”. It should actually read, “Do not laugh too loud or too much at any public spectacle”.
Rule XXV (25): Roman numeral is incorrectly listed as “XV” (15 instead of 25).
Rule XXVI (26): Roman numeral is incorrectly listed as “XVI” (16 instead of 26).
Rule XXVII (27): Roman numeral is incorrectly listed as “XVII” (17 instead of 27). Word “bed” should be “bid”.
Rule XXVIII (28): Roman numeral is incorrectly listed as “XVIII” (18 instead of 28).
Rule XXIX (29): Roman numeral is incorrectly listed as “XIX” (19 instead of 29). There is a space missing between the words “you” and “meet”.
Rule XXX (30): Text is missing between words “countries” and “hand” which should read, “seems to be on the right”. Word “usually” is misspelled (second “u” is missing: “usally”).
Rule XXXI (31): Text is missing after word “himself”, which should read “in his own lodging or elsewhere”. The bracketed text “s[ave he offer]” in the middle of a sentence should be replaced with “so he on the other part should not use much earnestness nor offer”.
Rule XLI (41): The text “(damaged manuscript)” should read “savors” or “flavours” (I’ve seen it both ways).
Rule XLII (42): The text “[damaged manuscript]” and the word “and” after it should be replaced with, “Let thy ceremonies in courtesy be proper to the dignity of his place with whom thou conversest for it is absurd to act the”.
Rule LIII (53): Instead of the word “nor” after the word “arms”, the text should read, “kick not the earth with your feet, go not”. The last word of the rule is missing – it should be “fashion”.
Rule LVIII (58): The word “permit” should be “admit”.
Rule LXII (62): The last word of the rule is missing – it should be “friend”.
Rule LXX (70): A space is missing after the comma between the words “others” and “for”.
Rule LXXV (75): The two text sections that say “[damaged manuscript]” should be replaced with “ask not of what one treateth”, and “your coming you may well entreat him gently”, in that order.
Rule LXXIX (79): The letter “I” after the last period shouldn’t be there.
Rule LXXX (80): A space is missing between the words “in” and “discourse”.
Rule LXXXIV (84): The words “harken not” are missing after the word “anybody”.
Rule LXXXVI (86): The word “each” is missing after the word “one”.
Rule LXXXVII (87): The two text sections that say “[damaged manuscript]” should be replaced with “let thy carriage”, and “to that which is spoken”, in that order. The word “predict” should be “contradict”.
Rule LXXXVIII (88): The word “diverse” should be “tedious”.
Rule XCI (91): The text “the table, neither find great delight in your” before the word “victuals” should be removed. The word “eat” (after “greediness”) should be “cut”.
Rule XCIII (93): The letter “a” should be removed before the word “anyone”.
Rule XCIV (94): The phrase “let it stay till it cools” should be “but stay til cools”.
Rule XCVI (96): The word “heap” should be “stoop”. The word “and” should follow the comma after the word “clean”.
Rule XCVII (97): The word “swallow” should be “swallowed”. The words “for the jowls” are missing from the end of the rule.
Rule XCIX (99): The phrase “it is an evil” should be “it’s uncivil”.
Rule C (100): the phrase “without a peep to them” should be “with a toothpick”.
Rule CIII (103): The two text sections that say “[damaged manuscript]” should be replaced with “longer in eating”, and “only your hand upon the table”, in that order.
Rule CV (105): The last two words – “and whey” – should be “a feast”.
Rule CVIII (108): The punctuation needs to be changed from “seriously; reverence, honor” to “seriously and with reverence. Honor”.
References: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Rules_of_Civility_and_Decent_Behaviour_in_Company_and_Conversation
lcweb2.loc.gov/service/gdc/.../20100519003wa.pdf

The father of our country had some good things to say and good points to make, but the reader must recognize it was written in the language of that time. He made some good points, but some of them are just plain obsolete. I.E. "Do not puff up the cheeks; loll not out the tongue, rub the hands, or beard, thrust out the lips, or bite them, or keep the lips too open or close (sic)".

Yes, I have shamelessly stolen Jed Bartlet's summation of George Washington's character, because I feel the same way.

Etiquette and good behavior is important, but to copy them down from another book, at 14? That is rather tightassed, I must say!

But I enjoyed it for the laughs, nevertheless.

The title quote is taken from The West Wing, Season 1, 'Six meetings before lunch' - buy it now! The West Wing: The Complete Series Collection

(for some reason the review comes up as referring to the hardcover edition; I purchased it for the Kindle. *shrug*)

Our local library has a summer reading program for adults as well as for children. One of the things to accomplish is to read something from their Choose Civility reading list. Looking at the list, this book by George Washington jumped out at me and I knew I had to read it.

The book consists of 110 rules "drawn from an English translation of a French book of maxims" [p. 7] by Washington. The syntax is a bit archaic (rule 2: "When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body, not usually discovered") but that naturally forces modern readers to pay attention to the detail and meaning of what is written. Also, the phrasing is charming (rule 12: "Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes; lift not one eyebrow higher than the other; wry not the mouth; and bedew no man's face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak").

The rules cover all sorts of behavior from walking to conversing to dining. They are eminently civilized and practical (rule 48: "Wherein you reprove another be unblameable yourself, for example is more prevalent than precepts") and hardly seem in practice in modern culture (rule 58: "Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for it is a sign of a tractable and commendable nature; and in all cases of passion admit reason to govern"). I'm sure that people in the 1700s had just as many challenges as moderns have when it comes to dealing with other people in a civil manner.

The edition I read was 30 pages long, so it reads very quickly. It also provides very valuable insight into what people thought was important 250 years ago and what we can improve upon today.

Recommended.

George Washington's rules, copied from an early French work, are timeless gems for proper behavior in public - something that's much needed in today's "anything goes" world.

Unfortunately, this editor has destroyed the intent of the book by including his own drivel. Rather than giving this idiot your money, I would suggest you either find a clean version of the book (there are many different versions - I bought a beautiful bound version from the store - Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior (Little Books of Wisdom) Publisher: Applewood Books - after seeing this nonsense) or simply find all 101 rules on the web.

Note: the store has grouped together reviews of several different editions of this book; this review is for George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation (Little Books of Wisdom).

Debunkers are correct to point out that this book is not the original work of a 14-year-old child prodigy, as is sometimes claimed, but rather, as this edition reveals, something he copied down from an English translation of the original French, presumably as part of his school work. However, these debunkers go too far when they conclude from this that the work is meaningless because George Washington has too often been described as a self-made man who from an early age carefully, through hard practice acquired the manners and self-control for which all who ever knew him praised him.

He rather obviously took these rules to heart, which may well explain their survival in his handwriting.

The language is archaic, a few rules are obsolete, and several more about respecting one's betters have much less application in our more egalitarian world, but in general most of these still apply. Of course if you had even a half way decent upbringing, you were taught most of these already, but it never hurts to be reminded of what still constitutes good manners. Admirers of Washington might also be interested in the uniform edition of something a lot less questionably the product of his genius: George Washington's Farewell Address.

Note: Some reviewers have complained that this book is available online for free. Well, yes, what part of in the public domain do you not understand? However, trying to get away with giving someone a printout as a gift will earn you the nickname of cheapskate. If all you want to do is read it yourself, then by all means stick to the free sites. However, if you are looking for a way to get through to someone else, you are better off buying a copy, and a solitary sawbuck for this sturdy pocket-sized reprint is going to be tough to beat. The chief virtue of it being online is your ability to read it first and make sure that this is the book you want to give before ordering it.

Note: Applewood Books has produced a nice looking inexpensive series of sturdy pocket-sized reprints of important American books, documents, speeches, pamphlets, and poems, the Little Books of Wisdom, uniform with this volume, that are ideal for gifting to doctors, lawyers, teachers, business professionals, and students of same: The Way to Wealth,The Constitution of the United States of America,On the Art of Teaching,The Poems of Abraham Lincoln,The Strenuous Life,The Bill of Rights with Writings That Formed Its Foundation,The Path of the Law,The Constitution of the Confederate States of America,The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,A Message to Garcia, A Declaration of Sentiments, Robert's Rules of Order,Good Citizenship,On Being Human,A Discourse upon the Duties of a Physician,The Declaration of Independence with Short Biographies of Its Signers,Teamwork, Stick-To-Itiveness, Opportunity, & You,The Wants of Man,Universal Declaration of Human Rights,The Speech of Chief Seattle,Common Sense,The Articles of Confederation,The Emancipation Proclamation, and The Gospel of Wealth.

Some selected volumes are also available in boxed sets: Books of American Wisdom Boxed Set,CEO's Gift Box of Wisdom,Doctor's Gift Box of Wisdom,Lawyer's Gift Box of Wisdom,New Citizen's Gift Box of Wisdom, and Teacher's Gift Box of Wisdom.

And some have been published in Spanish: Un Mensaje a Garcia and Constitucion de Los Estados Unidos.

George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour is a great addition to anyone's library. Although he borrowed much of this information from an earlier French work, they are still poignant and speak to the upbringing of the future president as he compiled this list at the age of 14.

Applewood Books version of the rules (and there are many even just looking on the store) is pocket-sized (4 1/4 x 6 3/4") and beautifully hardbound. My family is using this book as a supplement to our Homeschool curriculum as it includes many great nuggets that buck against the trend of the "anything goes" present day mannerisms.

George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour is a great addition to anyone's library. Although he borrowed much of this information from an earlier French work, they are still poignant and speak to the upbringing of the future president as he compiled this list at the age of 14.

Applewood Books version of the rules (and there are many even just looking on the store) is pocket-sized (4 1/4 x 6 3/4") and beautifully hardbound. My family is using this book as a supplement to our Homeschool curriculum as it includes many great nuggets that buck against the trend of the "anything goes" present day mannerisms.

George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour is a great addition to anyone's library. Although he borrowed much of this information from an earlier French work, they are still poignant and speak to the upbringing of the future president as he compiled this list at the age of 14.

Applewood Books version of the rules (and there are many even just looking on the store) is pocket-sized (4 1/4 x 6 3/4") and beautifully hardbound. My family is using this book as a supplement to our Homeschool curriculum as it includes many great nuggets that buck against the trend of the "anything goes" present day mannerisms.

I am writing this on America's 225th birthday. Considering the Father of Our Country's intellect--generously displayed in this slim volume, it's no wondered that America has endured the hard times and prospered so majestically. A few of his rules of civility may seem archaic; "spit not in the fire" discusses an issue that most would agree is not a teeming controversy in the 21st century. Most, though, are as timely as they are sapient. From friendliness, "let your countenance be pleasant," to respectfulness, "turn not your back to others," to the profound, "when a man does all he can though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it," what George Washington termed rules of civility are truly words of wisdom to live by.
It is staggering to contemplate that a fourteen-year-old boy composed these perspicuous aphorisms. Yet, as the extraordinary man George Washington became later suggested, he was no ordinary fourteen-year-old either.

I purchased this book after reading a biography about General George Washington and coming across mentions of a little booklet he carried around that he would read to keep his 'civility' under any circumstances. This is the greatest little book I have ever read. Even though some are unusable - not as unusable as some would think - in our day in time, most would find the guide very helpful in life. If we all would carry around our own version, the world may be a better place.

Our local library has a summer reading program for adults as well as for children. One of the things to accomplish is to read something from their Choose Civility reading list. Looking at the list, this book by George Washington jumped out at me and I knew I had to read it.

The book consists of 110 rules "drawn from an English translation of a French book of maxims" [p. 7] by Washington. The syntax is a bit archaic (rule 2: "When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body, not usually discovered") but that naturally forces modern readers to pay attention to the detail and meaning of what is written. Also, the phrasing is charming (rule 12: "Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes; lift not one eyebrow higher than the other; wry not the mouth; and bedew no man's face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak").

The rules cover all sorts of behavior from walking to conversing to dining. They are eminently civilized and practical (rule 48: "Wherein you reprove another be unblameable yourself, for example is more prevalent than precepts") and hardly seem in practice in modern culture (rule 58: "Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for it is a sign of a tractable and commendable nature; and in all cases of passion admit reason to govern"). I'm sure that people in the 1700s had just as many challenges as moderns have when it comes to dealing with other people in a civil manner.

The edition I read was 30 pages long, so it reads very quickly. It also provides very valuable insight into what people thought was important 250 years ago and what we can improve upon today.

Recommended.

George Washington's rules, copied from an early French work, are timeless gems for proper behavior in public - something that's much needed in today's "anything goes" world.

Unfortunately, this editor has destroyed the intent of the book by including his own drivel. Rather than giving this idiot your money, I would suggest you either find a clean version of the book (there are many different versions - I bought a beautiful bound version from the store - Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior (Little Books of Wisdom) Publisher: Applewood Books - after seeing this nonsense) or simply find all 101 rules on the web.

Note: the store has grouped together reviews of several different editions of this book; this review is for George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation (Little Books of Wisdom).

Debunkers are correct to point out that this book is not the original work of a 14-year-old child prodigy, as is sometimes claimed, but rather, as this edition reveals, something he copied down from an English translation of the original French, presumably as part of his school work. However, these debunkers go too far when they conclude from this that the work is meaningless because George Washington has too often been described as a self-made man who from an early age carefully, through hard practice acquired the manners and self-control for which all who ever knew him praised him.

He rather obviously took these rules to heart, which may well explain their survival in his handwriting.

The language is archaic, a few rules are obsolete, and several more about respecting one's betters have much less application in our more egalitarian world, but in general most of these still apply. Of course if you had even a half way decent upbringing, you were taught most of these already, but it never hurts to be reminded of what still constitutes good manners. Admirers of Washington might also be interested in the uniform edition of something a lot less questionably the product of his genius: George Washington's Farewell Address.

Note: Some reviewers have complained that this book is available online for free. Well, yes, what part of in the public domain do you not understand? However, trying to get away with giving someone a printout as a gift will earn you the nickname of cheapskate. If all you want to do is read it yourself, then by all means stick to the free sites. However, if you are looking for a way to get through to someone else, you are better off buying a copy, and a solitary sawbuck for this sturdy pocket-sized reprint is going to be tough to beat. The chief virtue of it being online is your ability to read it first and make sure that this is the book you want to give before ordering it.

Note: Applewood Books has produced a nice looking inexpensive series of sturdy pocket-sized reprints of important American books, documents, speeches, pamphlets, and poems, the Little Books of Wisdom, uniform with this volume, that are ideal for gifting to doctors, lawyers, teachers, business professionals, and students of same: The Way to Wealth,The Constitution of the United States of America,On the Art of Teaching,The Poems of Abraham Lincoln,The Strenuous Life,The Bill of Rights with Writings That Formed Its Foundation,The Path of the Law,The Constitution of the Confederate States of America,The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,A Message to Garcia, A Declaration of Sentiments, Robert's Rules of Order,Good Citizenship,On Being Human,A Discourse upon the Duties of a Physician,The Declaration of Independence with Short Biographies of Its Signers,Teamwork, Stick-To-Itiveness, Opportunity, & You,The Wants of Man,Universal Declaration of Human Rights,The Speech of Chief Seattle,Common Sense,The Articles of Confederation,The Emancipation Proclamation, and The Gospel of Wealth.

Some selected volumes are also available in boxed sets: Books of American Wisdom Boxed Set,CEO's Gift Box of Wisdom,Doctor's Gift Box of Wisdom,Lawyer's Gift Box of Wisdom,New Citizen's Gift Box of Wisdom, and Teacher's Gift Box of Wisdom.

And some have been published in Spanish: Un Mensaje a Garcia and Constitucion de Los Estados Unidos.

George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour is a great addition to anyone's library. Although he borrowed much of this information from an earlier French work, they are still poignant and speak to the upbringing of the future president as he compiled this list at the age of 14.

Applewood Books version of the rules (and there are many even just looking on the store) is pocket-sized (4 1/4 x 6 3/4") and beautifully hardbound. My family is using this book as a supplement to our Homeschool curriculum as it includes many great nuggets that buck against the trend of the "anything goes" present day mannerisms.

George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour is a great addition to anyone's library. Although he borrowed much of this information from an earlier French work, they are still poignant and speak to the upbringing of the future president as he compiled this list at the age of 14.

Applewood Books version of the rules (and there are many even just looking on the store) is pocket-sized (4 1/4 x 6 3/4") and beautifully hardbound. My family is using this book as a supplement to our Homeschool curriculum as it includes many great nuggets that buck against the trend of the "anything goes" present day mannerisms.

George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour is a great addition to anyone's library. Although he borrowed much of this information from an earlier French work, they are still poignant and speak to the upbringing of the future president as he compiled this list at the age of 14.

Applewood Books version of the rules (and there are many even just looking on the store) is pocket-sized (4 1/4 x 6 3/4") and beautifully hardbound. My family is using this book as a supplement to our Homeschool curriculum as it includes many great nuggets that buck against the trend of the "anything goes" present day mannerisms.

I am writing this on America's 225th birthday. Considering the Father of Our Country's intellect--generously displayed in this slim volume, it's no wondered that America has endured the hard times and prospered so majestically. A few of his rules of civility may seem archaic; "spit not in the fire" discusses an issue that most would agree is not a teeming controversy in the 21st century. Most, though, are as timely as they are sapient. From friendliness, "let your countenance be pleasant," to respectfulness, "turn not your back to others," to the profound, "when a man does all he can though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it," what George Washington termed rules of civility are truly words of wisdom to live by.
It is staggering to contemplate that a fourteen-year-old boy composed these perspicuous aphorisms. Yet, as the extraordinary man George Washington became later suggested, he was no ordinary fourteen-year-old either.

I purchased this book after reading a biography about General George Washington and coming across mentions of a little booklet he carried around that he would read to keep his 'civility' under any circumstances. This is the greatest little book I have ever read. Even though some are unusable - not as unusable as some would think - in our day in time, most would find the guide very helpful in life. If we all would carry around our own version, the world may be a better place.

George Washington's "Rules' are not his at all. The original material in this little volume is thought to have been inspired by rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595. The first English translation of the French rules appeared in 1640, and are ascribed to Francis Hawkins, the twelve-year-old son of a doctor. They come to us as part of a larger volume of copywork, written out by George as assigned by a tutor, and was a method of teaching common to his day. Copywork is the practice of copying good quality writing for practice in both penmanship and composition. Many of today's homeschoolers carry on the tradition of daily copywork. Though George Washington didn't compose the rules, they were certainly popularized after he recopied them.

This book should be bought and distributed to all your children while they are still young. These were "rules" that George Washington carried with him from the time he was a young man and throughout his entire life. Excellent book and the advice is timeless.

Whether this little 30 page book is worth the price or whether George Washington copied these as a penmanship excercise from an english translation of some 16th century French Jesuit writings is immaterial.
After you read these "Rules of Civility" you will feel like carrying this little red book around with you and handing it to rude people to read Rule # 1 "Every action done in company aught to be with some sign of respect to those that are present."
How can our kids and grandkids get exposed to this kind of thinking?