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"Miss Manners has never cared for the argument that it is honest to do something unpleasant in plain view and hypocritical to do it out of sight. There is nothing honest and a lot that is rude about leaving the bathroom door open."
to a reader who felt guilty about an adulterous affair and wondered if she should make up for it by confessing to the wife of her now-ex-lover, Miss Manners replied "Perhaps you have made the modern mistake of confusing discussing your guilt with atoning for it. To atone is to make amends."to a reader who ended her complaint about the suspected implications behind a relative's seemingly insensitive behavior with "I'm afraid this is the kind of action that drives little wedges in family unity", Miss Manners replied "But what is the hammer that drives in these wedges? Miss Manners believes it is the modern habit of substituting analysis for complaint."
Who else but Miss Manners could so eloquently unite so many seemingly divergent travails of life under the curative rubric of good manners and courtesy? Miss Manners has transformed the popular perception of courtesy from a torturous system of meaningless rules with no purpose other than shaming people into a charming mode of living which simply respects other people while gently but resolutely insisting upon respect for oneself.
One good source for the wit and wisdom of Miss Manners is here or here.
Finally, I commend Miss Manners' advice concerning friendships between heterosexuals and gay couples.
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