Swedes are such a civilised perfect society - at least on the surface. There's a great safety net a huge middle class free education free health care. People are very polite they wait their turn. They're not too loud they're not too quiet but sometimes it's a little too perfect.

In truth politeness is artificial good humor it covers the natural want of it and ends by rendering habitual a substitute nearly equivalent to the real virtue.

An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.

Polite conversation is rarely either.

It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanism of friendship.

When it comes to Chinese food I have always operated under the policy that the less known about the preparation the better. A wise diner who is invited to visit the kitchen replies by saying as politely as possible that he has a pressing engagement elsewhere.

I grew up in a family where the women were just nuts. They didn't stand around in cardigans making polite conversation while they chopped tomatoes.

Have we failed to slow global warming pollution in part because climate and environmental activists have been too polite and well behaved?

Men of polite learning and a liberal education.

My dad was a particularly polite kind of guy very courteous.