This is sort of on topic, but has anyone here read Bartlett's quotations? The book is filled with so many clever sayings that i have used like twice (haha) in the past 3 months (i bought it a couple of months ago and have just flipped through it). I also have Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes, and i don't think it's nearly as valuable (only read about 100 pages of that one so far).
This said, I HATE IT when people try to use quotes/sayings/fancy words in the wrong place and at the wrong time, so i watch when i wanna say something clever.
A phrase from Bartlett's i use quite often now is when referring to a friend who's whipped is a "deck of cards," or in other words, he's just a deck for someone to play with.-my friends liked that one.
In terms of what a gentleman should have, and following an undercurrent in the above, there's an Ancient Greek word called Metis which means knowing what to say, and when to say it. I feel this is a RREALLY important trait, and something I used to/still sort of lack, but am improving on it every day.
Upstater
