A biography for Letitia Baldrigehasn’t been written yet.
“You don't need the White House to please people. You can be 24, earning $22,000 a year, and have people over to your tiny apartment. It's all about sharing and thinking about what will make others happy.”
“Nothing gets on other people's nerves at the office more than a whistler. And the sad part is, these whistlers don't know they're doing it. Someone should, tactfully, tell the whistler how much it disrupts the office environment.”
“I've had a charmed life.”
“That's how a nation's manners are going to be taught - from watching others' behavior and learning from the effects of that behavior.”
“The '80s have not been a gracious decade, and people are seeking ways to be nice to each other.”
“The whole art of flirting has simply disappeared. This probably will do further damage. If we're going to become so uptight that we can't say nice things to each other, then we've had it!”
“Make people have a smile when they finish your e-mail.”
“If golfers know they look good, they will play better. I think that is valid for men and women.”
“Nothing ruins the flow of conversation more quickly than refusing a compliment you have just received. Never disagree with something nice that is said to you or about you.”
“CEOs are called by their first names by young whippersnappers. That makes everybody uncomfortable. We need order and structure back in the workplace.”
“When someone is wearing a dress that makes her look fat, don't say 'That's a great dress.' It always comes off badly.”
“For every step forward in electronic communications, we've taken two steps back in humanity. People know how to use a computer and answering machines but have forgotten how to connect with one another. Our society is unraveling. We're too self-obsessed.”
“I'm a businesswoman, and Ms. is an appropriate form of address.”
“Writers on etiquette receive a continuous flow of questions on subjects such as 'When is it too early in the season to wear white accessories?' and 'What is the proper gift to send to a family in mourning?'”
“When in doubt, look at what everyone else is doing.”
“At home, we're listening to TV or playing with our computers, so our entertaining is rusting. We don't know how to be good hosts and guests in business situations.”
“You'd be surprised how much easier it is to conduct business over tea than over lunch or dinner in a bustling restaurant.”
“We need grace in our lives, and I'm not talking about heavenly grace. I'm talking about human grace. We should try and be warm and friendly.”
“President and Mrs. Kennedy would walk into the East Room with their honored guests, preceded by the military color guard, who then posted their flags behind the receiving line. This ceremony never failed to move all of us, no matter how many times the staff witnessed it.”
“A really first-class company uses really fine stationery.”