--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Politeness is to human nature what warmth…" description: "\"Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.\" — Arthur Schopenhauer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ab/arthur-schopenhauer-226_human-nature_politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmt_858997.jpg" --- # Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax. ![“Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ab/arthur-schopenhauer-226_human-nature_politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmt_858997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ab/arthur-schopenhauer-226_human-nature_politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmt_858997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ab/arthur-schopenhauer-226_human-nature_politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmt_858997.jpg) > “Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.” [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politeness, like warmth to wax, is essential to human nature, shaping social interactions. **In simple terms:** Politeness is essential to human interaction. Key Takeaway Practice politeness daily. Themes etiquette human nature social harmony Mood thoughtful educational Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - Customer service - team meetings - public speaking Key Concepts warmth softening social glue Questions to Reflect On - How does politeness affect relationships? - When is politeness insufficient? A Different Perspective Politeness can be superficial without sincerity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Politeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politeness/) [Warmth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warmth/) ## Related quotes > [Politeness is what warmth is to wax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/german-proverb/politeness-is-what-warmth-is-to-wax/) German Proverb > [Curious how Love destroys every vestige of that politeness which the human race, in its years of evolution, has so painfully acquired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-gibbons/curious-how-love-destroys-every-vestige-of-that-politeness-which-the/) [Stella Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-gibbons/) > [“Misanthropist’s manifesto: Do not tell a friend what your enemy ought not to know. Giving way neither to love nor hate is one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/misanthropist-s-manifesto-do-not-tell-a-friend-what-your-enemy-ought/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [(Politeness is) a tacit agreement that people's miserable defects, whether moral or intellectual, shall on either side be ignored and not be made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/politeness-is-a-tacit-agreement-that-people-s-miserable-defects/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [True politeness is perfect ease and freedom. It simply consists in treating others just as you love to be treated yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/true-politeness-is-perfect-ease-and-freedom-it-simply-consists-in/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Politeness, however, acts the lady's maid to our thoughts; and they are washed, dressed, curled, rouged, and perfumed, before they are presented to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/politeness-however-acts-the-lady-s-maid-to-our-thoughts-and-they-are/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [Unfortunately civility is hard to codify or legislate, but you know it when you see it. It's possible to disagree without being disagreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/unfortunately-civility-is-hard-to-codify-or-legislate-but-you-know-it/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [The company of women of fashion will improve your manners, though not your understanding; and that complaisance and politeness, which are so useful in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/the-company-of-women-of-fashion-will-improve-your-manners-though-not/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Politeness has been defined to be artificial good-nature; but we may affirm, with much greater propriety, that good-nature is natural politeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/politeness-has-been-defined-to-be-artificial-good-nature-but-we-may/) [Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/) > [No one has ever been offended by someone with good manners and courteous behaviour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/no-one-has-ever-been-offended-by-someone-with-good-manners-and/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Politeness is fictitious benevolence. Depend upon it, the want of it never fails to produce something disagreeable to one or other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/politeness-is-fictitious-benevolence-depend-upon-it-the-want-of-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Civility means a great deal more than just being nice to one another. It is complex and encompasses learning how to connect successfully and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-m-forni/civility-means-a-great-deal-more-than-just-being-nice-to-one-another/) [P. M. Forni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-m-forni/) > [Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/manners-are-a-sensitive-awareness-of-the-feelings-of-others/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [“Francis Bacon somewhere remarks that politeness veils vice just as dress masks wrinkles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doran/francis-bacon-somewhere-remarks-that-politeness-veils-vice-just-as/) John Doran > [The highest perfection of politeness is only a beautiful edifice, built, from the base to the dome, of ungraceful and gilded forms of charitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-highest-perfection-of-politeness-is-only-a-beautiful-edifice/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Arthur Schopenhauer > [Virtue is as little to be acquired by learning as genius; nay, the idea is barren, and is only to be employed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/virtue-is-as-little-to-be-acquired-by-learning-as-genius-nay-the-idea/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“In accordance with such zeal, by reducing the external world to a matter of faith, he wanted merely to open a little door for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-accordance-with-such-zeal-by-reducing-the-external-world-to-a/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [That human life must be some kind of mistake is sufficiently proved by the simple observation that man is a compound of needs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-human-life-must-be-some-kind-of-mistake-is-sufficiently-proved/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. The cause of it is that men fight shy of all and any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/imitation-and-custom-are-the-spring-of-almost-all-human-action-the/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [The eternal being..., as it lives in us, also lives in every animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-eternal-being-as-it-lives-in-us-also-lives-in-every-animal/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [there are very few who can think, but every man wants to have an opinion; and what remains but to take it ready-made from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/there-are-very-few-who-can-think-but-every-man-wants-to-have-an/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [It is not what things are objectively and in themselves, but what they are for us, in our way of looking at them, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/it-is-not-what-things-are-objectively-and-in-themselves-but-what-they/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [ “\[Materialism\] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-simple-state-of-matter-and/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [In order to increase his pleasures, man has intentionally added to the number and pressure of his needs, which in their original state were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-order-to-increase-his-pleasures-man-has-intentionally-added-to-the/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“For the will, as that which is common to all, is for that reason also common: consequently, every vehement emergence of will is common,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/for-the-will-as-that-which-is-common-to-all-is-for-that-reason-also/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Alles Urdenken geschieht in Bildern: darum ist die Phantasie ein so nothwendiges Werkzeug desselben, und werden phantasielose Köpfe nie etwas Großes leisten, - es…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/alles-urdenken-geschieht-in-bildern-darum-ist-die-phantasie-ein-so/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Intellect is invisible to the man who has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/intellect-is-invisible-to-the-man-who-has-none/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Newspapers are the second hand of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/newspapers-are-the-second-hand-of-history/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“In travelling where novelties of all kinds press in upon us, mental food is often supplied so rapidly from without that there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-travelling-where-novelties-of-all-kinds-press-in-upon-us-mental/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) [Explore all 791 Arthur Schopenhauer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) ## More Human nature quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“The aristocratic interiority is centered on the higher mind, the mens, the ajna chakra, the seat of intellect and intuition that commands the lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/the-aristocratic-interiority-is-centered-on-the-higher-mind-the-mens/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/selfishness-is-one-of-the-principal-fruits-of-the-corruption-of-human/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [Though there may be people in your life that support you and encourage you we have to realize that people are only human, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/though-there-may-be-people-in-your-life-that-support-you-and/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“I wasn't sure which I appreciated less—the insincere concern or the genuine indifference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-graham/i-wasn-t-sure-which-i-appreciated-less-the-insincere-concern-or-the/) Arthur Graham > [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/) [Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/) > [“As if we didn't have enough weapons already. But that's human nature, we've always got to go one better, to increase the terror another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-f-hamilton/as-if-we-didn-t-have-enough-weapons-already-but-that-s-human-nature/) [Peter F. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-f-hamilton/) > [ \[Putin\] is a bully. And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [“The mass of men have been forced to be gay about the little things, but sad about the big ones. Nevertheless (I offer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-mass-of-men-have-been-forced-to-be-gay-about-the-little-things/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 3,743 Human nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Schopenhauer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmth-is-to-wax/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human nature" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmth-is-to-wax/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ab/arthur-schopenhauer-226_human-nature_politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmt_858997.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ab/arthur-schopenhauer-226_human-nature_politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmt_858997.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ab/arthur-schopenhauer-226_human-nature_politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmt_858997.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.” — Arthur Schopenhauer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Arthur Schopenhauer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Politeness is to human nature what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmth-is-to-wax/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/politeness-is-to-human-nature-what-warmth-is-to-wax/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```