--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Would you like a drink?” Politeness wins…" description: "\"“Would you like a drink?” Politeness wins out over everything else I’d like to say. “No, thank you, Anastasia.” He smiles a dazzling, crooked smile, hi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/e-l-james-2-17861_politeness_would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-o_2524923.jpg" --- # Would you like a drink?” Politeness wins out over… ![“Would you like a drink?” Politeness wins out over everything else I’d like to say. “No, thank you, Anastasia.” He smiles a dazzling, crooked smile, his head cocked slightly to one side. Well, I might need one.” quote by E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/e-l-james-2-17861_politeness_would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-o_2524923.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/e-l-james-2-17861_politeness_would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-o_2524923.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/e-l-james-2-17861_politeness_would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-o_2524923.jpg) > ““Would you like a drink?” Politeness wins out over everything else I’d like to say. “No, thank you, Anastasia.” He smiles a dazzling, crooked smile, his head cocked slightly to one side. Well, I might need one.”” [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Politeness can mask true intentions, leading to missed connections or misunderstandings. **In simple terms:** Politeness may hide what you really think. Key Takeaway Be honest while staying courteous. Themes communication social dynamics authenticity Mood reserved thoughtful Type advice observational When to use this quote - dating - business negotiations - friendship - customer service Key Concepts interpersonal honesty social masks Questions to Reflect On - When did politeness prevent you from speaking your mind? - How can you balance courtesy with honesty? A Different Perspective Politeness can be manipulative if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anastasia Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anastasia-smiles-1288468/) [Drink Politeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink-politeness-1288467/) [Politeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politeness/) [Politeness Wins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politeness-wins-1288469/) [Thank Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thank-anastasia-1288470/) ## Related quotes > [Politeness wins the confidence of princes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverbs/politeness-wins-the-confidence-of-princes/) [Chinese Proverbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverbs/) > [The sight of the bare katana inspires everyone to a practically Nipponese level of politeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-sight-of-the-bare-katana-inspires-everyone-to-a-practically/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doran/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [When I act tough they listen politely till the spasm passes. They know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-i-act-tough-they-listen-politely-till-the-spasm-passes-they-know/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [“As the head of an expedition, you can't pussyfoot around being polite to everyone. You have to show your teeth once in a while;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/as-the-head-of-an-expedition-you-can-t-pussyfoot-around-being-polite/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Adrian's face was the picture of perfect politeness and restraint, meaning something disastrous was about to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/adrian-s-face-was-the-picture-of-perfect-politeness-and-restraint/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [To joke in the face of danger is the supreme politeness, a delicate refusal to cast oneself as a tragic hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/to-joke-in-the-face-of-danger-is-the-supreme-politeness-a-delicate/) [Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/) > [With hat in hand, one gets on in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berthold-auerbach/with-hat-in-hand-one-gets-on-in-the-world/) [Berthold Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berthold-auerbach/) > [I still do find it very difficult in the West to connect to this politeness of smiling, not saying how you're thinking or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waris-dirie/i-still-do-find-it-very-difficult-in-the-west-to-connect-to-this/) [Waris Dirie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waris-dirie/) > [Good-breeding is not confined to externals, much less to any particular dress or attitude of the body; it is the art of pleasing, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/good-breeding-is-not-confined-to-externals-much-less-to-any/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [There are few defects in our nature so glaring as not to be veiled from observation by politeness and good-breeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/there-are-few-defects-in-our-nature-so-glaring-as-not-to-be-veiled/) [Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/) > [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/) > [“The closest she got to pretence was politeness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-closest-she-got-to-pretence-was-politeness/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) ## More by E. L. James > [I value my anonymity. I'm happy to come in on the tube or the train and watch other people reading 'Fifty Shades.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-value-my-anonymity-i-m-happy-to-come-in-on-the-tube-or-the-train/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [I do not look at the world in terms of black and white - and I find people who do rather scary. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-do-not-look-at-the-world-in-terms-of-black-and-white-and-i-find/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [People are talking about sex. They're talking about sex with their husbands. They're talking about sex with their girlfriends. They're talking about sex with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/people-are-talking-about-sex-they-re-talking-about-sex-with-their/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [ I don't think \[Fifty Shades of Grey is\] a model for anything. Except maybe in bed. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-don-t-think-fifty-shades-of-grey-is-a-model-for-anything-except/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [“It’s about gaining your trust and your respect, so you’ll let me exert my will over you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/it-s-about-gaining-your-trust-and-your-respect-so-you-ll-let-me-exert/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [I've set the bar quite high in terms of storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-ve-set-the-bar-quite-high-in-terms-of-storytelling/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [I really like clever men who challenge you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-really-like-clever-men-who-challenge-you/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [Language evolves and moves on. It is an organic thing. It is not stuck in an ivory tower, hung with expensive works of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/language-evolves-and-moves-on-it-is-an-organic-thing-it-is-not-stuck/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [Yes, I'm a 'Twi-hard.' I became obsessed. Absolutely obsessed. I didn't watch television, I didn't go to the cinema. My friends would ring and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/yes-i-m-a-twi-hard-i-became-obsessed-absolutely-obsessed-i-didn-t/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [Write for yourself. That's it. And write every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/write-for-yourself-that-s-it-and-write-every-day/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [I'm not a great writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-m-not-a-great-writer/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [I don't watch much British television at all. I mean, it's ironic because I used to work in it for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-don-t-watch-much-british-television-at-all-i-mean-it-s-ironic/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [Men aren't really complicated. They are very simple, literal creatures. They usually mean what they say. And we spend hours trying to analyze what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/men-aren-t-really-complicated-they-are-very-simple-literal-creatures/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [All a writer wants is to be read, and people are so flattering and lovely. I mean, there are witches out there as well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/all-a-writer-wants-is-to-be-read-and-people-are-so-flattering-and/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [“Follow your heart, darling, and please, please — try not to overthink things. Relax and enjoy yourself. You are so young, sweetheart. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/follow-your-heart-darling-and-please-please-try-not-to-overthink/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) [Explore all 36 E. L. James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) ## More Politeness quotes > [“The closest she got to pretence was politeness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-closest-she-got-to-pretence-was-politeness/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [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/) > [There are few defects in our nature so glaring as not to be veiled from observation by politeness and good-breeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/there-are-few-defects-in-our-nature-so-glaring-as-not-to-be-veiled/) [Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/) > [Good-breeding is not confined to externals, much less to any particular dress or attitude of the body; it is the art of pleasing, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/good-breeding-is-not-confined-to-externals-much-less-to-any/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [I still do find it very difficult in the West to connect to this politeness of smiling, not saying how you're thinking or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waris-dirie/i-still-do-find-it-very-difficult-in-the-west-to-connect-to-this/) [Waris Dirie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waris-dirie/) > [With hat in hand, one gets on in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berthold-auerbach/with-hat-in-hand-one-gets-on-in-the-world/) [Berthold Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berthold-auerbach/) > [To joke in the face of danger is the supreme politeness, a delicate refusal to cast oneself as a tragic hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/to-joke-in-the-face-of-danger-is-the-supreme-politeness-a-delicate/) [Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/) > [Adrian's face was the picture of perfect politeness and restraint, meaning something disastrous was about to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/adrian-s-face-was-the-picture-of-perfect-politeness-and-restraint/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“As the head of an expedition, you can't pussyfoot around being polite to everyone. You have to show your teeth once in a while;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/as-the-head-of-an-expedition-you-can-t-pussyfoot-around-being-polite/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [When I act tough they listen politely till the spasm passes. They know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-i-act-tough-they-listen-politely-till-the-spasm-passes-they-know/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doran/) > [The sight of the bare katana inspires everyone to a practically Nipponese level of politeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-sight-of-the-bare-katana-inspires-everyone-to-a-practically/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [There is a politeness of the heart; this is closely allied to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/there-is-a-politeness-of-the-heart-this-is-closely-allied-to-love/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) [Browse all 377 Politeness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politeness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Would you like a drink?” Politeness wins out over everything else I’d like to say. “No, thank you, Anastasia.” He smiles a dazzling, crooked smile, his head cocked slightly to one side. Well, I might need one.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E. L. James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-out-over-everything-else-i-d/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Politeness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-out-over-everything-else-i-d/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/e-l-james-2-17861_politeness_would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-o_2524923.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/e-l-james-2-17861_politeness_would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-o_2524923.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/e-l-james-2-17861_politeness_would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-o_2524923.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Would you like a drink?” Politeness wins out over everything else I’d like to say. “No, thank you…” — E. L. James", "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": "E. L. James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Would you like a drink?” Politeness...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-out-over-everything-else-i-d/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/would-you-like-a-drink-politeness-wins-out-over-everything-else-i-d/#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 } } ] } ```