--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lady never asks a gentleman to dance…" description: "\"A lady never asks a gentleman to dance, or to go to supper with her.\" — Emily Post" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/emily-post-9638_asks_a-lady-never-asks-a-gentleman-to-dance-o_2119473.png" --- # A lady never asks a gentleman to dance, or to go to supper… ![“A lady never asks a gentleman to dance, or to go to supper with her.” quote by Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/emily-post-9638_asks_a-lady-never-asks-a-gentleman-to-dance-o_2119473.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/emily-post-9638_asks_a-lady-never-asks-a-gentleman-to-dance-o_2119473.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/emily-post-9638_asks_a-lady-never-asks-a-gentleman-to-dance-o_2119473.png) > “A lady never asks a gentleman to dance, or to go to supper with her.” [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Traditional etiquette expects women to be passive in initiating social interactions. **In simple terms:** Women traditionally wait to be asked. Key Takeaway Encourage mutual initiative in social settings. Themes gender roles etiquette social norms Mood progressive formal Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - dating - networking - formal events Key Concepts feminist theory social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How can etiquette evolve with gender equality? - What are inclusive ways to invite someone? A Different Perspective Modern norms reject passive expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dance Supper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance-supper-4316146/) [Gentleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentleman/) [Gentleman Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentleman-dance-1667634/) [Lady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lady/) [Supper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supper/) ## Related quotes > [It is a truth universally acknowledge that there will always be a gentleman to dance with, except at just the moment when you require…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-godbersen/it-is-a-truth-universally-acknowledge-that-there-will-always-be-a/) [Anna Godbersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-godbersen/) > [A lady is a woman who makes a man behave like a gentleman. You're such a lady to me.Losing you will feel like holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crosby-kwaw/a-lady-is-a-woman-who-makes-a-man-behave-like-a-gentleman-you-re-such/) [Crosby Kwaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crosby-kwaw/) > [No gentleman ever discusses any relationship with a lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/no-gentleman-ever-discusses-any-relationship-with-a-lady/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [A gentleman makes no noise; a lady is serene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-gentleman-makes-no-noise-a-lady-is-serene/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Starch makes the gentleman, etiquette the lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-brummell/starch-makes-the-gentleman-etiquette-the-lady/) [Beau Brummell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-brummell/) > [She's an old lady and she's ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it's your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/she-s-an-old-lady-and-she-s-ill-you-just-hold-your-head-high-and-be-a/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [He's no kind of gentleman. That's all right. I'm no kind of lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-kittredge/he-s-no-kind-of-gentleman-that-s-all-right-i-m-no-kind-of-lady/) [Caitlin Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-kittredge/) > [Baby u should be a lady because I'm a a gentleman also a hero :p](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hero/baby-u-should-be-a-lady-because-i-m-a-a-gentleman-also-a-hero-p/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hero/) > [A true gentleman never leaves his lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-del-piero/a-true-gentleman-never-leaves-his-lady/) [Alessandro Del Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-del-piero/) > [Excepting a religious ceremonial, there is no occasion where greater dignity of manner is required of ladies and gentlemen both, than in occupying a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/excepting-a-religious-ceremonial-there-is-no-occasion-where-greater/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [I loved 'Funny Lady' for whatever reason. 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Whenever I ask this question I immediately remember the character of those that partook of the Last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-witherington-iii/is-the-lord-s-supper-only-for-christians-whenever-i-ask-this-question/) [Ben Witherington III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-witherington-iii/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) ## More by Emily Post > [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/) > [Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/manners-are-a-sensitive-awareness-of-the-feelings-of-others-if-you/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [An overdose of praise is like 10 lumps of sugar in coffee; only a very few people can swallow it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/an-overdose-of-praise-is-like-10-lumps-of-sugar-in-coffee-only-a-very/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [“Persons under the shock of genuine affliction are not only upset mentally but are all unbalanced physically. No matter how calm and controlled they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/persons-under-the-shock-of-genuine-affliction-are-not-only-upset/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [A little praise is not only merest justice but is beyond the purse of no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/a-little-praise-is-not-only-merest-justice-but-is-beyond-the-purse-of/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [To make a pleasant and friendly impression is not only good manners, but equally good business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/to-make-a-pleasant-and-friendly-impression-is-not-only-good-manners/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [Manners are made up of trivialities of deportment which can be easily learned if one does not happen to know them; manner is personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/manners-are-made-up-of-trivialities-of-deportment-which-can-be-easily/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [Training a child is exactly like training a puppy; a little heedless inattention and it is out of hand immediately; the great thing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/training-a-child-is-exactly-like-training-a-puppy-a-little-heedless/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [One very great annoyance in open air gatherings is cigar smoke when blown directly in one's face or worse yet the smoke from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/one-very-great-annoyance-in-open-air-gatherings-is-cigar-smoke-when/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [Excepting a religious ceremonial, there is no occasion where greater dignity of manner is required of ladies and gentlemen both, than in occupying a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/excepting-a-religious-ceremonial-there-is-no-occasion-where-greater/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [“The most advertised commodity is not always intrinsically the best; but is sometimes merely the product of a company, with plenty of money to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/the-most-advertised-commodity-is-not-always-intrinsically-the-best/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [She must not swing her arms as though they were dangling ropes; she must not switch herself this way and that; she must not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/she-must-not-swing-her-arms-as-though-they-were-dangling-ropes-she/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [To be a good sportsman, one must be a stoic and never show rancor in defeat, or triumph in victory, or irritation, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/to-be-a-good-sportsman-one-must-be-a-stoic-and-never-show-rancor-in/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [Houses without personality are a series of walled enclosures with furniture standing around in them. Other houses are filled with things of little intrinsic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/houses-without-personality-are-a-series-of-walled-enclosures-with/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [Manners are made up of trivialities of deportment which can be easily learned if one does not happen to know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/manners-are-made-up-of-trivialities-of-deportment-which-can-be-easily-2/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) [Explore all 71 Emily Post quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. 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