---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There can be no defense like elaborate…"
description: "\"“There can be no defense like elaborate courtesy.' Edward Verrall Lucas.”\" — Susan Rieger"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/susan-rieger-44687_courtesy_there-can-be-no-defense-like-elaborate-c_2324107.jpg"
---

#  There can be no defense like elaborate courtesy.' Edward…

![“There can be no defense like elaborate courtesy.' Edward Verrall Lucas.” quote by Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/susan-rieger-44687_courtesy_there-can-be-no-defense-like-elaborate-c_2324107.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/susan-rieger-44687_courtesy_there-can-be-no-defense-like-elaborate-c_2324107.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/susan-rieger-44687_courtesy_there-can-be-no-defense-like-elaborate-c_2324107.jpg)

> ““There can be no defense like elaborate courtesy.' Edward Verrall Lucas.””

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Elaborate courtesy can serve as a strong defense in social interactions.

**In simple terms:** Polite behavior protects you.

Key Takeaway

Use refined manners to navigate conflict.

Themes

social skills courtesy defense

Mood

thoughtful practical

Type

social psychological

When to use this quote

- networking
- negotiation
- public speaking

Key Concepts

interpersonal communication conflict resolution

Questions to Reflect On

- When is courtesy insufficient?
- How can you balance honesty and politeness?

A Different Perspective

Politeness may be seen as insincere.

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[Courtesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courtesy/)

## Related quotes

> [“Finding no quotation on point, she improvised: "I've always found that elaborate courtesy makes most people behave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/finding-no-quotation-on-point-she-improvised-i-ve-always-found-that/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

> [There can be no defense like elaborate courtesy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-can-be-no-defense-like-elaborate-courtesy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There can be no defence like elaborate courtesy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-v-lucas/there-can-be-no-defence-like-elaborate-courtesy/)

[E. V. Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-v-lucas/)

> [They who sow courtesy reap friendship, and they who plant kindness gather love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/they-who-sow-courtesy-reap-friendship-and-they-who-plant-kindness/)

[Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/)

> [His courtesy was somewhat extravagant. He would write and thank people who wrote to thank him for wedding presents and when he encountered anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/his-courtesy-was-somewhat-extravagant-he-would-write-and-thank-people/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [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/)

> [Show some mercy to this chair which has stretched out its arms to you for so long; please satisfy its desire to embrace you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/show-some-mercy-to-this-chair-which-has-stretched-out-its-arms-to-you/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [“Out of all its squalor and human decay, its eruptions of butchery, India produced so many people of grace and beauty, ruled by elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/out-of-all-its-squalor-and-human-decay-its-eruptions-of-butchery/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The greater the man the greater the courtesy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/the-greater-the-man-the-greater-the-courtesy/)

[Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/)

> [“I would court you, with all the grace and courtesy that you deserve,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/i-would-court-you-with-all-the-grace-and-courtesy-that-you-deserve/)

[C.S. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/)

> [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/)

Miguel Cervantes

> [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Dullness is a courteous fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-mustafa/dullness-is-a-courteous-fear/)

[Mohammad MUSTAFA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-mustafa/)

> [Less of your courtesy and more of your purse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/less-of-your-courtesy-and-more-of-your-purse/)

Proverb

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

## More by Susan Rieger

> [“You don't think well of any of us, do you?" Harry said. "I'd die for you, for any one of you. Isn't that enough?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/you-don-t-think-well-of-any-of-us-do-you-harry-said-i-d-die-for-you/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

> [“Mothers are often a mystery to their children,” Eleanor said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/mothers-are-often-a-mystery-to-their-children-eleanor-said/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

> [“We make enemies, sometimes through no fault of our own, and sometimes our enemies become badges of honor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/we-make-enemies-sometimes-through-no-fault-of-our-own-and-sometimes/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

> [“I don't want anyone else but sometimes, surprisingly, there's someone, not the prettiest or the most available, but you know that in another life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/i-don-t-want-anyone-else-but-sometimes-surprisingly-there-s-someone/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

> [“Rupert walked toward the chapel, Lear’s curse ringing in his ears: “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is / To have a thankless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/rupert-walked-toward-the-chapel-lear-s-curse-ringing-in-his-ears-how/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

> [“I don’t have a sense of justice, only injustice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/i-don-t-have-a-sense-of-justice-only-injustice/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

> [“Finding no quotation on point, she improvised: "I've always found that elaborate courtesy makes most people behave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/finding-no-quotation-on-point-she-improvised-i-ve-always-found-that/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

> [“It’s the angle. You can’t see me from where you’re standing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rieger/it-s-the-angle-you-can-t-see-me-from-where-you-re-standing/)

[Susan Rieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

[Explore all 9 Susan Rieger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rieger/)

## More Courtesy quotes

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Less of your courtesy and more of your purse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/less-of-your-courtesy-and-more-of-your-purse/)

Proverb

> [Dullness is a courteous fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-mustafa/dullness-is-a-courteous-fear/)

[Mohammad MUSTAFA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-mustafa/)

> [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/)

Miguel Cervantes

> [“I would court you, with all the grace and courtesy that you deserve,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/i-would-court-you-with-all-the-grace-and-courtesy-that-you-deserve/)

[C.S. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/)

> [The greater the man the greater the courtesy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/the-greater-the-man-the-greater-the-courtesy/)

[Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/)

> [“Out of all its squalor and human decay, its eruptions of butchery, India produced so many people of grace and beauty, ruled by elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/out-of-all-its-squalor-and-human-decay-its-eruptions-of-butchery/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Show some mercy to this chair which has stretched out its arms to you for so long; please satisfy its desire to embrace you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/show-some-mercy-to-this-chair-which-has-stretched-out-its-arms-to-you/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [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/)

> [His courtesy was somewhat extravagant. He would write and thank people who wrote to thank him for wedding presents and when he encountered anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/his-courtesy-was-somewhat-extravagant-he-would-write-and-thank-people/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [They who sow courtesy reap friendship, and they who plant kindness gather love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/they-who-sow-courtesy-reap-friendship-and-they-who-plant-kindness/)

[Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/)

> [“If a lady offers you a kindness, you absolutely have to accept”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-wallingford/if-a-lady-offers-you-a-kindness-you-absolutely-have-to-accept/)

Maria Wallingford

> [though I be but the prince of Wales, yet I am king of courtesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/though-i-be-but-the-prince-of-wales-yet-i-am-king-of-courtesy/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Princes of courtesy, merciful, proud and strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-newbolt/princes-of-courtesy-merciful-proud-and-strong/)

[Henry Newbolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-newbolt/)

[Browse all 527 Courtesy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courtesy/)

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