Civility: George Washington's 110 Rules for Today by Steven Michael Selzer

With advice for handling conflict, managing stress, and promoting respect, this book is for anyone longing for a more civil world.

Rudeness. Crudeness. Thoughtlessness. Hostility. Uncivilized behavior is everywhere. We all recognize how much happier we’d be if the prevailing culture were a civil one. Sometimes, in order to move forward, we need to take a long look back. At the age of fourteen, George Washington wrote 110 guidelines to cultivate civility and orient himself toward others, which he called Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation. Some scholars say these rules may have been transcribed by Washington as a Jesuit school handwriting exercise, but in any event, Washington lived by these rules and carried them with him all of his life. In this book author Steven Selzer examines and expands on Washington’s rules, proving they’re still as necessary today as they were 250 years ago. With subjects ranging from media literacy to choosing friends to nail biting, the principles and proposals in Civility will enable readers to better handle interpersonal conflicts, conduct business, manage everyday stress with grace, and treat their fellow citizens with more respect.

BUY THE BOOK