Tuesday, November 15, 2005

The True Gentleman

The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others rather than his own; and who appears well in any company; a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe.

- John Walter Wayland

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It's a little something I took back with me when I left Memphis. I strive to live up to these ideals and standards each day...with every word I utter and every action I take. I seem to fall short way too often. Fond memories are associated with this single sentence.

13 comments:

Jimmy said...

Good! Don't settle. :o)

Thanks! I'm coming back...albeit slowly.

EverlastingKnowItAll said...

Also of note, that's the longest sentence in the history of the world. Behold, the power of the semi-colon!

It does have a good message, that's for darn sure.

Jimmy said...

pandora: I'm kinda partial to it. I had to memorize it back in the day and recite it (word for word) in front of a relatively large group of guys. Miss a word and you had to do it all over again the next week. Sounds easy, right? :o)

ever: haha! Very true. I dig it. It really stuck with me over the years.

flea said...

huh, if only there were more of you out there....

i think all men should be brainwashed with this. we may be onto something here....

Jimmy said...

~h~: Like I said, I fall short often and I am by no means perfect but thank you.

Brainwashed? haha! :o) We just need old-school parents who instill these types of values into their children. I count myself lucky to have parents like that.

The great thing about this quote is that it can be applied to any situation and spans all walks of life.

Jimmy said...

blondie: I concur. It's just for guys though. Women have to find their own quote to live by. Kidding! :o) I'll share.

M said...

sounds like the perfect man....

wish all men could try to live by that!!! :-)

how are you???

Jimmy said...

manda: The world would go round a lot better if we did.

I'm well...busy as all get up...but well nonetheless. I'm trying to play catch-up. Hope things are also well in your neck of the woods.

Aisha T. said...

And they say gentlemen are a dying breed. What do THEY know? Hehehehe....thanks for stopping in.

Mara said...

I think just TRYING to live up to those standards is admirable. But I do wonder... what do you do when you're not rescuing damsels from towers and kittens from trees LOL.

::smooches::
Mara

Jimmy said...

aisha t.: naaaah, they're out there! :o) Splendid site by the way!

awaterpixie: I agree...it's no small feat, fo' sho'. HAHA! Read today's post! Bible in hand, I go to every gentleman's club I can. Just doing my part as any good Catholic boy would.

Oh So Wonderful said...

Interesting...I can name five guys like that and 3 of them are dead (and I've never met) so, yeah...true gentlemen are a rare, possibly, dying breed...

Jimmy said...

oh so wonderful: They're still out here. I wish I was half the man my father is. In time, maybe.