Courtesy comes from old French 'courteis' (12th century) and is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the gentry was compiled in courtesy books. One of the most influential of these was Il Cortegiano (The Courtier) which not only covered basic etiquette and decorum but also provided models of sophisticated conversation and intellectual skill.
In medieval India too, nobility and royalty were expected to display courteous behaviour. The concept was described by the Sanskrit word, daksinya, which meant "kindness and consideration expressed in a sophisticated and elegant way".
Famous quotes containing the word courtesy:
“My generation of radicals and breakers-down never found anything to take the place of the old virtues of work and courage and the old graces of courtesy and politeness.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)
“When courtesy fails, be nasty, brutish, and short.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking. I could well wish courtesy would invent some other custom of entertainment.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)