The Issue of 'Civility' in a Society
Who said, "Civility costs nothing and buys everything"?
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an 18th-century English aristocrat and writer, wrote this in a letter to her daughter, Lady Bute, on May 30, 1756.
"Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was renowned for her sharp wit, progressive views on women and society, and an immense love for literature."
"Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's extensive correspondence and writings yielded numerous celebrated reflections. On the enduring value of literature, she famously remarked that reading offers unmatched, lasting pleasure and restores quiet to troubled minds. Her observations on human nature highlighted personal irony, the pitfalls of general notions, the necessity of self-contentment, and the foolishness often accompanying perceived wisdom.
Furthermore, her sharp social wit is captured in aphorisms on brevity in life, the precision of satire, and her humorous perspective on womanhood and marriage. True to her adventurous spirit, her reported last words before her death in 1762 were, "It's all been very interesting." "
Learn more about her and her role as a British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which inspired her more famous literary works (known as The Turkish Embassy Letters, 1716-1718), as well as her important "pioneering role in introducing smallpox inoculation to Western medicine".
Consider how her experiences and insights mirror life experiences in our "modern times", and the importance of her quote Civility costs nothing, and buys everything considering her important (elite) role in that 18th Century society.
~ NWC Staff posting, with Google AI research assistance.