Quotes about tact

Tact by its nature entails staying mum, prudently electing to forgo urging other people to pursue an alternative course of action. Creation of silent spaces in our own life and equitable distribution of periods of respite that allow for periods of equable inner reflection is necessary to spur personal growth. It is equally important to honor other people’s intrinsic need for periods of introspection, uninterrupted by unsolicited advice

If you don’t find the right set of eyes to see through your bull, you will always be surrounded by friends that will tell you white lies because they like your company and don’t want to ruin the evening.

Often people that tell others they are "extremely polite" when the situation calls for tact and bluntness are not actually polite people. Instead, they hide behind the word “polite” because they have low self esteem or hidden agendas. Sadly, they impolitely confuse the hell out of everyone, send mixed signals, which then makes people question their sanity and motives.

...[F]rom me you shall hear the whole truth; not, I can assure you, gentlemen, in flowery language... decked out with fine words and phrases; no, what you will hear will be a straightforward speech in the first words that occur to me, confident as I am in the justice of my cause; and I do not want any of you to expect anything different.

Dr. Cox: Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present, Man Not Caring.[points to self]

[She] had the indefinable charm of someone who said little but thought much. Miss Prim had always felt that such people were at a marked advantage. They never said anything tactless, never spouted nonsense, never had cause to regret their words or justify themselves.

Tact: the ability to describe others as they see themselves.

A timid question will always receive a confident answer.

"Let us agree not to step on each other's feet " said the cock to the horse.

If a person has no delicacy he has you in his power.

Tact is the intelligence of the heart.

Silence is not always tact and it is tact that is golden not silence.

Diplomats are useful only in fair weather. As soon as it rains they drown in every drop.

A distinguished diplomat could hold his tongue in ten languages.

Negotiation in the classic diplomatic sense assumes parties more anxious to agree than to disagree.

Diplomacy the art of saying 'nice doggie' till you can find a rock.

If any pilgrim monk come from distant parts with wish as a guest to dwell in the monastery and will be content with the customs which he finds in the place and does not perchance by his lavishness disturb the monastery but is simply content with what he finds he shall be received for as long as he desires. If indeed he find fault with anything or expose it reasonably and with the humility of charity the Abbott shall discuss it prudently lest perchance God had sent him for this very th

An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.

Women and foxes being weak are distinguished by superior tact.

Without tact you can learn nothing.

To have the reputation of possessing the most perfect social tact talk to every woman as if you loved her and to every man as if he bored you.

In any case, I hadn’t gone into the subject of dorm living too deeply with him, not because I hesitated to probe his tender spots but because I would have been probing my own. This is called tact, and is reputed to be a virtue.

The sea is a lonely and hostile place, Captain,' Jansen said coldly. 'It is always best not to make enemies of those who might be your friends. You never know when your ships may cross

In this slipshod age, we need object lessons in language and thought. – Edith Wharton on an address by John Hay

Being popular doesn’t always win spiritual change. Christ didn’t pour out the coins of the moneychangers and overturn their tables with any degree of manners when he cleansed the temple. His harshness drew a point—to make people realize how much better they could become.

Arrogance, disrespect and demand have higher price.Kindness, respect and tact give better prize.

Never start a sentence with the words 'No offense.

I am convinced that I never wrong anyone intentionally...

Tact is the knack of keeping quiet at the right time of being so agreeable yourself that no one can be disagreeable to you of making inferiority feel like equality. A tactful man can pull the stinger from a bee without getting stung.

...[S]ome of the opinions which people entertain should be respected, and others should not.

A positive is just two negatives going in two different directions. So, if something doesn't work, change tact, and come at it from a different direction. You never know, it may just work.That's being positive for ya!

I'm accustomed to reading Georgian and Victorian letters and sometimes you simply know in your gut that a blithe sentence is covering up a deeper emotion.

I never say the things I really want to. If I did, I'd have no friends.

Only a writer "with Bennett's craft and brass could manage to praise and insult his readers at the same time.

Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.

Tact is an ability to live in the midst of ugliness without getting ugly.

I hate the way, once you start to know someone, care about them, their behavior can distress you, even when it's unreasonable and not your fault, even if you were really trying to be careful, tactful.