Just as no chain is stronger than its weakest link, no manners can be expected to stand a strain beyond their daily test at home, work and play. Etiquette, remember, is merely a collection of forms by which all personal contacts in life are made smooth. The necessity for a "rough" man to become polished so that he may meet men of cultivation on an equal footing is the hallmark of conscious and deliberate behavior.
By definition: to be pretentious is to act expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature. In short; to reach above and beyond ones grasp.
For those that put on airs and stretch in that manner suffer ultimately by positioning themselves to fall. From their extended desires and ambiguous beliefs instability occurs and is recognized by those in the know. So how does ambition, desire and longing become acceptable means of elevating oneself to a higher status?
It is when honing, skill and inspiration become your guiding influence, then and only then can an individual navigate freely through the ranks. It is said that “Polished Brass will pass through the hands of more men than Rough Gold”. This adage echoes the sentiment that acts of gratitude (the inherent mark in each new beginning) and civilized demeanor provide for the smooth passage way of ascension and acceptance.
Upwardly Mannered
Your Starting Place for Social, Political and Economic Advancement
