Comments on: Manvotional: Lord Chesterfield on the Art of Gentlemanly Conversation

By: The Gentleman of Gentlemen Lord Chesterfield « Author's Notes- a Blog by Emery Lee

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 05:50:59 +0000

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By: Wesley Hawkins

Wesley Hawkins — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:14:18 +0000

@Editor at Large
He could have done a whole lot worse by his son, wouldn’t you say? Illegitimate or not, a father that takes the time trying to develop his son not only into a man, but into a better one than himself is a practice that plenty of modern-day fathers would do well to emulate.

By: Editor at Large

Editor at Large — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:26:06 +0000

Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield was an English statesman who wrote a series of letters to his illegitimate son about being a gentleman. Often preached, rarely practiced.

By: John

John — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:17:39 +0000

Wow, the more I read this blog the more I wonder how I’ve made it this far in life and managed to keep any friends at all. Now I understand why people don’t seem to enjoy my stories, despite how absolutely fascinating they truly are.

@TDSteve — I’m guessing he’s referring specifically to stories that take more than a few quick sentences to tell. Even “short” stories could usually be improved by a little editing for brevity.

Which reminds me… has anyone else noticed how many “eyewitness accounts” on the news these days are about 75% “And I looked over, and I thought, ‘What the heck?’ and he looked at me and said, ‘What was that?’ and I sat there and I looked at him and I said, ‘I don’t know!’ and we looked, and we both sat there for a minute and then he looked, and he said, ‘I wonder what it was?’ and I sat there and I looked at him…” Rivetting.

By: Gabriel Austin

Gabriel Austin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:42:27 +0000

Sam Johnson referred to Chesterfiled’s Letters as inculcating the manners of a dancing master, and the morals of a whore.

By: Skyler

Skyler — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:14:42 +0000

@James - Thank you very much for the Gutenberg link!

By: James

James — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:58:54 +0000

http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/c#a1187

Project Gutenberg’s collection of these letters.

By: TDSteve

TDSteve — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:12:52 +0000

I’m really liking it, but I know plenty of people that like to hear and tell stories. What is most conversation if not a stringing together of stories?

By: RealMan

RealMan — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:36:54 +0000

Stonewall Jackson was influenced very much so by the Letters of Lord Chesterfield. I read a book about Jackson’s maxims concerning life a few years ago and decided to get a copy of Chesterfield’s letters. I highly recommend that every young man read it at least 4 times before being set out into the world.

By: Bob Iger

Bob Iger — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 11:12:48 +0000

Let me rephrase that, I know a number of men, myself included.