Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation

by George Washington

Copied out by hand as a young man aspiring to the status of gentleman, George Washington’s 110 rules were based on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595. The rules as Washington wrote them out are a simplified version.

But however much he may have simplified them, these precepts had a strong influence on Washington, who aimed to always live by them. They are an excellent foundation for training in Christian civility and respect in any family.