By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
For this very reason the man is a knight in the drawing room, amiable but distinguished, making it understood that you don’t play around with him. The knight is serious. The knight is not a joker. He is habitually serious and kind, but he does not fool around and no one fools around with him. And people understand that he must be respected. He does not want more respect than he deserves; nor does he want less respect than he is worth. He keeps a keen eye on this line of respect; and the foot that crosses that line… even if it is a lady’s…he knows how to make a bow to her and then say something appropriate.
(Excerpt from a Chá of Tuesday, October 3, 1989.)
(Nobility.org translation.)
