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It is wonderful how a gentle and amiable heart can win others. -St. Francis de Sales If you trace the word back far enough, you’ll find that the word “courtesy” comes from two Latin words meaning “with a garden” (cum hortus). From there it came to mean the enclosed place around a building, and from there the building (or “court”) itself, and from there the behavior of the court. Besides an interesting lesson in etymology, this gives a lead as to how to …

Courtesy isn’t so much a virtue in itself as a way of living other virtues. It shapes how a particular virtue is practiced in a social setting. Here are seven virtues needed if we are to be courteous. Humility. Suffice it to say that humility is the truth about who we are. The truth is that we are all children of God, and we are all sinners. You can’t be courteous if you are preoccupied with yourself, your rights, the impression you make, or what others will say about you. You can& …