Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct
    Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct
    Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct
    Audiobook5 hours

    Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct

    Written by P. M. Forni

    Narrated by David Drummond

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Most people would agree that thoughtful behavior and common decency are
    in short supply, or simply forgotten in hurried lives of emails,
    cellphones, and multi-tasking. In Choosing Civility, P. M. Forni
    identifies the twenty-five rules that are most essential in connecting
    effectively and happily with others. In clear, witty, and,
    well...civilized language, Forni covers topics that include: Think Twice Before Asking FavorsGive Constructive CriticismRefrain from Idle ComplaintsRespect Others' OpinionsDon't Shift Responsibility and BlameCare for Your Guests Accept and Give PraiseFinally,
    Forni provides examples of how to put each rule into practice and so
    make life-and the lives of others-more enjoyable, companionable, and
    rewarding.Choosing Civility is a simple, practical, perfectly measured, and quietly magical handbook on the lost art of civility and compassion.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 5, 2011
    ISBN9781452675114
    Author

    P. M. Forni

    Dr. P.M. Forni (1951-2018) was an award-winning professor of Italian Literature at Johns Hopkins University. In 2000 he founded The Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins and taught courses on the theory and history of manners. He is the author of Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct (2002), The Civility Solution: What to Do When People Are Rude (2008) and The Thinking Life: How to Thrive in the Age of Distraction (2011). Reports on his work have appeared on The New York Times, The Times of London, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Los Angeles Times. He has been a on a number of radio and television shows, including ABC's World News Tonight, CBS Sunday Morning and BBC's Outlook. He lived in Baltimore, Maryland.

    Related to Choosing Civility

    Related audiobooks

    Reference For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Ordinary Made Sublime

      Jan 13, 2022

      The Ordinary Made Sublime
      5 min read

    • Article

      Always Different, Always the Same

      Feb 22, 2022

      The superb science journalist Sharon Begley, who wrote a regular column for Mindful until her untimely death in early 2021, was fond of studies of personality: the different types, how much they’re influenced by our environment and our relationships,

      9 min read

    • Article

      Kindness - The Key To A Meaningful Life

      Jul 17, 2022

      Whenever we confront a question as big as, “What gives a life meaning?”, the best place to start is usually with a reminder of what it means to be human. We are members of a social species. We need families, friends, neighbours, communities to sustai

      4 min read

    • Article

      Teen Journaling

      Aug 20, 2021

      Teen Journaling
      3 min read

    • Article

      We Are The Meaning Makers

      Mar 17, 2021

      Like a satin bowerbird gathering sticks, feathers, buttons and pegs for its beguiling blue mess of a bower, I have built a meaningful life from the materials around me. Year by year I have accumulated reasons for being. In my teens and twenties, I ma

      5 min read

    • Article

      Can You Change Who You Are?

      Oct 28, 2019

      In the last decade of his life my Canadian father-in-law became so averse to change that he would not contemplate moving a piece of furniture from one side of the room to the other. I know that elderly people can get this way – stubborn, fixed – but

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Mother Of All Compassion

      Jun 16, 2022

      The Mother Of All Compassion
      4 min read

    • Article

      How To Start A Kindness Revolution

      Apr 21, 2021

      How To Start A Kindness Revolution
      4 min read

    • Article

      Love Is Already Yours

      Dec 13, 2022

      Love Is Already Yours
      8 min read

    • Article

      Vex King

      Mar 3, 2021

      Vex King
      2 min read

    • Article

      School Of Life

      Nov 23, 2023

      School Of Life
      19 min read

    • Article

      Can I Learn To Love Myself?

      Apr 2, 2023

      Can I Learn To Love Myself?
      7 min read

    • Article

      Beyond The Binary

      May 24, 2023

      Beyond The Binary
      5 min read

    • Article

      All Well And Good

      Jan 6, 2023

      All Well And Good
      10 min read

    • Article

      Bookmark This read…listen…stream

      Apr 1, 2020

      How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage Kelly McGonigal, PhD • Avery McGonigal’s thesis is simple—as humans, we are hardwired for movement. She builds her case through a wide-ranging survey of scientific studies, interview

      7 min read

    • Article

      Surviving Storms: A Q&A from the Heart with Mark Nepo

      Sep 5, 2022

      Estimated reading time: 7 minutes — I am excited to share that my new book, Surviving Storms: Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity, will be published this September by St. Martin’s Essentials. It is a book that has taken three years to retrieve an

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Making Of A Man

      Jun 5, 2022

      The Making Of A Man
      16 min read

    • Article

      12 Soul-mending Questions

      Oct 10, 2018

      12 Soul-mending Questions
      9 min read

    • Article

      Monk Rock

      Mar 6, 2022

      Monk Rock
      12 min read

    • Article

      Elizabeth Day Confessions Of A Friendship Addict!

      Nov 20, 2023

      What is the secret to being a good friend? And how many friends should we have? Acclaimed author, journalist and podcaster Elizabeth Day, 45, became addicted to friendship in a way that started to impact her physical and psychological health. It wasn

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Choosing Civility

    3.5/5

    52 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      I just finished reading Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct (Paperback) by P.M. Forni. The book does make some good suggestions and gives its share of good advice. For example, back in a rough patch in my life back in 1977 I embarrassed one of my now close friends with a series of somewhat questionable messages left with other Stanford summer students left to people who answered the payphone in the lobby of his summer dormitory. Notwithstanding this embarrassment, when he returned to the New York area he took the chance of setting me up in a part-time job he had held earlier that summer. Some of the tips he provided on getting along in the work setting were almost verbatim the tips given in this book. He could not have gotten the tips from the book since it wasn't written until 23 years or more later. I picked up this book while browsing the overstock at a small bookstore in Vermont. I finally got sick of looking at it on my shelf and started reading it, in installments, while reading other books.

      There are several reasons, however, I give this book only two stars on Goodreads.com. As I pointed out above, many of the tips could be offered by a reasonably intelligent and articulate 20 year old. The book seems almost a compendium of those. Also, the book would have been exhausting and not too interesting to read, cover to cover. All the same, I suppose, it is a handy advice reference in certain circumstances. This book was not one of the highlights of my somewhat extensive reading.
    • 2/5
      The author provides a list of recommended behaviors for civility. I found this fairly useless in that it is preachy not much more than behavior norms and obvious faux pas. There is not much here.
    • 4/5
      Very readable, thought-provoking book about courtesy, politeness, civility, whatever you want to call it. What I liked: It tried to find a balance between paying attention to/respecting the needs of yourself and paying attention to/respecting the needs of others. Being civil doesn't just mean accommodating the requests of others, it also means recognizing your own boundaries and expressing your needs (politely). Basically, be mindful of yourself and the world around you, whether in terms of making noise, making apologies, accepting blame, or caring for animals. It's not just about making the world a more comfortable place, but about making yourself a better person.What I had problems with: Sometimes the rule-based nature was a bit off-putting. I would have liked it more if it had dwelt more on the personal benefits of engaging in civil behavior.
    • 5/5
      Forni doesn't teach us anything new here. Don't say ill will about others. Be mindful of the noise you make. Wear clean clothing. Yet these 25 rules are constantly overlooked by us all in daily life and this book serves as the gentle reminder that we need in order to make this world a better place.One of my new years resolutions was to make an even more considerable effort of being kind to others. This book has become one of my bibles. I will carry it until it with me until it's ragged and torn. Civility has become absent from our subconscious and we need reminders like these to counsel us along in our journeys. Not only is this a self-help book for our world, but a self-help book for our lives. We are social beings and our happiness is affected by how we coexist with others. Taking the first step and showing utmost respect towards others will improve our relationships and consequently, our own lives.
    • 4/5
      Forni is European and it shows. He comes from a culture where respect for people is assumed. America disappoints him now and then. He wants to help America.I need to practice these twenty-five things. If I practiced just these twenty-five things, I would be a much better person. So what are they? Let me list them to remind myself:1.Pay attention2.Acknowledge others3.Think the best4.Listen5.Be inclusive6.Speak kindly7.Don’t speak ill8.Accept and give praise9.Respect even a subtle “no”10.Respect others’ opinions11.Mind your body12.Be agreeable13.Keep it down (and rediscover silence)…most difficult for me14.Respect other people’s time15.Respect other people’s space16.Apologize earnestly and thoughtfully17.Assert yourself18.Avoid personal questions19.Care for your guests20.Be a considerate guest21.Think twice before asking for favors22.Refrain from idle complaints23.Give constructive criticism24.Respect the environment and be gentle to animals25.Don’t shift responsibility and blameThat’s it. I can do these them. I will start now.
    • 4/5
      A small book thoughtfully written in easy to digest chapters. A wonderful reference to use when addressing civility issues with children, although not written for that purpose.