Discerning the difference between obsequiousness and politeness can be difficult for casual visitors
Discerning the difference between obsequiousness and politeness can be difficult for casual visitors to Japan, but for a true man, courtesy is rooted in benevolence: Courtesy and good manners have been noticed by every foreign tourist as distinctive Japanese traits. But Politeness should be the expression of a benevolent regard for the feelings of others; “it’s a poor virtue if it’s motivated only by a fear of offending good taste. In its highest form Politeness approaches love.” “By constant exercise in correct manners, one brings all the parts and faculties of his body into perfect order and into such harmony with itself and its environment as to express the mastery of spirit over the flesh.” -- source link
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