George Washington as a young man kept a book in which he wrote down rules of civility. It is said he carried this book his whole life and added to it from time to time.
They are actually very observant of human nature and the mark of a refined individual.
Today many of these rules sound silly. It is easy to dismiss them as old fashioned and irrelevant, however, they are relevant in principle. For they all have in common a focus on other people rather than the narrow focus of our own self-interests that we find so prevalent today.
True etiquette is more than just manners. Manners is graciousness, it is the small sacrifices that we should all be willing to make for the good of society and the art of working together.
Manners show our respect for others and in turn allow us to developself-respect and true self-esteem.