海角大神

7 ancient tips to good behavior, straight from the sage Erasmus

7 ancient tips to good behavior, straight from the sage Erasmus and his compatriots, the esteemed Francis Bacon, Sydney Smith and Lord Chesterfield, as recommended by our resident happiness expert.

This Thursday:聽8 tips for how to behave yourself, from sixteenth-century scholar Erasmus.

One thing is true about happiness: there are very few new truths out there. The greatest minds in history have turned their attention to the subject, so while it鈥檚 often challenging to put that wisdom into actual practice, it鈥檚 pretty clear what kinds of actions are likely to yield a happier life.

Likewise, 鈥渢ips lists鈥� have been around for a long time. I get a big kick out of uncovering tips lists from the past:聽 Sydney Smith鈥檚聽tips for cheering yourself up聽from 1820, Francis Bacon鈥檚聽tips for how to be happy聽from 1625, Lord Chesterfield鈥檚聽tips for pleasing in society聽from 1774.

In聽De Civilitate Morum Puerilium Libellus: A Handbook on Good Manners for Children, Erasmus gave seven tips about how to behave yourself around other people. He wrote this list around 1500 A.D., and his advice has a long shelf life.

According to Erasmus, you should not 鈥�
1. gossip
2. tell unkind stories
3. boast
4. indulge in self-display
5. seek to defeat others in argument
6. interrupt people when they tell a story
7. be too inquisitive

What would you add to your own list? For myself, I need to add:

8. don鈥檛 鈥渢op鈥� (meaning, don鈥檛 say things like, 鈥淲ow, you think that was bad, wait until you hear what happened to聽尘别鈥�)

9. don鈥檛 keep bringing the conversation around to your favorite topics if other people don鈥檛 seem as obsessively interested in them as you are.

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