In this February Literary Mood Board on The Ritual of Reading Podcast, I explore the art of good manners — not as a relic of the past, but as a foundation for modern freedom. Drawing on four books that shaped my thinking — The Downton Abbey Rules for Household Staff, Kazuo Ishiguro’s "The Remains of the Day", Baltasar Gracián’s "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" and Thackeray’s "Vanity Fair" — I reflect on how etiquette elevates character, cultivates dignity and shapes the way we inhabit the world together. From airport queues to quiet acts of consideration, this is a gentle manifesto for living with care, respect and humanity in our fractured age.READ ALONG WITH METhe Downton Abbey Rules for Household Staff : https://tidd.ly/49QcapoKazuo Ishiguro, "The Remains of the Day" : https://tidd.ly/45FyI9SBaltasar Gracián, "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" : https://tidd.ly/4aqHz1SWilliam Makepeace Thackeray, "Vanity Fair" : https://tidd.ly/3Mafu5wMy Policy on Affiliate Links : https://theritualofreading.com/affiliate-policy/CONNECT WITH MEWebsite: ⁠https://theritualofreading.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/ritual_of_reading/⁠ Substack: ⁠https://theritualofreading.substack.com⁠ Pinterest: ⁠https://fr.pinterest.com/ritual_of_reading/⁠ SUPPORT MY WORKIf you value this free content, you can support me on Ko-Fi. Every contribution makes it possible to continue sharing these literary reflections.https://ko-fi.com/theritualofreading