7 Tips for Good Behavior–from the 16th Century

Gretchen Rubin

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's often challenging to put that wisdom into actual practice, it's pretty clear what kinds of actions are likely to yield a happier life.

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

In 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…
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't "top" (meaning, don't say things like, "Wow, you think that was bad, wait until you hear what happened to me")

9. don't keep bringing the conversation around to your favorite topics if other people don't seem as obsessively interested in them as you are.

How about you?

Also ...

  • A thoughtful reader sent me a link to the Google Art Project. If you'd like to get an art fix in the middle of your workday, check it out.

  • Do you love quotes? Sign up for the Moment of Happiness to get a happiness quote by email, every morning.