The HPG standard
Consideration before performance.
Rules matter because they reduce uncertainty. Principles matter because no rulebook can cover every culture, room, or mistake. A gentleman studies both. He arrives prepared, observes before assuming, uses names correctly, respects time, gives attention, understands the host's signals, handles errors quietly, and follows through.
Class is not domination, expense, or affected refinement. It is restraint under pressure, courtesy without servility, confidence without entitlement, and the ability to make people of every station feel that their dignity is intact.
Consider others
Notice what your timing, phone, volume, appetite, language, and demands require from the room.
Respect context
Learn the host, hierarchy, culture, dress, timing, and purpose before importing your own habits.
Protect dignity
Correct privately, introduce generously, include the isolated person, and never use knowledge of etiquette to humiliate.
Repair cleanly
Acknowledge the mistake, apologize without theater, solve what can be solved, and move forward.