Who said “There can be no defence like elaborate courtesy.”?

Verified

E. V. Lucas. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceReading, Writing and Remembering (1932), ch. 8

Find Reading, Writing and Remembering on Amazon · paid link

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Reading, Writing and Remembering (1932), ch. 8.

APA

Lucas, E. V. (n.d.). There can be no defence like elaborate courtesy. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/11980-there-can-be-no-defence-like-elaborate-courtesy/

MLA

Lucas, E. V. “There can be no defence like elaborate courtesy.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/11980-there-can-be-no-defence-like-elaborate-courtesy/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Lucas, E. V. “There can be no defence like elaborate courtesy.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/11980-there-can-be-no-defence-like-elaborate-courtesy/.

Related quotes

“His courtesy was somewhat extravagant. He would write and thank people who wrote to thank him for wedding presents and when he encountered anyone as punctilious as himself the correspondence ended only with death.”
— Evelyn Waugh
Verified'Fan-Fare', Life (8 April 1946), p. 53 · evidenceDetails & citeCourtesy

More quotes by E. V. Lucas

“I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them.”
VerifiedThe Phantom Journal (1919), "Punctuality", p. 32 · evidenceDetails & citeTardiness
All 3 E. V. Lucas quotes →