Is it possible to be too polite?

I ahve read in another thread, that a poster was told they were too polite.

Is that even possible? Should one be rude on occasion?

IN germany we have the saying: Auf einen groben Klotz einen groben Keil (A rough wedge belongs to a rough block).
I peronnally think one can be clear and direct without being impolite.

Yes, when driving for example. Sometimes you have to try and push your way in and it’s not always wise to give way to everybody.

@drewnogal said
Yes, when driving for example. Sometimes you have to try and push your way in and it’s not always wise to give way to everybody.

What does it mean to be 'too' polite? Politeness is a quality of character, but can it also be quantified?

@pettytalk said
What does it mean to be 'too' polite? Politeness is a quality of character, but can it also be quantified?

My personal experience of Germany, it's probably not possible for them (cologne) to be too polite, in fact polite was at times a stretch. Sicily is even worse. But yes, I think it's possible to be too polite, sometimes you need to be a bit direct in certain circumstances or with certain people.

@a-unique-nickname said
My personal experience of Germany, it's probably not possible for them (cologne) to be too polite, in fact polite was at times a stretch. Sicily is even worse. But yes, I think it's possible to be too polite, sometimes you need to be a bit direct in certain circumstances or with certain people.

@ponderable said
I ahve read in another thread, that a poster was told they were too polite.

Is that even possible? Should one be rude on occasion?

IN germany we have the saying: Auf einen groben Klotz einen groben Keil (A rough wedge belongs to a rough block).
I peronnally think one can be clear and direct without being impolite.

I can not re-call anyone accusing me of being too polite. 🙂

-VR

@Ghost-of-a-Duke said
I think it was more a case of being 'unnecessarily polite' rather than exceeding a quota of politeness.

@David-Burton said
as a white van man of 40 years plus there was a code of conduct observed by most van drivers to give way to 1 vehicle at a time,in effect it helped everyone because it kept the traffic moving.

@moonbus said
In Germany, this is not politeness; it is the law: where two lanes of traffic merge down to one, drivers are required to follow the 'zipper principle.' There are sometimes signs posted with a diagram illustrating this (for the benefit of French drivers who may have strayed have over the Rhine onto the German side).

@a-unique-nickname said
My personal experience of Germany, it's probably not possible for them (cologne) to be too polite, in fact polite was at times a stretch. Sicily is even worse. But yes, I think it's possible to be too polite, sometimes you need to be a bit direct in certain circumstances or with certain people.

Showing good manners and respect for the feelings of others is a social norm which can be termed as being, polite. For instance, if you have a seat on a bus and there are others standing, it would be a sign of politeness in offering your seat to one of those standing who may need to be seated more than you. In this case one cannot be too polite since one has only one seat to politely offer.

Should politeness take a backseat to truth? Depending on circumstances, perhaps being too polite is actually impolite. As they say, sometimes truth hurts. But they also say that the truth will set you free.

@pettytalk said
You are personally stereotyping geographical areas. That's not polite, nor is it a fair and accurate assessment based on polls. One should never say everyone in Ireland is a drunkard, and that every Irishman outside of Ireland becomes even more of a drunkard.