THE GENTLEMAN

The Gentleman.
1. Who is a gentleman? A well-mannered and considerate man
with high standards of proper behaviour.
2. Who is a gentleman? A man regarded as having qualities of
refinement associated with a good family.
3. Who is a gentleman? A man who is cultured, courteous, and
well-educated.
4. Who is a gentleman? A civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-
mannered man.
5. Who is a gentleman? A man who never inflicts pain on another
person.
6. Who is a gentleman? A gentleman is one who personifies
grooming, etiquette, and culture. He is respectful, mild mannered,
and courteous to all he meets.
7. The gentleman does not compel a lady to stay one minute
longer than she intends to even if she is his girlfriend. The
gentleman respects the wishes of the lady.
8. The gentleman knows that a Yoruba lady, an Ibo lady, and an
Hausa lady will pronounce certain words differently than how it
should actually be pronounced because of environmental
influence. He, however, does not look down on them because of
that neither does he make a joke out of it.
9. The gentleman knows that saying "I am sorry" does not in any
way imply weakness. He is not ashamed to say "I am sorry" when
he has behaved in a manner that is unbecoming of a gentleman.
10. The gentleman never snaps or raises his voice at a lady.
11. The gentleman knows he will make mistakes every now and
then. However, the gentleman is not afraid to move on after
making a mistake.
12. The gentleman never sags his pants even if it is the current
fashion trend.
13. The gentleman, if asked an unintelligent question, does not
make the person who asked the question look foolish when he
replies. Instead, the gentleman replies with, "I'll get back to you on
that question." By so doing, he has saved the person from further
ridicule.
14. The gentleman knows he is not a gentleman just because of
how he behaves himself in public but because of who he really is
on the inside. He is not acting to impress but acting right. So
whether public or private he remains a gentleman.
15. The gentleman never uses his girlfriend or his wife for a
punching bag. Neither does he, out of anger, break the television
set. The gentleman controls himself by keeping calm when
angered by someone else.
16. The gentleman never hits a lady. NEVER!
17. The gentleman knows well to appreciate others when they do
right. He appreciates in public and rebukes in secret (except in
extreme cases). The gentleman knows that everyone likes to be
appreciated.
18. The gentleman knows that "Please" and "Thank you" are still
magic words.
19. The gentleman does not tell other drivers, "Waka! (Shame)" or
use other abusive languages when driving. He anticipates the
unruly behaviour of other drivers and maintains his calm even
when insulted.
20. The gentleman is a gentle man.
21. When the gentleman and a lady approach any door, the
gentleman opens the door for the lady to walk through first before
he walks through himself. Whether he knows the lady or not the
gentleman always opens the door.
22. When the gentleman opens a door for a lady, he stands on the
same side the door swings towards so the lady does not have to
go under his arm as she walks through.
23. The gentleman knows that being a gentleman is an art and not
a science. The gentleman is not trying to obey a set of rules.
Instead he is seeking for ways to serve those around him and as
much as possible make all those who come in contact with him
comfortable in his presence.
24. When the gentleman takes a bottled drink in a public bus he
does not throw out the empty bottle through the window. He drops
the empty bottle in the waste basket in the bus. If the bus does not
have one he drops the empty bottle on the floor of the bus. The
gentleman does not apologize for so doing.
25. The gentleman knows that Black is never out of trend. The
gentleman always has a pair of black shoes, black socks, black
trousers, and a pair of black suits.
26. If the gentleman arrives late for a function, he does not walk
up the aisle to the front rows looking for where to sit except if a
seat has been reserved for him. The gentleman does not cause
distractions with his presence. The gentleman quietly sits in one of
the seats at the back rows.
27. The gentleman accepts responsibility for his actions and
inactions and then some.
28. The gentleman does not dip his bread into his cup of tea
whether he is eating alone or at the table with others. The
gentleman knows it is not good to the eyes.
29. The gentleman knows that giving appreciation is not the same
as giving a feedback. When the gentleman appreciates a person he
does not say, "You did very well but..." The gentleman simply
says, "Tunde, that's a very good job you've done. Thank you"
30. The gentleman is calm, cool, and collected.
31. The gentleman does not just do what is easy. More
importantly, the gentleman does what is right even if it might cost
him more.
32. The gentleman does not beat the queue. The gentleman stays
in line till it's his turn to be served.
33. When the gentleman compliments a lady's dressing he does
not overdo it. A simple "That's a nice dress you have on" or "You
make that dress look good" will suffice. The gentleman does not
go on and on about it lest he makes the lady feel embarrassed.
34. The gentleman and his dictionary are friends.
35. The gentleman pronounces his words correctly. The gentleman
does not say "AXE" when he means "ASK." Neither does he say
"DIAGONIZE" in the stead of "DIAGNOSE."
36. When the gentleman is in the midst of a people who speak a
different language, he quickly learns how to say "please" and
"thank you" in that language.
37. When the gentleman gets a Facebook friend request, he sends
a "thank you" message to the person who sent the request.
38. The gentleman does not get angry when his friend request is
ignored. He respects the right of people to decide who should be
on their friends list.
39. The gentleman never tells jokes that demean other people's
beliefs or ethnicity even if the people are not there.
40. The gentleman does not make other people feel small.
41. When introduced to a lady, the gentleman does not extend his
hand to her first for a handshake. If the lady does not extend her
hand, the gentleman just nods his head as a gesture of greeting.
42. When the gentleman shakes the hand of a lady, he does not
give it the up-and-down pump like he does to other gentlemen. A
quick gentle press is enough.
43. When the gentleman is introduced to an obviously older
gentleman, he does not extend his hand first for a handshake.
44. The gentleman never refuses to shake a hand that is extended
to him. He knows it is insulting to keep someone's hand hanging
in the air.
45. Irrespective of the gentleman's personal belief or principle, he
never refrains from embracing a lady whose arms are already open
to embrace him. The gentleman never brings shame on a lady.
46. When the gentleman is in the company of a lady, young or old,
and they are walking through a crowded room, the gentleman
walks slightly behind the lady.
47. The gentleman never initiates a social kiss (a kiss on the
cheek). He waits for the lady. If she leans toward him, he turns his
cheek toward her lips and she graces him with a light, brushing
kiss.
48. If the gentleman is kissed by a lady and her lipstick leaves a
smudge on the gentleman's face, he does not wipe it away in her
presence. He waits till she has left.
49. The gentleman never embarrasses others. Neither does he
make them feel ashamed of themselves.
50. The gentleman has taste.
51. The gentleman keeps a good collection of music and a
collection of good music.
52. The gentleman knows that songs like "Take banana till you go
yo" is insulting to a real lady. The gentleman never plays such
music in his home.
53. The gentleman keeps a collection of good movies like The
Notebook, August Rush, If Only, A Walk To Remember, etc, which
he watches with friends during special evenings with them.
54. When the gentleman is dressed in a corporate wear, his socks
and his pants (trousers) go together. While his belt and his shoes
go together. The gentleman never wears black socks while putting
on brown pants.
55. While silk is the choice of socks for gentlemen, the gentleman
may find that he is more comfortable in wool than in silk. In such
event the gentleman first wears a wool socks then a silk socks
over it. That way the gentleman has the look of a gentleman
because of the silk socks and he feels good with himself because
of the wool socks underneath.
56. The gentleman shaves his beard, if possible, everyday.
57. If a gentleman notices that the zip of another gentleman's
pants is open, he tells him right there and then. He does not wait
for a more convenient time.
58. If a gentleman is notified that the zip of his pants is open, he
zips up immediately right there and then. The gentleman need not
apologize. An open zip does not require an apology.
59. If the gentleman is having a conversation with a lady dressed
in such a way that her cleavage is exposed, the gentleman does
not continue to stare at her cleavage. He looks at her face.
60. The gentleman is a real man.