Manners are considered old-fashioned and these days are not formally taught. There has been much emphasis on the importance of the individual rather than the collective, however whether people like it or not, they have to live with one another. Manners cost nothing yet they make life pleasant for everyone. A little bit of courtesy will take you much further in relationships and at work. You do not have to learn a long list of rules as they all can be distilled into the one rule: think of others. Think of others before acting or speaking.