Polite/Politic

It is a wise thing to be polite;
Consequently it is a stupid thing to be rude.
To make enemies,
By unnecessary and willful incivility, is just as insane a proceeding
As to set your house on fire.
For politeness is like a counter- an avowedly false coin
With which it is foolish to be stingy.
A sensible man willl be generous in the use of it...
Wax, a substance naturally hard and brittle, can be made soft
By the application of a little warmth, so that it will take any shape that you please.
In the same way, by being polite and friendly, you can make people pliable and obliging,
Even though they are apt to be crabbed and malevolent.
Hence politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.

Arthur Schopenhauer
1788-1860