Courtesy is, at one level, a type of civility that allows people to get along better. It also goes deeper than that, an acknowledgment of someone else's importance and worth. At its most profound level, it recognizes the inherent divinity of another. The fastest way to know God is to serve the God in someone else was the compelling teaching that drew me into the spiritual life. The conscious practice of civil courtesies is a way to exercise this teaching.

Peter Reinhart, Bread Upon the Waters