1. Gentlemen react when help is needed

One of the most important memories from my childhood was actually a moment that most people would have been terrified, but I wasn't, and it's because of my father. My dad had been driving for a couple of hours to the lake with my sister and I riding as his passengers. The car in front of us randomly just swerved and smashed into something that sent the car skidding into the ditch. My dad pulled over without hesitation and quickly ran to the people in that car. They had hit a deer, and I followed my dad.

I just distinctly remember the woman sitting in the passenger seat was crying hysterically and my dad was talking calmly to the man in the driver seat who was getting furious with the woman beside him. I remember my dad calmly asking them if they needed blankets or water or anything that he could get them while we waited with them until the police arrived to help them.

It may not have been much, but right then and there was when my dad became my hero. I was in second grade. My sister then asked if my dad would go back and cut the heart out of the deer so she could bring it to her science teacher for extra credit. He declined her exciting offer.

2. Gentlemen don't lash out at others, especially women

This is probably the most traditional part of this list. Any male that lashes out at another person in an out-of-control way that brings everyone to a heightened level of uncomfortableness is not a real man. A man talks, he doesn't yell. Yelling at someone for an emphasis to instill fear or to bring them to submission, does not make you a real man if you succeed in that.

Calmly and effortlessly discussing matters of disagreement is, and always will be, the best way to go about being a decent human being. Any man who screams, cusses at, or even strikes any woman for any reason, has successfully reached the lowest end of the totem pole on the gentleman scale. They're so far off the map, that they may never be considered a true gentleman, even if they do actually get their act together one day.

3. Gentlemen are capable of finding solutions to small household problems

Ever watched someone examine a household problem, and then give up on what was wrong because they just didn't know or bother to care enough to try to find out how to fix it? Watching a video on youtube on how to fix a pipe in the bathroom doesn't make you ungentlemanlike. Putting it off and failing to make any attempt at fixing a common household problem knocks you from being considered a gentleman.

Examining little things and understanding even in the slightest how they're supposed to work and then finding a solution to the problem, is what a gentleman does. Persistence en route to tranquility. A gentleman doesn't need to be a plumber, an electrician, or a carpenter, but he needs to be able to understand how to do the general basics of most of those things enough to conduct small household repairs.

Why is this significant? Because if a man can't find a solution to a simple problem around the house and decides to give up without even being willing to learn and be able to fix it, what do you think he's going to do in a relationship when times get tough and he doesn't have the slightest idea of how to find a solution to simple problems? He will give up. Find yourself a gentleman.

4. Gentlemen are willing to put others first

Do you have one of those friends that are classified as overly needy and can never seem to do anything for themselves? Do they rely on you and your friend group to do anything and everything for them, without ever returning the favor? Annoying, isn't it? But then there is the friend that goes out of their way to help any and all of their friends while never asking for anything in return.

That friend of yours is a gentleman. Any way they can possibly help you out, they will. At the drop of a hat, if you need anything and they're not busy, they will never say "no" because they genuinely care about you and want to help you. Those are the type of people that will one day have someone look down at their children and say, "Your father is a good man."

5. Gentlemen are graced with knowledge of the finer things in life

Not necessarily do they possess or regularly take part in any finer things in life, but they have a comprehension for it. Smoking cigars on celebratory events rather than smoking cigarettes on an hourly basis. Understanding what makes a good whiskey, a good whiskey. Realizing the proper way to store and maintain a higher caliber of a vehicle than what most people drive. Understanding the general concepts of what decorating the interior of a home should look like in a high-class aspect.

They don't really need to necessarily have all of those things. They may not be able to afford the cigars, the celebration whiskey, the vintage Camaro, or have the nicest home to dress up; but, they understand that they want to have them one day, so they continue to go out and grind at their daily life until they've reached a point where that's their goal to achieve. Men who understand these expensive qualities have goals in their lives to one day own all of them and feel at peace with the materialistic aspect of their life.

Most stereotypical gentlemen are noted to have the best closet selection, the best taste in watches, and the best accents to all their presentations, but this isn't necessarily required. The only thing that a gentleman should always pay attention to is maintaining an upstanding grooming policy for himself when it comes to presenting himself. Sure, he should try dress nicer and more traditionally, but not everyone can afford all of that.

6. Gentlemen have learned to be humble

There's no need to brag about the things you've done or the things you've acquired throughout your life, because one day, it could all be taken from you. Gentlemen understand that bragging is a quite troublesome quality of any being can bring to the table. Peacocking on a regular basis will get you nowhere other than finding that you're a rather strange human being your parents sometime refuse to claim ownership of.

Telling exquisite stories of adventurous times and tales of the younger days are something that gentlemen do, rather than bragging about something that builds up their self-esteem and ego in the eyes of others. I struggle at being humble at times because some things I just get a little too passionate about.

7. Gentlemen understand the correct way to treat a woman

I've separated this from what I wrote with number two and left it at the end for a very specific reason. It's honestly the most important code to any gentleman's handbook. It's very cliche and very traditional, but the thing is, it still needs to be emphasized even in today's society with the feminist movements.

Catcalling a woman never did you any good. Sure, you and your friends may have had a few laughs back in your high school days, but after the age of 21, if you're still doing this, especially if you're serious and think it could lead to meeting the girl, please stop. No guy has ever gotten to know the girl he catcalled because she flat out eliminated him from the world with her mind. It's one of the most disrespectful things you can do, and it should be irradicated from existence because it's just plain uncomfortable.

I'm not talking chivalrous efforts for opening doors and what not, yet they are a nice touch to show you care. But simply going out of your way to make sure a woman is okay if a man is acting like a predator towards her. Letting a girl know if someone has spiked her drink. Giving gracious compliments without any ulterior motive, but bring them up in an actual conversation, not a pickup line. They're a human being, not an opening line to a video game you're trying to conquer.