How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
It is all very well, in these changing times, to adapt one's work to take in duties not traditionally within one's realm […]. One need hardly dwell on the catastrophic possibility of uttering a bantering remark only to discover it wholly inappropriate. (1.30)
Stevens struggles with the relative informality that his new American employer demands of him.
Quote #2
And let me now posit that "dignity" has to do crucially with a butler's ability not to abandon the professional being he inhabits. (2.55)
Many of Stevens's musings on what makes for a "great" butler center on this term: "dignity." Whatever dignity is, a great butler always has it; he is as dignified in his personal life as he is in his professional one.
Quote #3
I set about preparing for the days ahead as, I imagine, a general might prepare for a battle. I devised with utmost care a special staff plan anticipating all sorts of eventualities […]. I even gave the staff a military-style "pep-talk." (3.192)
Stevens takes great pleasure in his professionalism, going so far as to compare it to going into battle. The battle metaphor also suggests a parallel between Stevens's professionalism as a butler and the question of professionalism in Lord Darlington's diplomacy.