Kate Christensen

In 1990, when I had just arrived in New York City as a wet-behind-the-ears 20-something girl from Arizona, I spent a year or more working as the personal secretary and secret ghostwriter to an American-born countess in her apartment on the Upper East Side.

American Novelist

Elaine Stritch

The closer a part is to you, the harder it is to play. Anything else is just imitation. If I'm playing a Russian countess, I get the hat, the accent, the outrageousness. Easy. Playing a murderess? Perfect.

American Actress

Florence Nightingale

I have lived and slept in the same bed with English countesses and Prussian farm women... no woman has excited passions among women more than I have.

English Activist

A countess is part of the nobility, which means she's recognized as a member of the aristocracy by her country.

Noble Rank

'Countess' refers specifically to a female; the male equivalent is an 'earl' or 'count'.

Gender Specific

The title 'countess' implies high social status and is often associated with wealth and power.

High Social Status

 and its patina of civility. But therein lies the third don't mistake decorum for civility. Even if you have a dowager countess as fabulous as Dame Maggie Smith. So let me end with one last story.