By flatterers besieged
And so obliging that he ne'er obliged.

By flatterers besieged
And so obliging that he ne'er obliged.

Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.

Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.

Take no repulse, whatever she doth say;
For 'get you gone,' she doth not mean 'away.'
Flatter read more

Take no repulse, whatever she doth say;
For 'get you gone,' she doth not mean 'away.'
Flatter and praise, commend, extol their graces;
Though ne'er so black, say they have angels' faces.
That man that hath a tongue, I say is no man,
If with his tongue he cannot win a woman.

We sometimes imagine we hate flattery, but we only hate the way we are flattered.

We sometimes imagine we hate flattery, but we only hate the way we are flattered.

He that loves to be flattered is worthy o' the flatterer.

He that loves to be flattered is worthy o' the flatterer.

It has been well said that "the arch-flatterer with whom all the
petty flatterers have intelligence is a man's read more

It has been well said that "the arch-flatterer with whom all the
petty flatterers have intelligence is a man's self."

A woman's flattery may inflate a man's head a little; but her criticism goes straight to his heart, and contracts read more

A woman's flattery may inflate a man's head a little; but her criticism goes straight to his heart, and contracts it so that it can never again hold quite as much love for her

What drink'st thou oft, instead of homage sweet,
But poisoned flattery?

What drink'st thou oft, instead of homage sweet,
But poisoned flattery?

We sometimes think that we hate flattery, but we only hate the
manner in which it is done.
read more

We sometimes think that we hate flattery, but we only hate the
manner in which it is done.
[Fr., On croit quelquefoir hair la flatterie; maid on ne hait que
a maniere de flatter.]