John Gay Quotes

Many know how to flatter, few know how to praise.

I cannot think of any character below the flatterer, except he who envies him.

When you become successful, half the population puts you on a pedestal, and half the population treats you with less respect than you would have got if you were collecting their bins.

Anytime anybody impersonates you, it's a great compliment.

It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.

It is simpler and easier to flatter people than to praise them.

Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery.

To vilify a great man is the readiest way in which a little man can himself attain greatness.

Imitation is obviously a great form of flattery.

Expect not praise without envy until you are dead.

I think people ragging on me is kind of a form of flattery.

Nothing is more flattering for a writer than when someone knows your work.

Flattery and criticism are always in our profession.

I love Safadao; it is an honor to be compared.

Envy is a kind of praise.

No compliment can be eloquent, except as an expression of indifference.

New Yorkers stop me on the street all the time to say, 'You're terrific! You're the nuts!'

He who goes unenvied shall not be admired.

We never really felt a real level of respect. The fame was fantastic, but that wasn't that important to me, because for every million people that loved me I focused on the one that hated me.

A person places themselves on a level with the ones they praise.

I always find it flattering when somebody recognizes me.

A woman called me interesting once, and it kind of blew my mind. She said, 'You're one of the most interesting people I've ever met,' and I was like, 'Wow.'

You look marvelous!

When Warren Buffett says the sun shines out of somebody's backside, it's worth paying attention.

I have my detractors, no doubt about it. I look at it as a compliment.