Alan Bradley Quotes

Although a skillful flatterer is a most delightful companion if you have him all to yourself, his taste becomes very doubtful when he takes to complimenting other people.

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

Commend a fool for his wit, or a rogue for his honesty and he will receive you into his favor.

Everyone likes flattery; and when you come to Royalty you should lay it on with a trowel.

You must ingratiate yourself with those who can help you. Flatter them to their faces. Praise them to others who will carry your words back to them.

Men sometimes think they hate flattery, but they hate only the manner of flattering.

Complimenting someone in an exaggerated way is known as flattery, and flattery will generally get you anything you want.

We must be careful how we flatter fools too little, or wise men too much, for the flatterer must act the very reverse of the physician, and administer the strongest dose only to the weakest patient.

Flattery has to overcome my mistrust, and it does.

This man is the bee's knees, Arthur, he is the wasp's nipples. He is, I would go so far as to say, the entire set of erogenous zones of every major flying insect of the Western world.

People can be induced to swallow anything, provided it is sufficiently seasoned with praise.

Flattery must be pretty thick before anybody objects to it.

Flattery is all right so long as you don't inhale.

The aim of flattery is to soothe and encourage us by assuring us of the truth of an opinion we have already formed about ourselves.

Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt, not swallowed.

To the Tennis Court and there saw the King play at Tennis, and others; but to see how the King’s play was extolled without any cause at all was a loathsome sight, though sometimes indeed he did play very well and deserved to be commended; but such open flattery is beastly.

I'm sick of it when people start to say it: 'Aren't you amazing?' If they start to say it, I hit them.

He that is much flattered soon learns to flatter himself.

The most dangerous of all flattery is the inferiority of those about us.

All flatterers are mercenary, and all low-minded men are flatterers.

Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.

Say she rail; why, I'll tell her plain She sings as sweetly as a nightingale. Say that she frown; I'll say she looks as clear As morning roses newly wash'd with dew. Say she be mute and will not speak a word; Then I'll commend her volubility, and say she uttereth piercing eloquence.

Flattery, the dangerous nurse of vice.

Flattery is praise insincerely given for an interested purpose.

They do not abuse the king that flatter him. For flattery is the bellows blows up sin; The thing the which is flattered, but a spark To which that blast gives heat and stronger glowing.