Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
People who hate flattery might not know how subtle it can be.
In plain terms
You might be flattered and not even know it.
What can you take from it?
Be careful of praise that feels too good.

Where it applies

  • receiving compliments
  • work reviews

Putting it to work

  • question praise
  • stay humble

Questions to consider

  • Do you trust compliments?
  • How do you test praise?

Another view

Some praise is genuine and useful.

More from Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

  1. Man loves company - even if it is only that of a small burning candle.

    Permalink to quote #101
  2. To receive applause for works which do not demand all our powers hinders our advance towards a perfecting of our spirit. It usually means that thereafter we st…

    Permalink to quote #103
  3. Before one blames, one should always find out whether one cannot excuse. To discover little faults has been always the particularity of such brains that are a …

    Permalink to quote #100

Related quotes

  1. We suffer primarily not from our vices or our weaknesses, but from our illusions.

    Daniel J. BoorstinDaniel J. Boorstin quote #1
  2. L'amour-propre est le plus grand de tous les flatteurs.

    Francois de La RochefoucauldFrancois de La Rochefoucauld quote #3
  3. Yet still we hug the dear deceit.

    Nathaniel CottonNathaniel Cotton quote #4