Logo - Feel The Words

Flatterer Quotes

Warnings about empty praise and self-deception

This set opens with a warning that a flatterer only survives at the expense of whoever chooses to listen and believe them.

Every flatterer lives at the expense of him who listens to him.

Quotes by Jean de La Fontaine

There is as much difference between the counsel that a friend giveth, and that a man giveth himself, as there is between the counsel of a friend and of a flatterer. For there is no such flatterer as is a...

Quotes by Francis Bacon

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Frequently Asked Questions

What warning do these sayings share?
Both warn that flattery, especially self-flattery, can quietly mislead a person.
What does the first saying claim about flatterers?
It claims a flatterer only exists because someone chooses to listen to and believe them.
What does the older saying add?
It argues that flattering oneself is more dangerous than any flattery received from someone else.
Are these sayings modern or classical in tone?
One reads as a modern observation, while the other has a more classical, timeless phrasing.
Who would benefit from reading this collection?
Anyone wary of empty praise, from others or from themselves, will find these lines worth considering.

A second, older line goes further, arguing that flattering oneself is more dangerous than any praise offered by a friend or stranger.