. . . it is happy for you that you possess the talent of flattering with delicacy. May I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from the impulse of the moment, or are the result of previous study? – Jane Austen
He who says he hates every kind of flattery, and says it in earnest, certainly does not yet know every kind of flattery. – G. C. (Georg Christoph) Lichtenberg
. . . although a skilful flatterer is a most delightful companion, if you can keep him all to yourself, his taste becomes very doubtful when he takes to complimenting other people. – Charles Dickens
I gained direct knowledge of the life of the poor in big towns: I have lived the narrowing mechanism of its conditioning and feared it. – Ella Maillart
