There is no investment you can make which will pay you so well as the effort to scatter sunshine and good cheer through your establishment.
—Orison Swett Marden (1850–1924) American New Thought Writer, Physician, Entrepreneur
Every one that has been long dead has a due proportion of praise allotted him, in which, whilst he lived, his friends were too profuse and his enemies too sparing.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
We are not fond of praising, and never praise any one except from interested motives. Praise is a clever, concealed, and delicate flattery, which gratifies in different ways the giver and the receiver. The one takes it as a recompense of his merit, and the other bestows it to display his equity and discernment.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves. Whistle and dance the shimmy, and you’ve got an audience.
—Diogenes Laertius (f.3rd Century CE) Biographer of the Greek Philosophers
If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games.
—Bear Bryant (1913–83) American Sportsperson
You do ill if you praise, but worse if you censure what you do not rightly understand.
—Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Italian Polymath, Painter, Sculptor, Inventor, Architect
Reproof on her lips, but a smile in her eyes.
—Samuel Lover (1797–1868) Anglo-Irish Writer, Artist, Songwriter
Reprove privately, praise publicly.
—Arnold Glasow (1905–98) American Businessman
I can live for two months on a good compliment.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
The only way to escape the personal corruption of praise is to go on working.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
I know of no manner of speaking so offensive as that of giving praise, and closing it with an exception.
—Richard Steele (1672–1729) Irish Writer, Politician
Where there is no difficulty there is no praise.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
You can’t eat compliments.
—Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) American Cartoonist, Writer, Artist
Praise not people to their faces, to the end that they may pay thee in the same coin. This is so thin a cobweb, that it may with little difficulty be seen through; ’tis rarely strong enough to catch flies of any considerable magnitude.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
A man is never more serious than when he praise himself.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
A man who does not love praise is not a full man.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
Praise makes good people better and bad people worse.
—Common Proverb
If you’re sincere, praise is effective. If you’re insincere, it’s manipulative.
—Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American Author
I should entertain a mean opinion of myself if all men, or the most part, praised and admired me; it would prove me to be somewhat like them.
—Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864) English Writer, Poet
Praise, of all things, is the most powerful excitement to commendable actions, and animates us in our enterprises.
—Jean de La Bruyere (1645–96) French Satiric Moralist, Author
So long as you are praised think only that you are not yet on your own path but on that of another.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Everybody likes a compliment.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly bestowed.
—French Proverb
A man’s inner nature is revealed by what he praises-a man is self-judged by what he says of others. Thus a man is judged by his standards, by what he considers the best. And you can’t find a more crucial test. It reveals the soul.
—Hugo Black (1886–1971) American Politician, Jurist
Attach yourself to those who advise you rather than praise you.
—Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux (1636–1711) French Poet, Satirist, Literary Critic
The villain’s censure is extorted praise.
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744) English Poet
In doing what we ought we deserve no praise, because it is our duty.
—Augustine of Hippo (354–430) Roman-African Christian Philosopher
The love of praise, howe’er conceal’d by art, reigns more or less, and glows in every heart: the proud, to gain it, toils on toils endure, the modest shun it but to make it sure.
—Edward Young (1683–1765) English Poet
We should not be too niggardly in our praise, for men will do more to support a character than to raise one.
—Charles Caleb Colton (c.1780–1832) English Clergyman, Aphorist