A woman's flattery may inflate a man's head a little; but her criticism goes straight to his heart, and contracts it so that it can never again hold quite as much love for her.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Flattery in courtship is the highest insolence, for whilst it pretends to bestow on you more than you deserve, it is watching an opportunity to take from you what you really have.
One may define flattery as a base companionship which is most advantageous to the flatterer.
When a man spends his time giving his wife criticism and advice instead of compliments, he forgets that it was not his good judgment, but his charming manners, that won her heart.
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.
Man is always looking for someone to boast to; woman is always looking for a shoulder to put her head on.
Naturally, there are times when every woman likes to be flattered... to feel she is the most important thing in someone's world. Only a man can paint this picture.
The love of one's own sex is precious, for it is neither provoked by vanity nor retained by flattery; it is genuine and sincere.
Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt.
The woman who appeals to a man's vanity may stimulate him, the woman who appeals to his heart may attract him, but it is the woman who appeals to his imagination who gets him.
A man admires a woman not for what she says, but what she listens to.