I much prefer a compliment, even if insincere, to sincere criticism.
quote by Titus Maccius Plautus
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
If government, or those in positions of power and authority, can silence criticism by the argument that such criticism might be misunderstood somewhere, there is an end to all criticism, and perhaps an end to our kind of political system. For men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.
quote by Henry Steele Commager
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Next to a sincere compliment, I think I like a well-deserved and honest rebuke.
quote by William Feather
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment.
quote by Bill Walsh
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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There never was a woman who did not prefer an oblique compliment to a straight truth - if the latter were unflattering.
quote by Minna Antrim
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them.
quote by Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.
quote by Johann Kepler
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Possibilities
I prefer movies.
I prefer cats.
I prefer the oaks along the Warta.
I prefer Dickens to Dostoyevsky.
I prefer myself liking people
to myself loving mankind.
I prefer keeping a needle and thread on hand, just in case.
I prefer the color green.
I prefer not to maintain
that reason is to blame for everything.
I prefer exceptions.
I prefer to leave early.
I prefer talking to doctors about something else.
I prefer the old fine-lined illustrations.
I prefer the absurdity of writing poems
to the absurdity of not writing poems.
I prefer, where love's concerned, nonspecific anniversaries
that can be celebrated every day.
I prefer moralists
who promise me nothing.
I prefer cunning kindness to the over-trustful kind.
I prefer the earth in civvies.
I prefer conquered to conquering countries.
I prefer having some reservations.
I prefer the hell of chaos to the hell of order.
I prefer Grimms' fairy tales to the newspapers' front pages.
I prefer leaves without flowers to flowers without leaves.
I prefer dogs with uncropped tails.
I prefer light eyes, since mine are dark.
I prefer desk drawers.
I prefer many things that I haven't mentioned here
to many things I've also left unsaid.
I prefer zeroes on the loose
to those lined up behind a cipher.
I prefer the time of insects to the time of stars.
I prefer to knock on wood.
I prefer not to ask how much longer and when.
I prefer keeping in mind even the possibility
that existence has its own reason for being.
poem by Wislawa Szymborska
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Remarkably Insincere
Yeah, I'm such a liar
One time I told you
You were the highlight
Of all of my sexual life
While I'm confessing
When you're undressing
I was picking the lock
On your safe with my knife
Einstein
If you're so naive
That you believe
Everything I said to you
Well, I got your sex
And wrote you rubber checks
Well, what did you think
I was gonna do
My reputation for exaggeration
It never got to you
That's why I left Duluth
Sometimes I stretch the truth
My dearest darling
You know that luggage
It belonged to the blond
With the really nice pair
And incidentally
I sorely missed you
The pain was so hard to bear
If I would rate you
Not that I hate you
But you would end up
Eighth, maybe ninth in your class
Your build is hot now
If you could use your
Brain like you use your ass
Oh, you're so naive
How could you believe
Everything I said to you
My reputation for exaggeration
It never got to you
Sometimes I'm so uncouth
Sometimes I stretch the truth
Hey, I'm such a liar
One time I told you
You were the highlight
Of all of my sexual life
I'm remarkably insincere
Incredibly insincere
Totally insincere
Oh don't take it so hard, my dear
I'm consistently insincere
song performed by by Alice Cooper
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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No lover, if he be of good faith, and sincere, will deny he would prefer to see his mistress dead than unfaithful.
quote by Marquis de Sade
Submitted by Simona Enache
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The biggest compliment to me is that guys really approach me and they have a connection with me, so there must be something I'm doing that is authentic, otherwise they wouldn't connect with me so strongly. It's a real compliment.
quote by Jeremy Piven
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Choices
i prefer smooth peanut butter
to crunchy
mind you
crunchy is all right
but i prefer smooth.
i prefer strawberry jam
to raspberry
mind you
raspberry is tasty
but it's got all those seeds
and i prefer strawberry.
i prefer mustard
to mayonaisse
mind you mayonaisse has it's place
amongst condiments
but is likely to go bad
if left out to long
and poison everyone
so on the whole i prefer mustard.
i prefer cooked meat
to raw meat
for much the same reason
as i prefer mustard to mayonaisse
although it also has to do
with the fact that i don't
like my meat to bleat
or moo or make chicken noises (BAGOCK!)
when i eat
so i tend to avoid the raw
though mind you
the meat that i prefer
may at some time have been raw.
i prefer not to say
why i think so
but i do
and i suppose it's all
just a matter of taste
so if you'd prefer to think so
then crunchy is better
than smooth
even if it does interfere
with the texture of the
peanut butter
and jelly (strawberry) sandwich
which ought to be somewhat
devoid of substance
merely a sticky sweet something
to fill your stomach
put mayonaisse on it
if you like
i'd prefer not to think about it.
poem by Laura Sewell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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No Memo From You Did I Receive
What would 'you' prefer?
That I pretend I am not a writer,
With an interest that is expressed.
Or would you prefer I stay within boundaries,
Your mind has restricted to your limitedness?
Or would you prefer,
I reflect more of what you suspect I should be?
And would your suspicions have their development,
Centered from your perceptions?
Either way,
No memo from you did I receive.
And I admit,
Guessing is not what I do best.
And the only tests I 'prefer' to pass,
Are my own.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Ours is an age of criticism, to which everything must be subjected. The sacredness of religion, and the authority of legislation, are by many regarded as grounds for exemption from the examination by this tribunal, But, if they are exempted, and cannot lay claim to sincere respect, which reason accords only to that which has stood the test of a free and public examination.
quote by Immanuel Kant
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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First Encounter - Krishen Jit
Krishen Jit
his words of compliment
taste sweetest
not ready for compliment
sweet recollection
it has become
(first met in early 1980s at the New Straits Times Office, KL)
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
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I do see value in music criticism. Most of the criticism I have received over the years has been very good.
quote by Van Morrison
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Many French directors, having now realised there was no more real criticism, that the standards of the past have gone, are very offended about the quality of film criticism.
quote by Wim Wenders
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I've had trouble with criticism, I guess. It's hard to know what role criticism plays in either encouraging poets or in getting other people to read them.
quote by Kenneth Koch
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Learn to control ego. Humans hold their dogmas and biases too tightly, and we only think that our opponents are dogmatic! But we all need criticism. Criticism is the only known antidote to error.
quote by David Brin
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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On the Critical Attitude
The critical attitude
Strikes many people as unfruitful
That is because they find the state
Impervious to their criticism
But what in this case is an unfruitful attitude
Is merely a feeble attitude. Give criticism arms
And states can be demolished by it.
Canalising a river
Grafting a fruit tree
Educating a person
Transforming a state
These are instances of fruitful criticism
And at the same time instances of art.
poem by Bertolt Brecht
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I think it's his perception of knowing how to make a record build, keeping the integrity of the song in the music and really adding a lot of musical elements to compliment my voice and to compliment the song.
quote by Deborah Cox
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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