life on planet earth on Compliments

“I’d rather take coffee than compliments just now.”

You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments or publicity.

Whether we are easily swamped or nearly waterproof, there’s one wiring challenge we all face: Bad is stronger than good. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt elaborates: “Responses to threats and unpleasantnes...

My child, I can live on a good compliment two weeks with nothing else to eat.

Praise has different effects, according to the mind it meets with; it makes a wise man modest, but a fool more arrogant, turning his weak brain giddy.

Don't accept the applause of men, and you won't be destroyed by their criticism.

We learn to praise God not by paying compliments but by paying attention.

Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of and other children’s books, gets many letters from his young fans. A favorite was a “charming” drawing sent on by a little boy’s mother. “I loved it,” Sendak ...

Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of  Where the Wild Things Are  and other children’s books, gets many letters from his young fans. A favorite was a “charming” drawing sent on by a little boy’s m...

It is wonderful how attractive a gentle, pleasant manner is, and how much it wins hearts.

Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.

Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.

Well done is better than well said.

Beauty is that which, when seen, pleases.

[The flattery of others] is narcotic and addictive. It preys on two desperate and inescapable desires; to be thought well of by others and to think well of ourselves … We desire and need approbation s...

How goodness heightens beauty!

Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

In life, whenever someone achieves success, criticism usually follows—regardless of their skill or the effort they’ve invested. An old story illustrates this truth. A woman crafted artificial fruit so...

Recently, I was working in my yard when the blooms on my gardenia plant caught my eye. I took off my gloves, laid my clippers aside, and allowed my mind to linger on those flowers. Inhaling the intoxi...

Compassion begins with attention.

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.

The art of pleasing is the art of deception.

You have a grand gift for silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion.

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

Gratitude magnifies the spirit and promotes well-being. In good times and bad, authentic appreciation creates perspective, literally stepping back from the distractions of the moment and affirming som...

That was excellently observed’, say I, when I read a passage in an author, where his opinion agrees with mine. When we differ, there I pronounce him to be mistaken.

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.

{responding to a police officer ordering him to pull over.] "No, it's a cardigan, but thanks for noticing!"

Jealousy is the tribute which mediocrity pays to genius.

It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are, the more gentle and quiet we become toward the defects of others.