--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Flattery is often a traffic of mutual…" description: "\"Flattery is often a traffic of mutual meanness, where although both parties intend deception, neither are deceived.\" — Charles Caleb Colton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/charles-caleb-colton-270_deceived_flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-me_665347.png" --- # Flattery is often a traffic of mutual meanness, where… ![“Flattery is often a traffic of mutual meanness, where although both parties intend deception, neither are deceived.” quote by Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/charles-caleb-colton-270_deceived_flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-me_665347.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/charles-caleb-colton-270_deceived_flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-me_665347.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/charles-caleb-colton-270_deceived_flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-me_665347.png) > “Flattery is often a traffic of mutual meanness, where although both parties intend deception, neither are deceived.” [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Flattery creates a mutual deception where neither truly fools the other, revealing shared insincerity. **In simple terms:** Mutual flattery hides true intentions. Key Takeaway Beware of insincere compliments. Themes deception insincerity social dynamics Mood cautious skeptical Type advice observational When to use this quote - political negotiations - business networking - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology trust manipulation Questions to Reflect On - Do you recognize when flattery is used as a shield? - How can genuine honesty replace superficial praise? A Different Perspective Flattery may still achieve short‑term goals despite lacking honesty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deception/) [Flattery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flattery/) [Meanness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanness/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) ## Related quotes > [Those who think their intellect will keep them from deception are already deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/those-who-think-their-intellect-will-keep-them-from-deception-are/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I was involved, deeply involved, in a deception... I have deceived my friends - and I had millions of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-van-doren/i-was-involved-deeply-involved-in-a-deception-i-have-deceived-my/) [Charles Van Doren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-van-doren/) > [To be flattered is grateful, even when we know that our praises are not believed by those who pronounce them; for they prove, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/to-be-flattered-is-grateful-even-when-we-know-that-our-praises-are/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [We love flattery, even though we are not deceived by it, because it shows that we are of importance enough to be courted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-love-flattery-even-though-we-are-not-deceived-by-it-because-it/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Power, like the diamond, dazzles the beholder, and also the wearer; it dignifies meanness; it magnifies littleness; to what is contemptible, it gives authority;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/power-like-the-diamond-dazzles-the-beholder-and-also-the-wearer-it-2/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Power. like the diamond, dazzles the beholder, and also the wearer; it dignifies meanness; it magnifies littleness; to what is contemptible, it gives authority;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/power-like-the-diamond-dazzles-the-beholder-and-also-the-wearer-it/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is best, if possible, to deceive no one; for he that ... begins by deceiving others, will end ... by deceiving himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-best-if-possible-to-deceive-no-one-for-he-that-begins-by/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [We must suit the flattery to the mind and taste of the recipient. We do not put essences into hogsheads, nor porter into phials.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-must-suit-the-flattery-to-the-mind-and-taste-of-the-recipient-we/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Women who are the least bashful are not unfrequently the most modest; and we are never more deceived than when we would infer any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/women-who-are-the-least-bashful-are-not-unfrequently-the-most-modest/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/imitation-is-the-sincerest-form-of-flattery/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Imitation is the sincerest of flattery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/imitation-is-the-sincerest-of-flattery/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is a curious paradox that precisely in proportion to our own intellectual weakness will be our credulity, to those mysterious powers assumed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-a-curious-paradox-that-precisely-in-proportion-to-our-own/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Some indeed there are who profess to despise all flattery, but even these are nevertheless to be flattered, by being told that they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/some-indeed-there-are-who-profess-to-despise-all-flattery-but-even/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [There are some frauds so well conducted that it would be stupidity not to be deceived by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/there-are-some-frauds-so-well-conducted-that-it-would-be-stupidity/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Imitation is the highest form of flattery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/imitation-is-the-highest-form-of-flattery/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) ## More by Charles Caleb Colton > [Villainy that is vigilant will be an overmatch for virtue, if she slumber at her post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/villainy-that-is-vigilant-will-be-an-overmatch-for-virtue-if-she/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/to-dare-to-live-alone-is-the-rarest-courage-since-there-are-many-who/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is doubtful whether mankind are most indebted to those who like Bacon and Butler dig the gold from the mine of literature, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-doubtful-whether-mankind-are-most-indebted-to-those-who-like/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/none-are-so-fond-of-secrets-as-those-who-do-not-mean-to-keep-them/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Mental pleasures never cloy; unlike those of the body, they are increased by reputation, approved by reflection, and strengthened by enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/mental-pleasures-never-cloy-unlike-those-of-the-body-they-are/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Ignorance lies at the bottom of all human knowledge, and the deeper we penetrate, the nearer we arrive unto it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/ignorance-lies-at-the-bottom-of-all-human-knowledge-and-the-deeper-we/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Heroism, self-denial, and magnanimity, in all instances where they do not spring from a principle of religion, are but splendid altars on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/heroism-self-denial-and-magnanimity-in-all-instances-where-they-do/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [We ought not to be over-anxious to encourage innovation in cases of doubtful improvement, for an old system must ever have two advantages over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-ought-not-to-be-over-anxious-to-encourage-innovation-in-cases-of/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed, but to those who have differed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-owe-almost-all-our-knowledge-not-to-those-who-have-agreed-but-to/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Metaphysicians have been learning their lessons for the last four thousand years, and it is high time that they should now begin to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/metaphysicians-have-been-learning-their-lessons-for-the-last-four/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Faith and works are necessary to our spiritual life as Christians, as soul and body are to our natural life as men; for faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/faith-and-works-are-necessary-to-our-spiritual-life-as-christians-as/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [When all moves equally (says Pascal), nothing seems to move as in a vessel under sail; and when all run by common consent into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-all-moves-equally-says-pascal-nothing-seems-to-move-as-in-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Explore all 778 Charles Caleb Colton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) ## More Deceived quotes > [You have been deceived by your own cold heart - a curse upon your house and all within it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beauty-and-the-beast/you-have-been-deceived-by-your-own-cold-heart-a-curse-upon-your-house/) Beauty And The Beast > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Mundus vult decipi: the world wants to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/mundus-vult-decipi-the-world-wants-to-be-deceived/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [When self-interest inclines a man to print, he should consider that the purchaser expects a pennyworth for his penny, and has reason to asperse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/when-self-interest-inclines-a-man-to-print-he-should-consider-that/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Self-deceit is a sure defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/self-deceit-is-a-sure-defeat/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [We have been deceived into believing prayer is all about persuading God to release His power. We no longer need to beg or plead;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wommack/we-have-been-deceived-into-believing-prayer-is-all-about-persuading/) [Andrew Wommack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wommack/) > [It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-sometimes-necessary-to-play-the-fool-to-avoid-being-deceived-by/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling to risk being deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul-than-its-opposite-most-men/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [The intention of never deceiving often exposes us to deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-intention-of-never-deceiving-often-exposes-us-to-deception/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“To recklessly excuse a failure is to believe that I’ve effectively erased it from the story of my life, when I’ve actually imprinted it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-recklessly-excuse-a-failure-is-to-believe-that-i-ve-effectively/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [In the long run it makes little difference how cleverly others are deceived; if we are not doing what we are best equipped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-brande/in-the-long-run-it-makes-little-difference-how-cleverly-others-are/) [Dorothea Brande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-brande/) > [The man who while he gives thinks of what he will get in return, deserves to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-man-who-while-he-gives-thinks-of-what-he-will-get-in-return/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [“The marquis de Carabas was not a good man, and he knew himself well enough to be perfectly certain that he was not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-marquis-de-carabas-was-not-a-good-man-and-he-knew-himself-well/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) Browse all 605 Deceived quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Flattery is often a traffic of mutual meanness, where although both parties intend deception, neither are deceived.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Caleb Colton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-meanness-where-although-both/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deceived" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-meanness-where-although-both/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/charles-caleb-colton-270_deceived_flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-me_665347.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/charles-caleb-colton-270_deceived_flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-me_665347.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/720/charles-caleb-colton-270_deceived_flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-me_665347.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Flattery is often a traffic of mutual meanness, where although both parties intend deception, neither are…” — Charles Caleb Colton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Caleb Colton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Flattery is often a traffic of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-meanness-where-although-both/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/flattery-is-often-a-traffic-of-mutual-meanness-where-although-both/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```