---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Flattery corrupts both the receiver and…"
description: "\"Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver; and adulation is not of more service to the people than to kings.\" — Edmund Burke"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/edmund-burke-400_adulation_flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and_1992057.jpg"
---

#  Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver; and…

![“Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver; and adulation is not of more service to the people than to kings.” quote by Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/edmund-burke-400_adulation_flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and_1992057.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/edmund-burke-400_adulation_flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and_1992057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/edmund-burke-400_adulation_flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and_1992057.jpg)

> “Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver; and adulation is not of more service to the people than to kings.”

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Flattery and adulation harm both giver and receiver, offering little public benefit.

**In simple terms:** Flattery corrupts everyone and serves no public good.

Key Takeaway

Seek sincere dialogue over empty praise.

Themes

politics ethics communication power

Mood

cautious ethical reflective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- political speeches
- corporate culture
- personal interactions

Key Concepts

social influence leadership integrity public discourse

Questions to Reflect On

- When is praise constructive?
- How to balance humility and confidence?

A Different Perspective

Flattery may be useful in diplomacy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulation/) [Corrupts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corrupts/) [Flattery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flattery/) [Flattery Corrupts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flattery-corrupts-1700746/) [Giver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giver/) [Giver Adulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giver-adulation-3459381/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-kings-1492137/) [Receiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/receiver/)

## Related quotes

> [Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and-the-giver/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [“It's not you worries me. The king is a good man, and an old friend, but it has been a long time, and kings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/it-s-not-you-worries-me-the-king-is-a-good-man-and-an-old-friend-but/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [Custom, that unwritten law, By which the people keep even kings in awe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-davenport/custom-that-unwritten-law-by-which-the-people-keep-even-kings-in-awe/)

[Charles Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-davenport/)

> [Many of the greatest tyrants on the records of history have begun their reigns in the fairest manner. But the truth is, this unnatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/many-of-the-greatest-tyrants-on-the-records-of-history-have-begun-2/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [The adulation or the superstardom is something I could leave out quite happily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/the-adulation-or-the-superstardom-is-something-i-could-leave-out/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [In the game of cricket it has always been customary to accord more adulation to batsman than to bowlers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-peebles/in-the-game-of-cricket-it-has-always-been-customary-to-accord-more/)

[Ian Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-peebles/)

> [Smitten as we are with the vision of social righteousness, a God indifferent to everything but adulation, and full of partiality for his individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/smitten-as-we-are-with-the-vision-of-social-righteousness-a-god/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [I savour the adulation and love I have been getting from my fans and the blessings of elders in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-savour-the-adulation-and-love-i-have-been-getting-from-my-fans-and/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [I believe that Jesus would have given His life for just one person. Jesus emptied Himself, He humbled Himself and He so yielded Himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-baker/i-believe-that-jesus-would-have-given-his-life-for-just-one-person/)

[Heidi Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-baker/)

> [Continuously, we have to fight to defeat the primitive tendency towards the glorification of arms, the adulation of force, born of the illusion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/continuously-we-have-to-fight-to-defeat-the-primitive-tendency/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [That is what marks out the warrior: the knowledge that willpower and courage are not the same thing. Courage can attract fear and adulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/that-is-what-marks-out-the-warrior-the-knowledge-that-willpower-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/)

[Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/)

> [I believe that it is possible for one to praise, without concern, any man after he is dead since every reason and supervision for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/i-believe-that-it-is-possible-for-one-to-praise-without-concern-any/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [“To say she is only a woman is to say a violin is a piece of wood with strings, and Dante is mere ink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/to-say-she-is-only-a-woman-is-to-say-a-violin-is-a-piece-of-wood-with/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [Mass adulation from the multitudes does not penetrate your soul or your core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-o-donnell/mass-adulation-from-the-multitudes-does-not-penetrate-your-soul-or/)

[Rosie O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-o-donnell/)

## More by Edmund Burke

> [It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-the-interest-of-the-commercial-world-that-wealth-should-be/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [“Many of the greatest tyrants on the records of history have begun their reigns in the fairest manner. But the truth is, this unnatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/many-of-the-greatest-tyrants-on-the-records-of-history-have-begun/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [“Wise men will apply their remedies to vices, not to names; to the causes of evil which are permanent, not to the occasional organs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/wise-men-will-apply-their-remedies-to-vices-not-to-names-to-the/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [“A man full of warm, speculative benevolence may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-man-full-of-warm-speculative-benevolence-may-wish-his-society/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [My vigour relents. I pardon something to the spirit of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/my-vigour-relents-i-pardon-something-to-the-spirit-of-liberty/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [A speculative despair is unpardonable where it our duty to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-speculative-despair-is-unpardonable-where-it-our-duty-to-act/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [The great must submit to the dominion of prudence and of virtue, or none will long submit to the dominion of thegreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-great-must-submit-to-the-dominion-of-prudence-and-of-virtue-or/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/those-who-have-been-once-intoxicated-with-power-and-have-derived-any/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [What is it we all seek for in an election? To answer its real purposes, you must first possess the means of knowing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/what-is-it-we-all-seek-for-in-an-election-to-answer-its-real-purposes/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Society is indeed a contract. It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/society-is-indeed-a-contract-it-is-a-partnership-in-all-science-a/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [You can never plan the future by the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/you-can-never-plan-the-future-by-the-past/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [The great inlet by which a colour for oppression has entered into the world is by one man's pretending to determine concerning the happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-great-inlet-by-which-a-colour-for-oppression-has-entered-into-the/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [By the disposition of a stupendous wisdom, moulding together the great mysterious incorporation of the human race, the whole, at one time, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/by-the-disposition-of-a-stupendous-wisdom-moulding-together-the-great/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Religion, to have any force upon men's understandings,--indeed, to exist at all,--must be supposed paramount to law, and independent for its substance upon any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/religion-to-have-any-force-upon-men-s-understandings-indeed-to-exist/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

[Explore all 595 Edmund Burke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

## More Adulation quotes

> [Mass adulation from the multitudes does not penetrate your soul or your core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-o-donnell/mass-adulation-from-the-multitudes-does-not-penetrate-your-soul-or/)

[Rosie O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-o-donnell/)

> [“To say she is only a woman is to say a violin is a piece of wood with strings, and Dante is mere ink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/to-say-she-is-only-a-woman-is-to-say-a-violin-is-a-piece-of-wood-with/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [I believe that it is possible for one to praise, without concern, any man after he is dead since every reason and supervision for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/i-believe-that-it-is-possible-for-one-to-praise-without-concern-any/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/)

[Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/)

> [That is what marks out the warrior: the knowledge that willpower and courage are not the same thing. Courage can attract fear and adulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/that-is-what-marks-out-the-warrior-the-knowledge-that-willpower-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Continuously, we have to fight to defeat the primitive tendency towards the glorification of arms, the adulation of force, born of the illusion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/continuously-we-have-to-fight-to-defeat-the-primitive-tendency/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [I believe that Jesus would have given His life for just one person. Jesus emptied Himself, He humbled Himself and He so yielded Himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-baker/i-believe-that-jesus-would-have-given-his-life-for-just-one-person/)

[Heidi Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-baker/)

> [I savour the adulation and love I have been getting from my fans and the blessings of elders in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-savour-the-adulation-and-love-i-have-been-getting-from-my-fans-and/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [Smitten as we are with the vision of social righteousness, a God indifferent to everything but adulation, and full of partiality for his individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/smitten-as-we-are-with-the-vision-of-social-righteousness-a-god/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [In the game of cricket it has always been customary to accord more adulation to batsman than to bowlers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-peebles/in-the-game-of-cricket-it-has-always-been-customary-to-accord-more/)

[Ian Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-peebles/)

> [The adulation or the superstardom is something I could leave out quite happily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/the-adulation-or-the-superstardom-is-something-i-could-leave-out/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [The ambitious are forever followed by adulation for they receive the most pleasure from flattery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-ambitious-are-forever-followed-by-adulation-for-they-receive-the/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [What is the average type of a counterfeit church? A hammock, attached on one side to the cross, and, on the other, held and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-cook/what-is-the-average-type-of-a-counterfeit-church-a-hammock-attached/)

[Joseph Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-cook/)

> [Our weapons are the ironic mind against the literal: the open mind against the credulous; the courageous pursuit of truth against the fearful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/our-weapons-are-the-ironic-mind-against-the-literal-the-open-mind/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Giving consistent effort in the little things in day-to-day life leads to true greatness. Specifically, it is the thousands of little deeds and tasks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-hunter/giving-consistent-effort-in-the-little-things-in-day-to-day-life/)

[Howard W. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-hunter/)

[Browse all 86 Adulation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver; and adulation is not of more service to the people than to kings.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edmund Burke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and-the-giver-and-adulation-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adulation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and-the-giver-and-adulation-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/edmund-burke-400_adulation_flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and_1992057.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/edmund-burke-400_adulation_flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and_1992057.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/edmund-burke-400_adulation_flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and_1992057.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver; and adulation is not of more service to the people than…” — Edmund Burke",
                "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": "Edmund Burke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Flattery corrupts both the receiver and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and-the-giver-and-adulation-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/flattery-corrupts-both-the-receiver-and-the-giver-and-adulation-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```