---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is simpler and easier to flatter…"
description: "\"It is simpler and easier to flatter people than to praise them.\" — Jean Paul"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/jean-paul-3898_easier_it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-peop_198753.jpg"
---

#  It is simpler and easier to flatter people than to praise…

![“It is simpler and easier to flatter people than to praise them.” quote by Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/jean-paul-3898_easier_it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-peop_198753.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/jean-paul-3898_easier_it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-peop_198753.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/jean-paul-3898_easier_it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-peop_198753.jpg)

> “It is simpler and easier to flatter people than to praise them.”

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

## About This Quote

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

Flattery is easy, but genuine praise requires effort and honesty.

**In simple terms:** Flattery is simple; praise is harder.

Key Takeaway

Choose sincere praise over empty compliments.

Themes

honesty communication integrity

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- career
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

praise flattery social interaction

Questions to Reflect On

- When is flattery appropriate?
- How can we give honest praise?

A Different Perspective

Flattery can be manipulative.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/)

## Related quotes

> [I just like it when I can understand things, and the simpler it is, the easier it is to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-just-like-it-when-i-can-understand-things-and-the-simpler-it-is-the/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [When you and I go to work, and we use a computer to work and find that our work apps are completely onerous and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-levine/when-you-and-i-go-to-work-and-we-use-a-computer-to-work-and-find-that/)

[Peter Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-levine/)

> [“The best way to flatter people is to ask them for an advice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/the-best-way-to-flatter-people-is-to-ask-them-for-an-advice/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [Our Times, a Brief History: As televisions became flatter, People became rounder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/our-times-a-brief-history-as-televisions-became-flatter-people-became/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [It is much simpler and easier to collect and caress the trophies of our democratic inheritance than it is to fashion up-to-date tools with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-ferguson/it-is-much-simpler-and-easier-to-collect-and-caress-the-trophies-of/)

[Charles Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-ferguson/)

> [And in "Elbow Room" the cast sings the glories of westward expansion in the United States, which involved the murder of native peoples and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/and-in-elbow-room-the-cast-sings-the-glories-of-westward-expansion-in/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [The truth always turns out to be simpler than you thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-truth-always-turns-out-to-be-simpler-than-you-thought/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [The simpler it is, the more beautiful it will become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-backhaus/the-simpler-it-is-the-more-beautiful-it-will-become/)

Wilhelm Backhaus

> [The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/the-main-purpose-of-science-is-simplicity-and-as-we-understand-more/)

[Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/)

> [Keep things simple, but not any simpler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/einstine/keep-things-simple-but-not-any-simpler/)

Einstine

> [O, how much simpler things would be If eyes could paint or brush could see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/o-how-much-simpler-things-would-be-if-eyes-could-paint-or-brush-could/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [“Nothingness, after all, is simpler than any one particular existing thing ever could be; there is only one nothing, and many kinds of something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-carroll/nothingness-after-all-is-simpler-than-any-one-particular-existing/)

[Sean Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-carroll/)

> [Our clothing, our food, our household furnishings - all could be much simpler than they now are and at the same time be better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/our-clothing-our-food-our-household-furnishings-all-could-be-much/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [“Once you start doing it, lying is simpler than breathing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/once-you-start-doing-it-lying-is-simpler-than-breathing/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

## More by Jean Paul

> [What Cicero said of men-that they are like wines, age souring the bad, and bettering the good-we can say of misfortune, that it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/what-cicero-said-of-men-that-they-are-like-wines-age-souring-the-bad/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [There is a joy in sorrow which none but a mourner can know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/there-is-a-joy-in-sorrow-which-none-but-a-mourner-can-know/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [I have made as much out of myself as could be made of the stuff, and no man should require more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/i-have-made-as-much-out-of-myself-as-could-be-made-of-the-stuff-and/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [Art is indeed not the bread but the wine of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/art-is-indeed-not-the-bread-but-the-wine-of-life/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [Humankind's chief fault is that they have so many small ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/humankind-s-chief-fault-is-that-they-have-so-many-small-ones/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [As a man grows older it is harder and harder to frighten him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/as-a-man-grows-older-it-is-harder-and-harder-to-frighten-him/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [In science the new is an advance; but in morals, as contradicting our inner ideals and historic idols, it is ever a retrogression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/in-science-the-new-is-an-advance-but-in-morals-as-contradicting-our/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [It has been jestingly said that the works of John Paul Richter are almost unintelligible to any but the Germans, and even to some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/it-has-been-jestingly-said-that-the-works-of-john-paul-richter-are/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [What makes old age so sad is, not that our joys, but that our hopes then cease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/what-makes-old-age-so-sad-is-not-that-our-joys-but-that-our-hopes/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [There are souls which fall from heaven like flowers, but ere they bloom are crushed under the foul tread of some brutal hoof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/there-are-souls-which-fall-from-heaven-like-flowers-but-ere-they/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [Romanticism is beauty without bounds-the beautiful infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/romanticism-is-beauty-without-bounds-the-beautiful-infinite/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [Weaklings must lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/weaklings-must-lie/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [God is an unutterable sigh, planted in the depths of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/god-is-an-unutterable-sigh-planted-in-the-depths-of-the-soul/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [Beauty attracts us men; but if, like an armed magnet it is pointed, beside, with gold and silver, it attracts with tenfold power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/beauty-attracts-us-men-but-if-like-an-armed-magnet-it-is-pointed/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

[Explore all 117 Jean Paul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

## More Easier quotes

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Nothing is easier than yesterday's solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-sperry/nothing-is-easier-than-yesterday-s-solutions/)

Roger Sperry

> [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/)

[Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/)

> [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [It's funny, everything is so much easier when you do it yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/it-s-funny-everything-is-so-much-easier-when-you-do-it-yourself/)

[Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/)

> [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I'm truly, 100% guided by the characters and my Muse. If one of the characters suddenly decided to do something very different, I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/i-m-truly-100-guided-by-the-characters-and-my-muse-if-one-of-the/)

[Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/)

> [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [“it is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didnt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-buren/it-is-easier-to-do-a-job-right-than-to-explain-why-you-didnt/)

[Martin Van Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-buren/)

> [“Often we find it easier to think our way around things rather than to feel our way through them:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/often-we-find-it-easier-to-think-our-way-around-things-rather-than-to/)

[Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/)

> [I know it is easier said than done, but you have to find a way to surround yourself with positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-know-it-is-easier-said-than-done-but-you-have-to-find-a-way-to/)

[Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

Browse all 5,480 Easier quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is simpler and easier to flatter people than to praise them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jean Paul"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-people-than-to-praise-them/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Easier"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-people-than-to-praise-them/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/jean-paul-3898_easier_it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-peop_198753.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/jean-paul-3898_easier_it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-peop_198753.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/jean-paul-3898_easier_it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-peop_198753.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is simpler and easier to flatter people than to praise them.” — Jean Paul",
                "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": "Jean Paul",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is simpler and easier to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-people-than-to-praise-them/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/it-is-simpler-and-easier-to-flatter-people-than-to-praise-them/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
