--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just praise is only a debt, but flattery…" description: "\"Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/samuel-johnson-50_debt_just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery_2676978.png" --- # Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present. ![“Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/samuel-johnson-50_debt_just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery_2676978.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/samuel-johnson-50_debt_just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery_2676978.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/samuel-johnson-50_debt_just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery_2676978.png) > “Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Praise is owed like a debt, but flattery is a gift given without obligation. **In simple terms:** Praise is a debt; flattery a gift. Key Takeaway Distinguish sincere praise from empty flattery. Themes ethics communication social interaction Mood critical thoughtful Type ethical social When to use this quote - workplace feedback - political speeches - personal relationships Key Concepts philosophy rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - When is flattery harmless? - How to respond to insincere praise? A Different Perspective Flattery can be manipulative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flattery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flattery/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) ## Related quotes > [Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present. The acknowledgment of those virtues on which conscience congratulates us is a tribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery-is-a-present-the/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Praise is a debt we owe unto the virtue of others, and due unto our own from all whom malice hath not made mutes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/praise-is-a-debt-we-owe-unto-the-virtue-of-others-and-due-unto-our/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Anything that is beautiful is beautiful just as it is. Praise forms no part of its beauty, since praise makes things neither better nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/anything-that-is-beautiful-is-beautiful-just-as-it-is-praise-forms-no/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“God, I love You for making me suffer like this. It is Your will. You know the best for me. And I just praise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/god-i-love-you-for-making-me-suffer-like-this-it-is-your-will-you/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [Just praise is not enough; you've got to get work to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himesh-reshammiya/just-praise-is-not-enough-you-ve-got-to-get-work-to-survive/) [Himesh Reshammiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himesh-reshammiya/) > [Of this blest man, let his just praise be given, Heaven was in him, before he was in Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/of-this-blest-man-let-his-just-praise-be-given-heaven-was-in-him/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [“No matter what trials or tribulations we go through in life, just go on and praise God anyhow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-miller/no-matter-what-trials-or-tribulations-we-go-through-in-life-just-go/) Vanessa Miller > [Don't just praise a guy's achievements. Praise the personality traits that made them possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-hussey/don-t-just-praise-a-guy-s-achievements-praise-the-personality-traits/) [Matthew Hussey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-hussey/) > [“Just praise God like a kid: let whatever is in you come out, right there in the heat of your battle. Praise from your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-law/just-praise-god-like-a-kid-let-whatever-is-in-you-come-out-right/) [Terry Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-law/) > [“Of this blest man, let this just praise be given, Heaven was in him, before he was in heaven."9”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-phillips/of-this-blest-man-let-this-just-praise-be-given-heaven-was-in-him/) [Richard D. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-phillips/) > [Pope had been flattered till he thought himself one of the moving powers of the system of life. When he talked of laying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pope-had-been-flattered-till-he-thought-himself-one-of-the-moving/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Solitude is the surest nurse of all prurient passions, and a girl in the hurry of preparation, or tumult of gaiety, has neither inclination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/solitude-is-the-surest-nurse-of-all-prurient-passions-and-a-girl-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Men are like stone jugs - you may lug them where you like by the ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/men-are-like-stone-jugs-you-may-lug-them-where-you-like-by-the-ears/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is necessary to the success of flattery, that it be accommodated to particular circumstances or characters, and enter the heart on that side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-necessary-to-the-success-of-flattery-that-it-be-accommodated-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [What signifies protesting so against flattery when a person speaks well of one, it must either be true or false, you know if true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/what-signifies-protesting-so-against-flattery-when-a-person-speaks/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Debt quotes > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Praise will come to those whose kindness leaves you without debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/praise-will-come-to-those-whose-kindness-leaves-you-without-debt/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) > [“Most people, given more money, only get into more debt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/most-people-given-more-money-only-get-into-more-debt/) [Robert T. Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-kiyosaki/) > [“An honest man is a debtless man, he doesn't owe anyone anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-honest-man-is-a-debtless-man-he-doesn-t-owe-anyone-anything/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [It is perhaps my greatest hope, Mr. President, that some day we'll consider tax and spending measures with no one else in mind but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/it-is-perhaps-my-greatest-hope-mr-president-that-some-day-we-ll/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-a-trace-of-irony-i-can-say-i-have-been-blessed-with-brilliant/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [I love Black Sabbath. They made an amazing contribution to music today. Almost every band that made it big in the Nineties owed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-love-black-sabbath-they-made-an-amazing-contribution-to-music-today/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [“The human eye is restricted to see the useen, because there’s a price to be paid to the rulers of this image and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-human-eye-is-restricted-to-see-the-useen-because-there-s-a-price/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [It is a well-settled principle of the international code that where one nation owes another a liquidated debt which it refuses or neglects to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/it-is-a-well-settled-principle-of-the-international-code-that-where/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) > [Student loans have been helpful to many. But they offer neither incentive nor assistance to those students who, by reason of family or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/student-loans-have-been-helpful-to-many-but-they-offer-neither/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Our sins are debts that none can pay but Christ. It is not our tears, but His blood; it is not our sighs, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/our-sins-are-debts-that-none-can-pay-but-christ-it-is-not-our-tears/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [Instead of explaining the sober facts of mechanics and electricity, I want to say a few words about the debt which we owe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-bloch/instead-of-explaining-the-sober-facts-of-mechanics-and-electricity-i/) [Felix Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-bloch/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) Browse all 2,345 Debt quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery-is-a-present/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Debt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery-is-a-present/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/samuel-johnson-50_debt_just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery_2676978.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/samuel-johnson-50_debt_just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery_2676978.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/samuel-johnson-50_debt_just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery_2676978.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Just praise is only a debt,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery-is-a-present/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/just-praise-is-only-a-debt-but-flattery-is-a-present/#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 } } ] } ```