[D]ifferent people have different quotational gravity.

At its best, flattery is truth well dressed, and it is best dressed with fine see-through fabrics. Honest flattery can caress a lover, cover up a gaffe, and muffle aggression.

If you flatter yourself properly you will be better able to enjoy yourself. Stretch your joy so that others enjoy you too.

Misquotation is quotology’s swamp. Amateur quoters mix and mangle Shakespeare and Scripture. Professors gaffe and printers bungle. It’s a mess we must wade into.

Like pollen on a honeybee, flattery clings to the things you tell yourself.

Flattery.... gets its kicks by flirting with insult and ridicule.

[D]ifferent people have different quotational gravity.