Flattery is useful when dealing with youngsters.
Interpretation
Flattery can be an effective tool for influencing and guiding young people.
Isaac Asimov's quote suggests that when interacting with children or young individuals, using flattery can be a beneficial approach. It implies that compliments or praise can help in gaining their trust and encouraging positive behaviors, as young minds are often more receptive to kind words. This tactic can foster a supportive environment conducive to learning and growth.
In practice
A teacher using compliments to encourage students to participate more in class.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, but it disappears. It doesn't matter if someone dies.
Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists. Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.
When you have emptied all content - thoughts, desires, memories, projections, hopes - when all is gone, for the first time you find yourself, because you are nothing but that pure space, that virgin space within you. Unburdened by anything, that contentless consciousness, that's what you are! Seeing it, realizing it, one is free. One is freedom, one is joy, one is bliss.
Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.
I shall have to believe even though I cannot understand.
Sincerity is not a test of truth. We must not make this mistake: He must be right; he's so sincere. Because, it is possible to be sincerely wrong. We can only judge truth by truth and sincerity by sincerity.
But it is hard to know them from friends, they are so obsequious and full of protestations; for a wolf resembles a dog, so doth a flatterer a friend.
I adore the struggle you carry in yourself. I adore your terrifying sincerity.
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