Never promise more than you can perform.
Publilius SyrusRead
Reprove your friends in secret, praise them openly.
Interpretation
Criticism should be private, while compliments should be public.
This quote emphasizes the importance of how we communicate with our friends. It suggests that when addressing a friend's shortcomings, it is more respectful and constructive to do so privately, preserving their dignity and trust, while praise should be shared openly to encourage and uplift them in front of others. This approach helps maintain healthy relationships by balancing honesty and support.
In practice
A leader might use this quote during a team meeting to explain how to provide feedback to coworkers.
Never promise more than you can perform.
Pain forces even the innocent to lie.
In a heated argument we are apt to lose sight of the truth.
Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly.
What a tragedy is help where it harms what it supports!
The miser is as much in want of what he has as of what he has not.
I boldly assert, in fact I think I know, that a lot of friendships and connections absolutely depend upon a sort of shared language, or slang. Not necessarily designed to exclude others, this can establish a certain comity and, even after a long absence, re-establish it in a second.
I would rather die than betray his trust." "That's not saying much, seeing as you're already dead," Ron observed. "Once again, you show all the sensitivity of a blunt axe," said Nearly Headless Nick in affronted tones.
I never meant to write about the experience of losing a good friend to breast cancer when I was going through it. But after it was over, I realized that although something deeply sad had happened, something truly beautiful also had.
No matter what kind of backgrounds two men are from, if you go, 'Hey, man, women are crazy,' you've got a friend.
Thou wert my guide, philosopher, and friend.
A friend in power is a friend lost.
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