It is the misfortune of all celebrated people not to fulfill afterwards the expectations berforehand formed of them. The real can never equal the imagined, for it is easy to form ideals but very difficult to realize them. Imagination weds hope and gives birth to much more than things are in themselves. However excellent something is, it never suffices to fulfill expectations. And as people find themselves disappointed with their exorbitant expectations they are more readily disillusioned than impressed. Hope is a great falsifier of truth; let skill guard against this by ensuring that fruition exceeds desire. A few creditable attempts at the beginning are sufficient to arouse curiosity without pledging one to the final object. It is better that reality should surpass the design and it turns out better than was thought. This rule does not apply to wicked things, for the same exaggeration is a great aid with them and draws general applause; what seemed at first extreme ruin comes to be thought of as quite bearable.

THE ART OF WORLDLY WISDOM BY BALTHASAR GRACIAN
TRANSLATED BY JOSEPH JACOBS 1892