Never Exaggerate. It is an important object of attention not to talk in superlatives, so as neither to offend truth nor cast doubt on your understanding. Exaggeration wastes distinctions and shows the narrowness of one's knowledge or taste. Praise arouses lively curiosity, begets desire, and if afterwards the value does not correspond to the price—as generally happens—expectation revolts against the deception and revenges itself by cheapening both the thing praised and the praiser. Aprudent person goes more cautiously to work by overstatement. Extraordinary things are rare; therefoere is akin to lying, and you jeopardize your reputation for good taste and—much worse— good sense.

THE ART OF WORLDLY WISDOM BY BALTHASAR GRACIAN

TRANSLATED BY JOSEPH JACOBS 1892