“There is no other way of guarding oneself from flatterers except letting men understand that to tell you the truth does not offend you.” The Prince

Deception, flattering, lying, deluding, talking behind the back, putting up a false front, living in borrowed splendor, wearing a mask, hiding behind convention, playing a role for others and for oneself -- in short, a continuous fluttering around the solitary flame of vanity -- is so much the rule and the law among men that there is almost nothing which is less comprehensible than how an honest and pure drive for truth could have arisen among them. On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense

Familiarity breeds contempt -- and children. Mark Twain's Notebook

When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running. Atomic Habits