quote · Words worth keeping
Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.
Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present.
Approximate historical placement: c. 1746 AD · early modern
Meaning not yet available
This entry is preserved in the wider collection, but an individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Browse entries with explanations and examples ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Samuel Johnson
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate historical placement: c. 1746 AD · early modern
author lifetime midpoint (1709–1784)
An author lifetime or approximate period is not necessarily the date when these words were written or spoken. - Recorded source
- Life and Literature (copyright 1910) (1910 AD)
Number 1555 · printed citation: Johnson
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.