“Better not flatter if you ain't sincere.”

“He realized...that the loudest are the least sincere, that arrogance is a quality of the ignorant, and that flatterers tend to be vicious. ”

“There ain't a body, be it mouse or man, that ain't made better by a little soup.”

“Panic ain't better than pretending not to feel so.”

“Without his even being aware that it was happening, Paul's face rearranged itself into the expression of sincere concentration he always wore while listening to editors. He thought of this as his Can I Help You, Lady? expression. That was because most editors were like women who drive into service stations and tell the mechanic to fix whatever it is that's making that knocking sound under the hood or going wonk-wonk inside the dashboard, and please have it done an hour ago. A look of sincere concentration was good because it flattered them, and when editors were flattered, they would sometimes give in on some of their mad ideas.”

“There is, especially in the American media, a deep belief that insincerity is better than no sincerity at all.”