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The expression “paying a compliment” is kind of funny because compliments are the gifts we give to others that don’t cost a cent. They don’t need to be sized, they don’t need a box, and they don’t have to be wrapped. But they are truly priceless.
A compliment only takes a few seconds to say, but it lingers for hours. When your mom is rushing out the door to work, and you tell her how great she looks in her new suit, she’ll carry that with her all day long. When you tell your friend that the poem she wrote for English was so funny it made you laugh out loud, she’ll remember that each time she reads it again. When you tell your grandmother that no one makes better biscuits than she does, she’ll think of you each time she bakes up a batch.
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Compliments are gifts that everyone loves getting and that never have to be taken back.
YOU DO
Tell someone when you think she or he has done something really well, or when she looks really pretty, or when his jacket is really cool.
YOU DON’T
Keep those thoughts to yourself, even if you’re shy or don’t know the person that well. The opportunity will pass, and then you’ll wish you had taken it.
Why
It is never wrong or incorrect to say something nice to someone.
YOU DO
Pay compliments with sincerity and only when you mean it.
YOU DON’T
Say something nice just to have something to say.
Why
If you tell your friend every time you see her that she looks fantastic, she’s going to stop believing you. Nobody, not even a supermodel, looks fantastic all the time.
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A lady is not stingy with her compliments.
A lady does not exaggerate her compliments.
A lady is genuine in her compliments.