flattery will get you nowhere
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Excessive praise will not achieve its intended goal
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “flattery will get you nowhere” mean?
Excessive praise will not achieve its intended goal
Is “flattery will get you nowhere” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.