Complimenting people on a good job, or praising them for work we admire, is so engrained in human nature that we do it without even giving it a second thought. Which is why we believe it’s important to compliment a good compliment! So, without further ado, here’s 3 of our favorite compliments in history:
1. George R.R. Martin’s fan letter.
Before he was a best selling author, Martin was a teenage fan boy in love with the world of comics. In 1964, he wrote a letter addressed to Stan Lee and Don Heck. In his letter, he praised the latest two issues of The Avengers and Fantastic Four, saying he had “finally come to the decision to have both mounted in bronze and set on a pedestal in the center of my living room.”
2. Maurice Sendak’s tasty art!
In 2011, Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, told NPR that a child once expressed his love for the writer’s work by devouring it. The young boy had sent Sendak a charming card with a little drawing on it, which Maurice adored. In response, he sent a card and drew a picture of a Wild Thing with the words “Dear Jim: I loved your card.” Sendak soon received a letter back from Jim’s mother saying “Jim loved your card so much, he ate it.”
3. Clyde Barrow to Henry Ford
Famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde’s preferred getaway car was reportedly the Ford’s V-8 powered Model B. In fact, they even died in one, after law officers showered their stolen Ford with more than 130 rounds of steel-jacketed bullets. Clyde wasn’t well practiced in writing, but between heists he took the time to send a letter to Henry Ford, proclaiming ” what a dandy car you make.”
40% — the percentage of compliments accepted by women.
22% — the percentage of women who accept compliments from other women.
61% — the percentage of women who say compliments embarrass them.
47% — the percentage of women who say compliments make them uncomfortable.
55% — the percentage of women who say they don’t want to draw attention to themselves through compliments.
38% — the percentage of women who think the words weren’t meant sincerely.
63% — the percentage of men who accept compliments.
