Success Quote by Arnold H. Glasow

Praise, Glasow implies, is less a compliment than a volume knob. It sharpens the ear not because it improves perception, but because it recruits our vanity as an unpaid intern. The line works by smuggling a mild accusation inside a friendly aphorism: we like to think we listen with principle or curiosity, yet our attention is often transactional. Tell us we are impressive and suddenly the room gets quieter, the speaker sounds wiser, the details snap into focus.

The joke is compact and slightly ruthless. “Sense of hearing” sounds clinical, almost virtuous, as if he’s talking about health. Then “praise” shows up and exposes the real mechanism: not biology, but ego. The subtext is that we are selectively hard-of-hearing until affirmation tunes us in. It’s not that praise makes messages clearer; it makes us more willing to grant them authority.

Glasow’s background as a businessman matters here. In sales, management, and office politics, praise isn’t merely kindness; it’s leverage. A well-timed compliment can turn resistance into receptivity, converting skepticism into collaboration. The line doubles as a tool and a warning: if praise can “do wonders,” it can also do damage, making us hear what we want to hear and ignore what we need to hear. It’s a reminder that attention is not a neutral faculty. It’s a resource, and flattery is one of the oldest ways to buy it at a discount.