’Tis an old maxim in the schools,
That flattery’s the food of fools;
Yet now and then your men of wit
Will condescend to take a bit.

These lines are from Jonathan Swift’s satirical poem “Cadenus and Vanessa” (written 1713; first published 1726), composed during and after Swift’s intense, complicated relationship with Esther Vanhomrigh (“Vanessa”). In the poem Swift (as “Cadenus,” an anagram of “Decanus,” i.e., the Dean) anatomizes the dynamics of admiration, mentorship, and desire, and he repeatedly mocks the social commerce of praise. The couplet about flattery appears as part of Swift’s broader, characteristically skeptical portrait of how even intelligent people can be tempted by compliments, despite knowing better.

Swift turns a familiar moral proverb—“flattery is the food of fools”—into a sharper observation about human vanity. The sting lies in the concession: even “men of wit,” who pride themselves on discernment, will sometimes “condescend” to accept praise. The verb suggests a self-excusing posture: the clever person pretends to be above flattery while still enjoying it in small doses. The passage fits Swift’s satiric method: he exposes self-deception and the ease with which reason yields to appetite, especially the appetite for admiration. It also hints at the power imbalance in relationships where praise becomes a tool of influence.