Sentimentalists. . . adopt whatever merit is in good repute, and almost make it hateful with their praise. The warmer their expressions, the colder we feel. . . .
Source: Letters and Social Aims, Social Aims, 1876.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, (May 25 1803-1882), US philosopher, poet, essayist; He was the main spokesman of his time for moral optimism and belief in the individual: Self-Reliance, 1844.