When you come into any fresh company, observe their humours. Suit
your own carriage thereto, by which insinuation you will make their
converse more free and open. Let your discourse be more in querys
and doubtings than peremptory assertions or disputings, it being
the designe of travelers to learne, not to teach. Besides, it will
persuade your acquaintance that you have the greater esteem of
them, and soe make them more ready to communicate what they know to
you; whereas nothing sooner occasions disrespect and quarrels than
peremptorinesse. You will find little or no advantage in seeming
wiser, or much more ignorant than your company. Seldom discommend
anything though never so bad, or doe it but moderately, lest you
bee unexpectedly forced to an unhansom retraction. It is safer to
commend any thing more than is due, than to discommend a thing soe
much as it deserves; for commendations meet not soe often with
oppositions, or, at least, are not usually soe ill resented by men
that think otherwise, as discommendations; and you will insinuate
into men's favour by nothing sooner than seeming to approve and
commend what they like; but beware of doing it by a comparison.
--_Sir Isaac Newton to one of his pupils_