The Art of Worldly Wisdom(112)

Gain Goodwill. For thus the First and Highest Cause foresees and furthers the greatest objects. By gaining their goodwill you gain people's good opinion. Some trust so much to merit that they neglect grace, but wise men know that service road without a lift from favour is a long way indeed. Goodwill facilitates and supplies everything: it supposes gifts or even supplies them, such as courage, zeal, knowledge, or even discretion; whereas defects it will not see because it does not search for them. It arises from some common interest, either material, as disposition, nationality, family, fatherland, occupation; or formal, which is of a higher kind of communion, in capacity, obligation, reputation, or merit. The whole difficulty is to gain goodwill — to keep it is easy. It has, however, to be sought for, and, when found, to be utilized.