To forestall the sting of other people's criticism, I sometimes write my own bad reviews, getting in there first so that, if I must acknowledge a flaw, I can at least pick up a little bonus bouquet for being humble. I have to admit, though, that the whole calculus of praise and criticism has been pretty unsatisfying just about every time I've engaged in it, regardless of what I may have hoped would happen. The truth is this: whether one is feverishly collecting compliments or carrying out a preemptive strike against criticism by running oneself down, conducting an inventory on yourself all the time is boring.

Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, Meditations on the Book of Psalms