Admiration is a forced tribute; and to extort it from mankind, envious and ignorant as they are, they must be taken unawares. [ James Northcote ]

Nature, mysterious even under the light of day, is not to be robbed of her veil; and what she does not choose to reveal you will not extort from her with levers and screws. [ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ]

Praise in the beginning is agreeable enough, and we receive it as a favor; but when it comes in great quantities, we regard it only as a debt, which nothing but our merit could extort. [ Goldsmith ]