What is the Highest Compliment Ever Paid You?

Question

Thank you all for taking time to answer. My choice for best answer goes to Beejee; because, 1. his reply made me laugh out loud and secondly, it demonstrates I hope, the reason why I posed the question.

I was visiting my parents and was sitting in the village coffee shop discussing politics with the other customers. The debate became somewhat passionate and eventually the main protagonists agreed to disagree.
Soon I was sitting with only one of the village’s older inhabitants, who had not uttered a single word throughout the preceeding debate. He turned to me and said; “I have been watching you whenever you visit the village, and you have never allowed your family’s success or your western education to go to your head. You talk to the village idiot and to the mayor with the same respect.

Soon the old guy shuffled off and left me to dwell upon his words. It dawned on me that the old man’s words were the highest compliment I was ever paid. Then it struck me why!
It was because his compliment is how I would like to see myself; as someone who will engage with anyone without pre-judgement.

Since that time, whenever I conduct an interview, I always ask the interviewee to tell me the highest compliment ever paid them.. They are describing how they see themselves without being conscious of the fact, because it is ‘someone else’ who is describing them.

Answer 1

My wife told me I am not a complete idiot.

Answer 2

My best friend, at the time, said "there is something special between us" as I was walking with her and felt the same thing. She basically validated my feelings. At other times she told me, "You are everything to me," "You are an island of friendship in a sea of strangers," and "I love you" (among other things). I don't know why those things stuck. Other people have said similar things but they meant the most coming from her.

Answer 3

The only thing that springs to mind is the time my grandmother and I were discussing how every problem we have in the family somehow becomes my problem and I'm expected to fix them all, regardless of the fact that I'm one of the youngest memebers of the family....She said, very honestly, that people come to me with their problems because I'm the backbone of the family. My grandmother isn't one to express how she feels often, so I took that as very high praise.

Answer 4

told two different things, by two different women, but both are related.....one said i could teach women how to eat other women, the other said out of all the women that ever went down on her, i was better than all of them except one! now, i think this is as high a compliment as any man can EVER get!

Answer 5

When I baby sat for a little girl she asked me what my job was and I told her I was a mother and she told me That's what I want to be when I grow up....sweet.

Answer 6

When a complete stranger who had been watching my toddler & I told me I was a good mother

Answer 7

A girl once told me i had no clue how huge i was.
I really dont know what she was talking about-im kind of short.

Answer 8

That I am a great person. The woman ment it too!

--That Cheeky Lad

Answer 9

Some girls at my school came up to me one day and said, "You know,Esther, you're the only girl in this school that we can't gossip about because you're too nice."

Answer 10

Someone once told me that my advice helped save their life.