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My colleague wrote his review on me and mentioned many good things about me. I want to show my appreciation to him, but I'm not sure if I can say "Thank you for your flattering comments" without sounding negative (because of the negative meanings of the word "flatter"). What do you think?

Also, what would be common to say in this situation?

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"Flatter" does not always mean that the compliments are insincere, so your response will often be taken to mean that you are sincerely flattered by the praise you've received. If you wish no ambiguity, then by all means express yourself directly using terms whose meaning will not be misunderstood. @MaxB offers one; others might include "Thank you. I appreciate such positive feedback." Or "Thanks. Your opinions mean a lot to me." And to foster the good working relationship, you might also state that "I welcome any insights you might have that might help me improve my performance further."

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"Thank you. You are too kind!"

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    I agree that kind is a better word than flattering here. ckcn could write, "Thank you for your kind comments."
    – dangph
    May 19, 2016 at 4:05
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    Please explain your answer in full. How does this answer the question?
    – Matt E. Эллен
    May 19, 2016 at 22:29
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4 years on -

I on occasion remark "Flattery will get you somewhere".

("Flattery will get you nowhere" being a somewhat standardised put down.)

Interestingly, this phrase is far more common than I would have expected.
Google Ngrams Corpus English results below, with no instances of either recorded prior to 1940.

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