Mark Leibovich

To cover politics in Washington allows you to live in the very, very wide gap between what the actual truth is, and how people are trying to manipulate the truth. They speak in the language of spin, obsequiousness, obfuscation. The meta of politics is just this endless source of material that can shed light on the psychology of the process.

American Journalist

Matt Groening

The Simpsons' from the very beginning was based on our memories of brash '60s sitcoms - you had a main title theme that was bombastic and grabbed your attention - and when you look at TV shows of the 1970s and '80s, things got very mild and toned down and... obsequious.

American Cartoonist

Denise Mina

You have to take your ego out of it and say, do I want people to be obsequious to me or do I want to write good books? If it's the latter, you have to take criticism. It's annoying, but that's how to do good stuff; listen to other people.

Scottish Writer

Guy Standing

The Latin root of 'precariousness' is 'to obtain by prayer.' The precariat must ask for favours, for charity, to show obsequiousness, to plead with figures of authority. It is degrading and stigmatizing.

English Actor

Liu Xiaobo

I have been obsequious toward Western civilization, exaggerating its merits and, at the same time, exaggerating my own merits.

Chinese Critic

Washington Irving

Those men are most apt to be obsequious and conciliating abroad, who are under the discipline of shrews at home.

American Writer

Neil Innes

We weren't going to play the show-biz game, and be obsequious.

British Writer

Obsequious has a negative tone, suggesting an excessive eagerness that isn't sincere or genuine.

Negative Nuance

Obsequious behavior often occurs in relationships with unequal power, like between an employee and boss.

Power Dynamics

In some cultures, what might seem obsequious can be seen as polite or respectful, especially in formal settings.

Not Always Bad

 I will never use the word "unacceptable" again. I will never use it. I will try to make it such, but I will never use that word again. But he lunged in the opposite direction. He started, as I mentioned, to get in the room with evil, to not denounce, and became almost obsequious