"I never met a man I didn't like."

      ...As Will Rogers is often quoted. What does it really mean? Was Rodgers a bad judge of character or naive? Did Will Rodgers never meet a bad man? Unlikely. Notice he never said "I never met a man I didn't trust." But if and when he did meet a baddie, he liked them personally. Which only shows scoundrels, rascals, and perfectly rotten people can be charming.

      Is the quote really a comment not to confuse personal likability with actual goodness? That sentiment being one of the big themes of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. That's one danger of meeting people and judging them on a strictly personal, superficial level by how likeable they are. It's the mistake the populace of Netherfield made with Mr. Wickham.

      Let's face it, Bernie Madoff was probably liked by everyone who ever met him. Being likeable is how all con men ply their disreputable trade. You meet them, they charm you to like and trust them, then they rob you blind. Afterwards you can still say, "I never met a man I didn't like."

      The full quote was Rogers on Leon Trotsy in Saturday Evening Post of November 6, 1926. "I bet you if I had met him and had a chat with him, I would have found him a very interesting and human fellow, for I never yet met a man that I didn't like."   http://www.terrycolon.com/