There is nothing in the world more difficult than candor, and nothing easier than flattery.
He coolly balances “difficult” against “easier,” sounding like a moralist while angling for advantage. The antithesis exposes his self-knowledge: he flatters because it works. Yet the line is also real wisdom—the hard thing is to be plain. Svidrigailov’s charm is that his truths come varnished with danger. He names the game even as he plays it. Readers feel the seduction of clever honesty that isn’t quite honest.