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Diplomacy

· One min read

A coworker relayed this definition of diplomacy:

Diplomacy is the art of of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions

This is a variation of a common quote, typically misattributed to Winston Churchill.1

The earliest version was posted anonymously to the "St. Louis Star-Times" in 1937.2

A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a tactful way that you’ll look forward with pleasure to making the trip.

Footnotes

  1. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/04/03/diplomat/

  2. ibid.