March 18, 2005
Quotes > Colby Cosh on Diplomacy
"A diplomat isn't someone who is unfailingly polite; he's merely someone who is never unintentionally rude."
-- Colby Cosh
Posted by lesjones
"Diplomacy is the practice of saying "nice doggie" while looking for a big stick."
Nowhere near as elegant, and in the situation where I first heard it what we actually found was an easy exit, but it seems on-topic. In the context of Colby's definition I would expand it to say that a diplomat will furthermore never be ruder than he intends, or than the situation warrants.
Oddly enough, I just linked Colby on an utterly different topic.