Quotes About Negotiation

The Strength of a civilization is not measured by its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them.

Whatever promises offered by dictators in any negotiated settlement, no one should ever forget that the dictators may promise anything to secure submission from their democratic opponents, and then brazenly violate those same agreements.

Further, democratic negotiators, or foreign negotiation specialists accepted to assist in the negotiations, may in a single stroke provide the dictators with the domestic and international legitimacy that they had been previously denied because of their seizure of the state, human rights violations, and brutalities. Without that desperately needed legitimacy, the dictators cannot continue to rule indefinitely.

Be careful. Be diplomatic. Try not to blow anything up.

On the eve of each war at least one of the nations miscalculated its bargaining power. In that sense every war comes from a misunderstanding. And in that sense every war is an accident.

Wars can only occur when two nations decide that they can gain more by fighting than by negotiating. War can only begin and can only continue with the consent of at least two nations.

War and peace are not separate compartments. Peace depends on threats and force; often peace is the crystallisation of past force.

My God, I would never do anything to encourage Hanoi—I mean Saigon—not to come to the table because, basically, that was what you got out of your bombing pause, that, good God, we want them over in Paris. We've got to get them to Paris or you can't have peace….I just want you to know, I'm not trying to interfere with your conduct of it. I mean I'll only do what you and Rusk want me to do, but I'll do anything…

Here's a thought. You answer what I ask and I keep not killing you." - Antiope Flint - DREAMNASIUM

This is why we apply the LCD Principle or Lowest Common Democracy. In short, this is social interaction based not on the best possible good, but on the least possible offense. Without saying so, the parties involved have entered into the following arrangement: What is the least we can all agree on and still get along? Of course, you can see this means no one is pleased.

will is a bargaining situation, not an organ.

The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it.

You have no idea how much it contributes to the general politeness and pleasantness of diplomacy when you have a little quiet armed force in the background

And from this story I learned about the geopolitics of taking out one's salami.

By merely foreswearing violence and taking advantage of their unique position contiguous with the world's most creative people, the Palestinians could be rich and happy.

What part of no don't you understand?" "The part where I don't get what I want.

If you finish eating this food, I'll get you a whole herd of giant donkeys." "That's the strangest bribe I've ever heard of

Come to dinner with me tonight and I'll consider it." Yes! "No. I don't negotiate with terrorists.

Are you going to let me go?" Jack asked quietly. "I'm thinking about it." "So Gaston gets let go but I don't?" "I like him more than I like you.

In my experience, Connor acted as if the word no meant nothing unless he was the one saying it.

I once took a city with five men and a lame goat. If I can do that, you can convince the necromancers to pledge themselves to you. Do this or die.

You know my price," he told her. Elara leaned back and crossed her arms, her face iced over. "Really?" "The whole thing. You'll put it in your mouth and you'll swallow." What? "The whole thing?

He fixed me with a hard stare. "What do you want?" I blinked. "I'm sorry?" He spoke slowly, carefully shaping the words as if I was slow or hard of hearing. "What do you want for the maps?" I wanted to hit him in the mouth really hard.

Cerise Mar voiced a polite and a nonviolent request that they get the hell off our land, which was refused.