François de Callières, a French diplomat at the turn of the eighteenth century, warned his colleagues not to look down on the countries they visit. All countries are a blend of good and bad, he reminded them. The well-trained diplomat focuses on the good, knowing that nothing he can do or say will change the bad.

It is particularly important, he went on, for a diplomat to acquaint himself with the history and national heroes of the people among whom he is working. Few things can contribute more to the esteem in which his own country will be held, and he will find his proposals much more warmly received.

111 words