"If you kill me, how are you gonna
get the bird? And if I know you can't afford to kill me, how are you
gonna scare me into giving it to you?" Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart).
"Well, sir, there are other means of
persuasion besides killing and threatening to kill," Kasper Gutman, the
Fat Man (Sydney Greenstreet).
"Yes, ... that's true. But they're
none of 'em any good unless the threat of death is behind them. Do you
see what I mean? If you start something, I'll make it a matter of your
having to kill me or call it off."
"That's an attitude, sir, that calls
for the most delicate judgment on both sides. 'Cause as you know, sir,
in the heat of action, men are likely to forget where their interests
lie and that their emotions carry them away," Gutman.
"Then the trick from my angle is to
make my play strong enough to tie you up, but not make you mad enough to
bump me off against your better judgment," Spade.
"By gad, sir, you are a
character."
— This extended bit of dialogue
particularly fascinates me as a professional negotiator. Too often, I
see parties take positions and counter-positions based solely on
"facts," as if emotions have no role at all. In business, divorce,
religious organizations: Emotion is frequently the linchpin upon which a
mediation will succeed or fail.
"Wise people, even though all laws
were abolished, would still lead the same life."
— There's a common saying among watch
collectors: You don't just buy the watch, you buy the seller.
True in almost any deal, I've found. Much as I truly respect lawyers,
contract details, and courtroom jurisdiction, the only real guarantee is
the integrity of the party with whom you are
negotiating.
