September 6, 2026

The English never smash in a face. They merely refrain from asking it to dinner.

Margaret Halsey (1910 – 1997), American writer, With Malice Towards Some (1938) in The Cynic’s Lexicon, Jonathon Green, ed. (London: 1986), p. 92

MEDITATION: How sensitive are you to slights by others? That’s not to question the thinness of your skin, but your ability to read the subtle insults that some people—in this case Brits—are so good at delivering.

COMMENTARY: Halsey captures a peculiarly English cruelty—civility as camouflage. Modern politics has perfected the art: smile in public, undermine in private, and, if caught, call it diplomacy.