Joan Blades Quotes

I'm a huge mediator.

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

I feel like I've always been a great mediator.

You have to pick your battles on set.

I was always the mediator.

There is only one way under high heaven to get the best of an argument—and that is to avoid it.

There is no conflict that can’t be solved.

Negotiators run the risk of achieving agreement and then having to take yes for an answer when they are emotionally accustomed to confrontation.

Trust-based mediation assumes accumulated and at times intimate knowledge shared by both the mediator and disputants.

UN administrators ... think that no problem in the world is too intractable to be solved by negotiation. These mandarins fail to grasp that men with guns do not respect men with nothing but flapping gums ... Just as the US Marine Corps breeds warriors, so the UN’s culture breeds conciliators.

The Peacekeepers had a tradition that every problem had a solution. It was a nice slogan. Wasn't true, but it sounded good.

There is no conflict in the world that cannot be solved.

I've spent my life navigating through sensitive issues. Not wanting to upset people.

My career was always about working with people, and understanding issues and problems and helping them to solve those issues and problems. How you deal with people - that's what diplomacy is all about. So while I'm not a career diplomat, many of the skills I had seemed to directly translate into the diplomatic arena.

I've grown up a little bit. I understand the importance of the negotiation. It is a collective act.

Sharon is capable of making peace.

The only thing you think of is that you are in the middle and that you've got to find a way to stop it.

Sometimes you need conflict in order to come up with a solution. Through weakness, oftentimes, you can't make the right sort of settlement, so I'm aggressive, but I also get things done, and in the end, everybody likes me.

The best way to solve problems and to fight against war is through dialogue.

I think what helps me is that delegations of all sizes - the small, the medium, the large, the largest - they all have seen me in action. They all have seen me unlocking blockages, unlocking impasses for several years now, and they all know that... I can bring a constructive mood to the table.

I think most conflicts do end with negotiated settlements; some don't, but most do.

Why are we talking about talking? Why negotiating about negotiating? It's very simple. If you want to get to peace, put all your preconditions on the side, sit down opposite a table, not in a studio, by the way.

I do believe that in order to be a successful negotiator that as a diplomat, you have to be able to put yourself into the other person's shoes. Unless you can understand what is motivating them, you are never going to be able to figure out how to solve a particular problem.

I have a talent for dealing with difficult men.

It's learning how to negotiate to keep both sides happy - whether it's for a multi-million dollar contract or just which show to watch on TV, that determines the quality and enjoyment of our lives.