Walter Becker Quotes

Heck, nobody gets along perfectly. But what we have is respect for one another. We have a system where one guy can veto anything.

Negotiating in the classic diplomatic sense assumes parties more anxious to agree than to disagree.

Between you and me, I think that may be one of the things that will help with the collaboration, because there are things Eric thinks I'm moving too quickly on, and there are things I think he's dragging out. When it gets to the editor they can arbitrate.

You cannot compromise unless people talk to you.

The main purpose of dialogue is to come to an agreement on how the two parties can work together, realize their mutual interests, and avoid conflict as much as possible

One should not maintain a dispute.

A huge amount of negotiations and diplomacy has nothing to do with bartering or arguing but is just trying to get everyone [doing the negotiating] on the same page. It takes yours, days, even weeks sometimes.

What I do know from my life is the phenomenon of saying, 'This is too small a thing to argue about', but then nevertheless finding oneself in that argument.

I've never thought it was a good idea to act back-to-back.

I like to exchange ideas because we all want to win. If a footballer doesn't agree, then you try and have a chat to work things out.

It's like any normal job. There are people you butt heads with. The main thing is that while you might have difference of opinion, when you get into the ring you take care of each other and you don't try to hurt the other person.

Not one word," Kel warned. "Tobe and I have reached an understanding." Neal's lips twitched. "Why do I feel you did most of the understanding.

If you are at odds with the director, neither one of you is going to get anywhere. You really do have to be able to make both of you happy.

If you don’t intend having a compromise, you don’t negotiate at all.

You need to be able to agree from time to time if we're going to get anywhere. Once you have started a civil dialogue, it's a much smoother road to compromise. The key thing to remember is it's a daily practice.

A peace deal requires agreements, and you don't make agreements with your friends, you make agreements with your enemies.

Number one, that it is smart to communicate and negotiate with your enemy instead of just waging war with bombs and weapons of mass destruction.

Confrontation is something that I accept as part of the project though not its purpose.

If the auto plants in Detroit would just sit around the table and say, 'What do we gotta do to make this thing work?' Instead of, 'I want this and I want that.' They might make it.

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

Businesses that run well are almost like marriages. Everything has to be up for discussion, or there will be real problems.

You learn how to compromise and you learn how to read each other. Honestly, being in a band with two guys has prepared me so much for when it's time for me to get married!

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.

We had many more points of agreement than we had points of difference, but we did differ, and the bigger we got, the more insistent we got that each one of us should have his way.

My first choice was to work it out with Larry Brown. I needed Larry and I gave him 50 million bucks. This is a situation that I'm in and I'll handle it and I'll make it work.