--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was never the diplomatic diplomat." description: "\"I was never the diplomatic diplomat.\" — Adolfo Aguilar Zinser" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/adolfo-aguilar-zinser-81580_diplomat_i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat-2773_2773369.png" --- # I was never the diplomatic diplomat. ![“I was never the diplomatic diplomat.” quote by Adolfo Aguilar Zinser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/adolfo-aguilar-zinser-81580_diplomat_i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat-2773_2773369.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/adolfo-aguilar-zinser-81580_diplomat_i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat-2773_2773369.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/adolfo-aguilar-zinser-81580_diplomat_i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat-2773_2773369.png) > “I was never the diplomatic diplomat.” Adolfo Aguilar Zinser ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admits a lack of diplomatic skill, implying a preference for directness over political finesse. **In simple terms:** Not a skilled diplomat. Key Takeaway Embrace honesty over diplomatic pretense. Themes honesty self-awareness politics Mood reflective pragmatic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - negotiations - team leadership - public speaking Key Concepts personal authenticity communication style Questions to Reflect On - When is bluntness more effective than diplomacy? - How can you improve diplomatic skills without losing authenticity? A Different Perspective Directness may cause conflict; balance needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diplomat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomat/) [Diplomats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomats/) ## Related quotes > [Even when I was at CIA, I'd go to visit foreign leaders and I'd say, 'You know, I'm not a diplomat. I'm just an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/even-when-i-was-at-cia-i-d-go-to-visit-foreign-leaders-and-i-d-say/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [My father was a diplomatic officer. As a diplomat's daughter, you have to learn to present yourself very early on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-turner/my-father-was-a-diplomatic-officer-as-a-diplomat-s-daughter-you-have/) [Kathleen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-turner/) > [“Once war was considered the business of soldiers, international relations the concern of diplomats. But now that war has become seemingly total and seemingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/once-war-was-considered-the-business-of-soldiers-international/) [C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/) > [“I would rather contend with an honest asshole than a duplicitous diplomat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-samaan/i-would-rather-contend-with-an-honest-asshole-than-a-duplicitous/) [A.E. Samaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-samaan/) > [“Anyone who has had anything to do with the higher diplomacy is aware that diplomatic language stands in a class by itself. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/anyone-who-has-had-anything-to-do-with-the-higher-diplomacy-is-aware/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [Today, only two groups in the United States have total immunity from lawsuits: foreign diplomats and HMOs. We believe it's time to end diplomatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/today-only-two-groups-in-the-united-states-have-total-immunity-from/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [The basic quality for the diplomat is not intelligence but loyalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-basic-quality-for-the-diplomat-is-not-intelligence-but-loyalty/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [My advice to any diplomat who wants to have good press is to have two or three kids and a dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-t-rowan/my-advice-to-any-diplomat-who-wants-to-have-good-press-is-to-have-two/) [Carl T. Rowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-t-rowan/) > [ The \[Carter\] administration doesn't know the difference between a diplomat and a doormat. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-carter-administration-doesn-t-know-the-difference-between-a/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Originally I wanted to be a diplomat, and by attrition I started giving up that idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gimlette/originally-i-wanted-to-be-a-diplomat-and-by-attrition-i-started/) [John Gimlette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gimlette/) > [If a diplomat says yes, he means perhaps. If he says perhaps he means no. And if he says no, he's the hell of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-sligh-turnbull/if-a-diplomat-says-yes-he-means-perhaps-if-he-says-perhaps-he-means/) [Agnes Sligh Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-sligh-turnbull/) > [I think my father thought I might be president of the United States. I think he would've been satisfied with secretary of state. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-think-my-father-thought-i-might-be-president-of-the-united-states-i/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I was going to study at the Sorbonne and become a diplomat. Being a diplomat comes in handy when you are dealing with record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/i-was-going-to-study-at-the-sorbonne-and-become-a-diplomat-being-a/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [Diplomacy, of course, is a subtle and nuanced craft, so much so that it's said that when the most wily diplomat of the nineteenth-century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/diplomacy-of-course-is-a-subtle-and-nuanced-craft-so-much-so-that-it/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [a diplomat ... is not worthy of the name unless he can say 'no' and make the other person like it - or at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margery-wilson/a-diplomat-is-not-worthy-of-the-name-unless-he-can-say-no-and-make/) [Margery Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margery-wilson/) ## More by Adolfo Aguilar Zinser > [Any Mexican, would recognise that Mexico was abused, undervalued and downgraded in international circles, most of all by the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolfo-aguilar-zinser/any-mexican-would-recognise-that-mexico-was-abused-undervalued-and/) Adolfo Aguilar Zinser > [We cannot pretend that reality is different from what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolfo-aguilar-zinser/we-cannot-pretend-that-reality-is-different-from-what-it-is/) Adolfo Aguilar Zinser Explore all 3 Adolfo Aguilar Zinser quotes ## More Diplomat quotes > [How much more comfortable it is to say 'Yes, and...' than 'Yes, but...'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-fagg/how-much-more-comfortable-it-is-to-say-yes-and-than-yes-but/) [Lawrence Fagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-fagg/) > [Too many of us fail to fulfill our needs because we say no rather than yes, or perhaps later in life, yes when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/too-many-of-us-fail-to-fulfill-our-needs-because-we-say-no-rather/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [In truth, the degree of anyone's success depends on how often they can say the word yes and hear the word no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/in-truth-the-degree-of-anyone-s-success-depends-on-how-often-they-can/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I know firsthand from my experience working counterintelligence investigations for the FBI that kicking a diplomat out of the country is no small thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asha-rangappa/i-know-firsthand-from-my-experience-working-counterintelligence/) [Asha Rangappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asha-rangappa/) > [“You don't have to say yes to everything, you know. It's okay to say no.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-gurtler/you-don-t-have-to-say-yes-to-everything-you-know-it-s-okay-to-say-no/) [Janet Gurtler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-gurtler/) > [Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/never-allow-a-person-to-tell-you-no-who-doesn-t-have-the-power-to-say/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [a diplomat ... is not worthy of the name unless he can say 'no' and make the other person like it - or at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margery-wilson/a-diplomat-is-not-worthy-of-the-name-unless-he-can-say-no-and-make/) [Margery Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margery-wilson/) > [“Just remember that every “yes” is actually a “no” to something else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-reardon/just-remember-that-every-yes-is-actually-a-no-to-something-else/) [Hank Reardon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-reardon/) > [“When the world says “no” it means a “yes”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumedha-mahajan/when-the-world-says-no-it-means-a-yes/) [Sumedha Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumedha-mahajan/) > [“The word 'NO' is the best motivation there is for the storyteller in you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-k-kuykendall/the-word-no-is-the-best-motivation-there-is-for-the-storyteller-in-you/) [A.K. Kuykendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-k-kuykendall/) > [Your capacity to say "No" determines your capacity to say "Yes" to greater things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/your-capacity-to-say-no-determines-your-capacity-to-say-yes-to/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [I majored in political communications, so I intended to be a diplomat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-ramirez/i-majored-in-political-communications-so-i-intended-to-be-a-diplomat/) [Edgar Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-ramirez/) > [Saying no to something is actually much more powerful than saying yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/saying-no-to-something-is-actually-much-more-powerful-than-saying-yes/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [My father was a diplomat and served as Pakistan's ambassador to 14 countries. I was born in London and grew up there and studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan-sami/my-father-was-a-diplomat-and-served-as-pakistan-s-ambassador-to-14/) [Adnan Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan-sami/) > [“Did I want him to act? Or would I prefer a lifetime of longing provided we both kept this little Ping-Pong game going: not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/did-i-want-him-to-act-or-would-i-prefer-a-lifetime-of-longing/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) [Browse all 340 Diplomat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomat/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was never the diplomatic diplomat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adolfo Aguilar Zinser" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolfo-aguilar-zinser/i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Diplomat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolfo-aguilar-zinser/i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/adolfo-aguilar-zinser-81580_diplomat_i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat-2773_2773369.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/adolfo-aguilar-zinser-81580_diplomat_i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat-2773_2773369.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/adolfo-aguilar-zinser-81580_diplomat_i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat-2773_2773369.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was never the diplomatic diplomat.” — Adolfo Aguilar Zinser", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Adolfo Aguilar Zinser", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolfo-aguilar-zinser/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was never the diplomatic diplomat.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolfo-aguilar-zinser/i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolfo-aguilar-zinser/i-was-never-the-diplomatic-diplomat/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```