--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A diplomat these days is nothing but a…" description: "\"A diplomat these days is nothing but a head waiter who's allowed to sit down occasionally.\" — Peter Ustinov" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fed/peter-ustinov-4612_diplomat_a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-h_378530.jpg" --- # A diplomat these days is nothing but a head waiter who's… ![“A diplomat these days is nothing but a head waiter who's allowed to sit down occasionally.” quote by Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fed/peter-ustinov-4612_diplomat_a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-h_378530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fed/peter-ustinov-4612_diplomat_a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-h_378530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fed/peter-ustinov-4612_diplomat_a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-h_378530.jpg) > “A diplomat these days is nothing but a head waiter who's allowed to sit down occasionally.” [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Diplomacy is likened to a head waiter, suggesting it serves but lacks genuine authority, only occasionally joining the elite. **In simple terms:** Diplomacy is service without real power. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of diplomatic influence. Themes politics service power humor Mood wry observational Type satirical political When to use this quote - government negotiations - international conferences - ceremonial events - public relations Key Concepts Sociology political theory Questions to Reflect On - What real power do diplomats hold? - How does humor reveal political truths? A Different Perspective Diplomats may wield subtle influence despite limited authority. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diplomat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomat/) [Diplomat Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomat-days-3437634/) [Head Waiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/head-waiter-2714877/) [Waiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiter/) [Waiter Allowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiter-allowed-3437633/) ## Related quotes > [“Mr. Cupples came out of his reverie. "I think," he said, "I will have milk and soda-water." "Speak lower!" urged Trent. "The head-waiter has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mr-cupples-came-out-of-his-reverie-i-think-he-said-i-will-have-milk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best number for a dinner party is two; myself and a dam' good head waiter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nubar-gulbenkian/the-best-number-for-a-dinner-party-is-two-myself-and-a-dam-good-head/) [Nubar Gulbenkian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nubar-gulbenkian/) > [The best number for a dinner party is two; myself and a damn good head waiter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nubar-gulbenkian/the-best-number-for-a-dinner-party-is-two-myself-and-a-damn-good-head/) [Nubar Gulbenkian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nubar-gulbenkian/) > [Rhoda comes now, having slipped in while we were not looking. She must have made a tortuous course, taking cover now behind a waiter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/rhoda-comes-now-having-slipped-in-while-we-were-not-looking-she-must/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [For the world is broken, sundered, busted down the middle, self ripped from self and man pasted back together as mythical monster, half angel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/for-the-world-is-broken-sundered-busted-down-the-middle-self-ripped/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [A critic at best is a waiter at the great table of literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-dudek/a-critic-at-best-is-a-waiter-at-the-great-table-of-literature/) [Louis Dudek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-dudek/) > [Famous people are deceptive. Deep down, they're just regular people. Like Larry King. We've been friends for forty years. He's one of the few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/famous-people-are-deceptive-deep-down-they-re-just-regular-people/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I feel very uncomfortable when I eat in restaurants. I'm obnoxiously polite with the waiters: 'I just want a tuna sandwich. I'll go get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-feel-very-uncomfortable-when-i-eat-in-restaurants-i-m-obnoxiously/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [A man needs to be polite, not just to me but to everyone. I watch that. How does he treat the waiter? How does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-lima/a-man-needs-to-be-polite-not-just-to-me-but-to-everyone-i-watch-that/) [Adriana Lima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-lima/) > [The waiter brought fresh-baked bread and cheese, a bottle of sparkling water for Annabeth, and a Coke with ice for me (because I’m a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-waiter-brought-fresh-baked-bread-and-cheese-a-bottle-of-sparkling/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I was afraid to board a streetcar because of the conductor; I was afraid to enter the Kabuki Theater for fear of the usherettes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/i-was-afraid-to-board-a-streetcar-because-of-the-conductor-i-was/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [I was in the Far East and I went into a restaurant and I ordered octopus and the waiter said: "It takes four hours."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-carson/i-was-in-the-far-east-and-i-went-into-a-restaurant-and-i-ordered/) [Frank Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-carson/) > [People who are rude to waiters... I don't like that sort of thing. People who take cuts in line... it doesn't fly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/people-who-are-rude-to-waiters-i-don-t-like-that-sort-of-thing-people/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Waiters will always pee in soup, people will always fall in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/waiters-will-always-pee-in-soup-people-will-always-fall-in-love/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More by Peter Ustinov > [Acting on television is like being asked by the captain to entertain the passengers while the ship goes down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/acting-on-television-is-like-being-asked-by-the-captain-to-entertain/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [There are experts in little things but there are no experts in big things. There are experts in this fact and that fact but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/there-are-experts-in-little-things-but-there-are-no-experts-in-big/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [Marriage is like a three-speed gearbox - affection, friendship, love. It is not advisable to crash your gears and go right through to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/marriage-is-like-a-three-speed-gearbox-affection-friendship-love-it/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/i-was-irrevocably-betrothed-to-laughter/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [I don't know why I have these dreams. I've never wanted to be Pope. In fact, I have a greater affinity to Martin Luther.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/i-don-t-know-why-i-have-these-dreams-i-ve-never-wanted-to-be-pope-in/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [I have three daughters and I find as a result I played King Lear almost without rehearsal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/i-have-three-daughters-and-i-find-as-a-result-i-played-king-lear/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [That weakness in human nature which goes by the name of strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/that-weakness-in-human-nature-which-goes-by-the-name-of-strength/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me the most civilised music in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/i-was-irrevocably-betrothed-to-laughter-the-sound-of-which-has-always/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [Two members of my profession who are not urgently needed by my profession, Mr. Ronald Reagan and Mr. George Murphy, entered politics, and they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/two-members-of-my-profession-who-are-not-urgently-needed-by-my/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [Her virtue was that she said what she thought, her vice that what she thought didn't amount to much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/her-virtue-was-that-she-said-what-she-thought-her-vice-that-what-she/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [Children are the only form of immortality that we can be sure of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/children-are-the-only-form-of-immortality-that-we-can-be-sure-of/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [I have Russian, German, Spanish, Italian, French and Ethiopian blood in my veins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/i-have-russian-german-spanish-italian-french-and-ethiopian-blood-in/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [Laughter... the most civilized music in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/laughter-the-most-civilized-music-in-the-world/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [Did you know that every two hours the nations of this world spend as much on armaments as they spend on the children of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/did-you-know-that-every-two-hours-the-nations-of-this-world-spend-as/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [Contrary to general belief, I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/contrary-to-general-belief-i-do-not-believe-that-friends-are/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) [Explore all 106 Peter Ustinov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) ## 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": "A diplomat these days is nothing but a head waiter who's allowed to sit down occasionally.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Ustinov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-head-waiter-who-s-allowed-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Diplomat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-head-waiter-who-s-allowed-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fed/peter-ustinov-4612_diplomat_a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-h_378530.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fed/peter-ustinov-4612_diplomat_a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-h_378530.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fed/peter-ustinov-4612_diplomat_a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-h_378530.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A diplomat these days is nothing but a head waiter who's allowed to sit down occasionally.” — Peter Ustinov", "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": "Peter Ustinov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A diplomat these days is nothing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-head-waiter-who-s-allowed-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/a-diplomat-these-days-is-nothing-but-a-head-waiter-who-s-allowed-to/#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 } } ] } ```