Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean

Bismarck played this game to perfection, to a liberal he was a liberal to a hawk. He could not be grasped, and what cannot be grasped cannot be consumed. Law 26: You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency. Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Adapt your mask to the situation. Be protean in the faces you wear. The mistake does not vanish with an apology. It deepens and festers. Excuses satisfy no one, and apologies make everyone uncomfortable. A convenient scapegoat should always be kept around for such moments. Learn to play many roles, to be whatever the moment requires.