Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1162IR // #c1162Synthesis

"If you have an officer and he does wrong, do you suffer him to remain in office, or do you set up another in his stead?" "Son of Armenia, we have heard your own judgment in this case, and now tell us, what ought we to do?"

— In our words · Source: Cyropaedia (Xenophon)

[Use when]

You need someone to accept a consequence they will resist once they see it applies to them.

[Why it matters]

Cyrus puts the rebel Armenian king through questions about how he treats his own disloyal officers, one point at a time, then hands the answers back to him. Xenophon has Cyrus use the same method on his grandfather as a boy, asking what he'd do to a runaway slave before announcing his own plan to run off hunting.

Filed under situations:When you need a yes and they’re not there yetWhen the other side has more leverage

More from Cyropaedia

#c1138"you are prepared to rely on what you do not know? Do you forget that the needs of the morrow must be high, not to speak of the outlay for…Your plan depends on a partner's resources you have never actually seen. #c1139"never put off the collecting of supplies until the day of need, make the season of your abundance provide against the time of dearth. You…You plan to start fundraising when the runway gets short. #c1140"They are well aware of the terms Cyaxares has offered for their help: but whatever they get over and above the covenanted amount they will…You're deciding whether a bonus should be built into the contract or given on top.

Same situation, different book

#c1356Show them the engine, skip the pitchYou have a metric that proves your value better than any presentation.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1322Fill the reservoir of trust before you need itYou'll eventually need a deal with a rival and have no reason yet to talk to them.From Courage Can Save Us #c1279The Smarties test for adultsYou're sure the other side must see what you see.From Trade Outside the Box #c1277Listen and then thinkYou're preparing what to say in a meeting where you haven't yet heard the other side.From The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy