Never
complain; never explain.
This
pithy little maxim was first coined by the British politician and prime
minister Benjamin Disraeli, and adopted as a motto by many other high-ranking
Brits — from members of royalty, to navy admirals, to fellow prime minsters
Stanley Baldwin and Winston Churchill. The maxim well encapsulates the
stiff-upper lipped-ness of the Victorian age, but the timeless wisdom it
contains has made it a guiding mantra of powerful, confident,
accountability-prizing men up through the modern day.
The “nevers” of
course aren’t ironclad and don’t apply to every situation, and even when they should apply,
they can be hard to follow through on! But understanding when, where, and why
to apply this maxim is truly a great help in becoming a more autonomous and
assertive man.
Its
four words pack a lot of truth in a small space and work on a few different levels.
So let’s unpack them, starting with the meat of the matter — “never explain” —
and working backwards.
