CHAPTER 18WHAT TO SAY WHEN “I’M SORRY” DOESN’T WORK

The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, HENRY VI, PART II

Number 9 on the list of the American Film Industry’s top 100 romantic movies of all time is Love Story. Rent the video if you want to know the whole story. The point that matters here is that as the original female lead (Ali McGraw) is dying, her husband (Ryan O’Neal) starts apologizing for a bunch of stuff. She stops him and (poignantly and tearfully) says, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

Whether love means that or something different is up to you. But not saying you’re sorry is a great business practice and one that you should certainly adhere to when you communicate in writing.

Before ...

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