"Publish and be damned"

When a blackmailer tried to extort money from the first Duke of Wellington to cover up a disreputable aspect of his past, the duke's response was: "Publish, and be damned." He had enough confidence in himself not to be swayed by this threat to his good name. Sure

enough, his reputation remained unsullied, and indeed he won respect for allowing the story to be known. He knew the blackmailer lives off fear, and if one shows no fear, a blackmailer is powerless.

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The subjects of blackmail and hate mail have been bounced around a lot at the manor lately. There is something to be said for standing up for what you know is right, as in the wise words of Thoreau, "For an impenetrable shield, stand inside yourself".

This is a posting from another blog that I really enjoyed and decided to re-post on my blog. The original author is Willow from Willow Manor.