The Weather and the Words in Passing : Page 231

Human nature being what it is, you make more friends if you catch a fish smaller than others, instead of bigger. Therefore, unless people want sympathy, you do not remind them of their ill fortune, and you soft-pedal your own good luck as much as truth permits. As for any minor personal mishap or discomfiture, if it does not implicate others and is not confidential, you are wise to tell it. A discomfiture, if it is not accompanied by a "touch" for a loan, has never lost a friend. After the perfunctory exchanges, you may frankly say, "At the moment I am still a bit upset about a cut in salary" or "my son's expulsion" or "the attack upon me in