Daily Inspiration Quote by Dag Hammarskjold

The line reads like a paradox until you remember who’s speaking: Dag Hammarskjold, the UN’s austerely principled secretary-general, living in the crossfire of Cold War suspicion. “Praise those of your critics for whom nothing is up to standard” isn’t a call to flatter haters; it’s a manual for institutional survival. In a world where every decision is politicized, the only criticism worth cultivating is the kind that can’t be bought, buttered up, or easily satisfied.

Hammarskjold is targeting a familiar diplomatic trap: the seduction of “reasonable” critics who can be placated with concessions that quietly corrode your mandate. The impossible-to-please critic becomes, in this framing, an accidental integrity check. If nothing meets their standard, their disapproval can’t be used as a bargaining chip. They’re immune to transactional appeasement. Praising them is less about affection than about quarantining vanity and signaling that you won’t govern by applause.

There’s also a sharp piece of psychological judo here. Publicly valuing the harshest standards redefines the power dynamic: critique becomes evidence that the project matters enough to be judged seriously. In the UN context, where legitimacy is perpetually contested, Hammarskjold is hinting that relentless scrutiny can be a kind of legitimacy - a sign you’re not merely performing consensus.

The subtext is bracing: prefer the critic who can’t be satisfied over the ally who can be purchased. It’s a diplomatic ethic disguised as etiquette.