Unpleasant letter

Think carefully before writing one

January 23rd 2026
Let’s suppose that you are a virtuoso or a writer. After a concert or the launch of a new book, you receive hundreds of letters. In this enormous pile of mail, you find a single unpleasant letter whose words hurt you deeply. Observe what happens inside you: all the other letters of encouragement and congratulations do not suffice to neutralize the poison of that one nasty letter. There is only one poison pen at work, but it effectively wipes out the goodwill of the other letters you received in much greater numbers.
So, learn to take this psychological truth into account. If you need to write an unpleasant letter, give it plenty of thought and weigh your words with care. A letter is something very important. If you are unconscious of this you risk causing considerable damage to the lives of other people, and destroying many good aspects of your own life as well.