* “[[Bartleby the Scrivener]]” is a lesser-known short story by [[Herman Melville]], author of [[Moby-Dick]]. * "At first Bartleby produces a large volume of high-quality work, but one day, when asked to help proofread a document, Bartleby answers with what soon becomes his perpetual response to every request: “I would prefer not to.” * "To the dismay of his boss, Bartleby begins to perform fewer and fewer tasks, and eventually none, instead spending long periods of time staring out one of the office’s windows at a brick wall. * "The narrator makes several futile attempts to reason with Bartleby and to learn something about him, but eventually gives up. * "Bartleby is an admittedly humorous caricature of the conflict-avoidance strategy, **but the story highlights just how sneakily effective the strategy is, especially against those who approach conflict through the voices of power and reason**. (~[Location 885](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B081J97HLQ&location=885)~) *** #### See Also - [[202308170954 — AtN — Productive disagreement can be a superpower]] - [[202308181107 — AtN — Staying calm within disagreements can be a superpower]] *** **Tags** — [[quotes]], [[voice-of-power]], [[voice-of-reason]], [[influence]], [[negotiations]], [[teaching-anecdotes]] **Source** — [[202308170952 — B — Why Are We Yelling]]