Never hold discussions with the monkey...

Posted by ESC on October 09, 2008 at 10:10

In Reply to: Never hold discussions with the monkey... posted by Safir Mallal on October 09, 2008 at 09:59:

: Can someone explain to me what Sir Winston Churchill meant when he said: "Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room."?

A couple of interpretations -- don't talk to a clerk (an underling with no power to address the issue at hand) when you can talk to the manager/store owner. Go to the top. OR it could mean you won't get information out of a worker when the boss is in the room. How was the phrase used?