I can't say for sure what he's referring to, but maybe it's Dale Carnegie's philosophy that you can never "win" an argument because even when you "win" an argum

I can't say for sure what he's referring to, but maybe it's Dale Carnegie's philosophy that you can never "win" an argument because even when you "win" an argument, you haven't usually accomplished your objective of persuading the person. I looked for an excerpt and didn't see one. There's a small summary here, but the book says it best: http://www.carsonified.com/biz-tips/how-to-win-an-argument http://www.carsonified.com/biz-tips/how-to-win-an-argument On a personal level, a relative of mine has alienated enough people that I have trouble bringing him out because he continually needs to be "right." What good have you accomplished if you're "right", alone, and you've convinced no one. The dynamic is different in a public debate, however, where you might be trying to persuade people other than the person you're debating, but Mr. Carnegie's ideas are still useful to remember.