Have you ever had a long argument that continued late into the night and ended with the other person reluctantly agreeing? Some might see these debates as wins, but in reality, trying to convince others through arguments is often a waste of time and can be risky, especially when dealing with powerful individuals.

For instance, in 131 BC, a Roman consul named Mucianus needed a large ship mast to break the walls of a Greek town called Pergamus. However, the engineer in charge knew that a smaller mast would work better and tried to explain this to the soldiers. Even though he was right, he was punished by being undressed and whipped to death for causing trouble. In simple terms, being right and telling people so isn’t always the best way. A smarter approach is to convince others through clever actions. Sometimes, with a bit of thought, you can make sure your idea succeeds while making your opponent think you agree with them.

For example, Sir Christopher Wren, a famous British architect from the 17th century, was asked to design a town hall for Westminster. The mayor was worried that the building might collapse and damage his office, so he insisted on adding two extra supporting columns. Wren knew the mayor’s fears were groundless, but instead of arguing, he added the columns. Many years later, builders working on a scaffold discovered that the columns didn’t reach the ceiling and were actually doing nothing. Wren had cleverly avoided a pointless argument while still proving his point, and the pillars were eventually removed.