Discussions
When is it okay to break a promise?
Posted by timethief • 9/11/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: agreement, commitment, contract, promises, trust
Definitions
A promise is a transaction between two or more persons whereby the first person undertakes in the future to render some service or gift to the others or devotes something valuable now and here to his use. -- wikipedia
In Contract Law a promise is a manifestation of intention to act or refrain from acting in a specified way. It is so made as to justify a promisee in understanding that a commitment has been made. -- wikipedia
Breaking promises
All promises are made in the basis of trust and when promises are broken that bond of trust can be broken. While we can and should all strive to do the best we can to keep any and all promises we make sometimes we have to break our promises.
Discussion
When is it okay to break a promise?
Please note that this is NOT intended to be a discussion focused on making and breaking marriage vows. If you wish to discuss that specific kind of promise then please create another thread.
User Comments
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There certainly are times in which it is OK to break a promise, but they are few and far between.
Sometimes the promise simply cannot be kept, for all that it was made with full intent to fulfill it. A promise to make pay a car loan, for example...when you're unexpectedly unemployed and you must choose between feeding your kids or paying the bank, the promise to the bank must stand second to the responsibility to feed those kids.
Promises made under duress may well be justified in being broken, and sometimes mutual promises...if one party has not fulfilled his obligation under the promise...depending on the circumstances, there may be a justification for the other party to break his promise.
Mostly, however, I don't think breaking promises is OK. I'm of the opinion that if you can't (or might not want to) keep it, don't make it a promise. Instead, say "I'll try, I'll do my best, I'll look into it, but I'm not promising anything."-
Most, if not all of us, are taught never to make a promise we cannot deliver on. We are also taught never to break a promise. But change is the only constant in our lives, so would you say that the occasions where it's okay to break a promise is when unforeseeable circumstances arise?
IMO your example is a good one. A promise to make pay a car loan, for example...when you're unexpectedly unemployed and you must choose between feeding your kids or paying the bank, the promise to the bank must stand second to the responsibility to feed those kids.
The car loan is contractual promise therefore even if you feed your kids first you still must deliver on the car loan - the contract requires it. The promise to society that you will feed your kids is frequently broken by irresponsible and/or drug addicted or alcohol addicted parents who spend their money on their addiction, and let society (charitable organizations and government) provide for their kids.
Another but more simple example: You promise to take your kids to Disneyland this year but you lose your job and can't follow-through. -
It seems to me, TT, that that's a promise that should never be made--especially where kids are concerned, because they're learning whether or not they can trust your word and that impacts how they relate to other people for the rest of their lives. The DisneyWorld example actually came up for us within the past year--my daughter had an opportunity to perform with her show choir at DisneyWorld and wanted me to accompany her. I told her I really wanted her to go and would love to go with her, and I'd try to make it happen. Fortunately, it worked out, but if it hadn't, she'd have been prepared for that possibility. -
@MadameX
Sweetviolet said: I'm of the opinion that if you can't (or might not want to) keep it, don't make it a promise. Instead, say "I'll try, I'll do my best, I'll look into it, but I'm not promising anything."
And you have raised the same point. When we can foresee that circumstances may prevent us from delivering on a promise it's important to take those into account when making the promise by establishing conditions precedent.
Example: Provided I do not lose my job or something else does not happen that makes it impossible for me to pay for the trip to Disneyland, I promise to try to take you there. -
With our kids if it's something we are really unsure of we say things like "we'll see no promises". Or if it's something we most likely will do, but can't set a confirm date we say "yes, but NOT today, on a different day".
That was really helpful when they were younger (especially under 4), because if we said, yes the often took it to meant right now!
It in my opinion is never "okay" to break a promise, but I do recognized that sometimes it can't be helped. That sometimes circumstance beyond our control may prevent us from keeping our promises. -
Timethief, I don't think it's necessary to be that specific. I think the whole point is that we can't foresee everything, that there are things we truly can't promise, and we shouldn't pretend that we can by trying to guess what circumstances might or might not impact them
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I think I understand what you are saying. Never make a promise unless you are sure you can keep it.
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I don't promise things I can't be certain of. Otherwise, it's not fair to those around me. But I'm also sort of rigidly reliable-- it's both a gift and a curse.
So I'm probably not the one to go by.-
I'm with you, Jenn. For example, people often ask me to promise not to repeat things before telling me something; I can't do that without knowing what it is. I will offer in return, "I can promise that I won't repeat it unless I think it's really necessary", and then let them decide whether or not to trust my judgment on that before speaking.
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Same here, and I agree MadamX and the "can't promise not to repeat if necessary." -
Fortunately I haven't had too many of those "leading up to the info" sort of promises. I usually get hit with the info itself and am then asked not to share.
Of course, I don't share, as it's not mine fer sharin'. -
I usually follow the discretionary practice of keeping mum because I don't like to gossip and my friends and family know that. But there was one incident a loooooooong time ago when someone ( a sister of a friend) wanted me to promise something and it was an unfair to tell me and then ask me to promise since the information had a direct impact on my friend. when my friend found out I knew what they had planned (some intervention) and I hadn't told her I lost that friend. So I usually like to find out why I need to be told something that requires a promise. Like I said most of my friends know I don't blab.
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Promises we make with regard to keeping confidences are IMO the most tricky ones of all to keep. That's why I agree with what all of you have all said above. The best course of action is to hear what the confidence is before promising not to share what's said, because there are times that if we do not break a confidence someone can be harmed.
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It depends on what the promise is. If I promise not to cheat on my partner that is not acceptable to break. There is no reason other than self indulgence to do such an act. On the other hand if the promise is something like, I promise to be somewhere at a certain time and I'm late or can't make it for various unforeseen reasons. That one is okay to break. For myself if it's something big and life altering and you made a promise it should not be broken but if it's a small not trust breaking failure of a promise it is okay.-
I understand where you are coming from. Thanks for offering the contrast between the two - life altering promises that breach trust in a major way and small promises that lead to disappointment or inconvenience but do not actually cause harm.
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When one is made with one intention to keep it to begin with.
That is why I do not believe in the word promise, either what is said is done or it is not.
Example:
I promise I will stop doing drugs, yet a person is in no position to stop, they may be addicted to the point where stopping will kill them.
You have to see where the promise is coming from and the weight it carries as far if it can be carried out.
So, it's not the one who makes the promise, but the one who is willing to accept the promise.-
Your example and part of sweetviolet's response above (ie. promises made under duress) bring some points to mind. When considering making promises there are three important things to keep in mind before committing to them. First, think before you promise and don't make a promise if you haven't thought it through. Second, if the person you consider making a promises to is in a vulnerable or compromised position, then think it through very carefully before you commit. Third, do not enter a promise with a person who is in a vulnerable or compromised position, and/or under any form of duress.
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I think that it's okay to break a promise when due to unforeseeable circumstances at the time it was made, keeping the promise now will lead to harming another person. What do others think?
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If it's reasonable, it should be kept. If it's not, it shouldn't.
Yeah, that sounds vague, but ambiguity is the only way to correctly answer the question.-
If it's not reasonable, why did you make it?
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@MadameX
I think it's possible to make a promise that you can reasonably foresee keeping, and then discover that your circumstances have changed and you cannot keep it. Are you suggesting that every promise we make ought to contain conditions precedent and/or bail out clauses? -
@MadameX & vK: There are very rare situations where the other person would not have wanted you to keep it anyways because of changes. These are very rare, and it pretty much has to be a matter of certainty or higher principles. If you see one possibly arising, you should talk about it ahead of time. -
I think that really it comes down to the fact that I believe there are few things in life that we can truly promise, and thus we shouldn't go throwing the word around.
It seems pertinent to note that most contracts, which are by definition an exchange of legally binding "promises", are not promises at all in the ordinary sense of the word. I say that because one purpose of a contract and usually the specific wording of the contract itself is to provide recourse and spell out what happens if one party or the other fails to perform. In other words, it is part and parcel of the agreement that both parties anticipate that there may be a failure to keep the "promise". -
@MadameX: Yeah, I understand that, but I also see that there is virtually nothing you know for certain and thus you also have to consider the case that you do make the mistake and what action you then take. Same things with contracts - the contract is a promise, but a promise made by people who know that 1) there are charlatans out there and 2) we don't really know what's going to happen, but we do need to promise to get anything done.
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Getting back to children and trust, I think it's extremely important to teach children not to view use the word "promise" lightly, and how to avoid breaking promises by not entering them lightly either. Your example of how you addressed the Disneyland trip with your daughter is an excellent "how to" example when it comes to being a role model.
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@TT: Agreed. Sorry I got distracted.
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As Swift said: "Promises and pie-crust are made to be broken." Why make promises in the first place? The best are wishful thinking; the worst, a form of coercion.-
Thanks for posting that excellent quote.
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I promise you that I will will click "report" every time you try to pull off an irrelevant, self serving link drop.
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When it doesnt hurt anyone and u gain frm it
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Would you care to provide an example?
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Thanks, in advance, for limiting your comments the subject matter in the OP of this thread.
Name calling and harassment are breaches of the community guidelines for forum posting and the TOS and can result in your being banned.
References:
www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/read-before-posting-1
www.blogcatalog.com/tos
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If I promise something, I always deliver. If we start saying it's okay to break them, where will we draw the line? Soon, all promises will be broken and any excuse will be valid. So no, I don't think it's ever okay to break a promise.-
Well, you didn't deliver last night. I had to fold up my pink teddy and put it back in my drawer.
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That wasn't a promise, it was a suggestion.
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Like I said in the OP I don't want to get into marriage and divorce in this thread. However, marriage is a promise (contract), that contains promises (vows). Most reasonable people don't expect two unhappy people, who do not wish to remain together to stay married and remain miserable together forever, simply because they promised "til death do us part"."
FWIW my husband and I knew there was no legal requirement to have "til death do us part," or an obedience vow, or an faithfulness vow in our marriage contract and we did not want to make such vows. We wrote our own vows. We did not include a vow of obedience or faithfulness. We vowed "to remain together unless or until love does us depart".
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No she isn't an admin, she's just informing you of the TOS and other things, which you agreed to by joining the site.
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Are you admin of this site?
No I am not. I simply another member who posted this thread asking: When is it okay to break a promise?
I expected those member posting into the thread would remain respectful of other members and make only on topic comments.
Admin members are:
AngieA and TonyB (co-owners)
thegoodknife (lead programmer)
nine (web design and development)
aleexmac (blog submission approvals)
Jaybetee (Moderator & community liaison)
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I dont read such TOS.....Thank you for reminding......
I wont make suck mistakes again-
I'm glad to hear providing the reference links to the community guidelines for forum posting and the TOS was helpful to you. Best wishes for effective networking at BC.
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Only if the other person broke their side of it or the situation is sufficiently absurd that you are quite certain they would not have wanted you to keep it anyways. I don't believe in vengeance, but conditions are quite acceptable. Though notice, you have to be certain, like Christ healing the sick on the Sabbath certain. That doesn't happen very often.
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It is ok when you think is better for the other person do it, like the promise doesnt help to your friend or partner. You give a time to resolve some situation but instead of cross about something the problems keep going you break the promise only if it is necessary. But a promise is a promise and you must think that the first is the respect of your word, later you analyze what is happen around and decide. -
When the promise is irrational and just plain stupid.-
lol ... I guess you mean when you shouldn't have made it in the first place.
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Yes, that is what I mean.
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I only make a promise when I know that keeping my mouth-shut wouldn't harm anyone and would never make a promise in the first place if I know I can't keep it.-
I avoid making promises like I avoid getting the flu.
Those I do make I keep but there have been occasions when I could not follow-through. These were due to unforeseen circumstances which meant that if I had followed through I would have harmed another person.
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i think integrity is important, but it shouldn't imprison us and everything has a useby date but check this
A path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. - Don Juan-
Thanks for posting this. It spoke to me very clearly.
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I have broken up promises in the past not because i was lazy but because it was physically impossible.I'd say one must do what she can do but then again all of us have other pressing concerns that must be dealt with. We know that breaking a promise could also be tantamount to compromising our reputation but then again that's where value system comes in.-
I believe I was raised to have a very healthy set of morals, and ethics and I rely on the value system I have developed as an adult.
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Most of what people have already said is reasonable IMO. It's best to try and limit your promises to what you can keep, it's best to keep your promises, but there are circumstances that can't be foreseen when making a promise and gives the promise maker a valid reason to break said promise.
I think that if all attempts are made to fulfill the promise - it's a good indication that they were being honest when they made it, and can still be trusted even if they had to break it.
Example: I promised a friend I would go to NY in a few days. I made this promise some time ago. I made the arrangements to fulfill said promise. (babysitter, etc) One problem, my dog almost died and the vet bill ate up my trip money. So now it's a no go.
If my friend couldn't understand that - then she wouldn't be a very good friend!-
@Anok
Thanks for posting that excellent example.
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When you run for president -
[sarcasm] Here is is the political break dance break down.
How to Break a Promise and Make it Sound Like the Right Thing to Do
(1) Before breaking a promise, always say something positive.
(2) When breaking a promise, try to make yourself sound like a victim.
(3) When breaking a promise, immediately make additional promises that aren't really promises at all.
(4) When breaking a promise, never lock yourself into the next promise.
(5) Conclude breaking your promise by assuring everyone that breaking your promise is the right thing to do for all concerned.
Example: Life often presents trade-offs, and in this case I'm sure we’ve made the right ones. [/sarcasm]
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I don't make any promise itending to break it but sometimes I do break a promise. Circumstances often mean that I must or I may find the other party of the promise was dishonest. I may make a promise and then be unable to keep it because of timing, family obligations, or moral reasons.
Is it okay to break a promise? probably not but is it realisitic to think I won't? no it isn't.
I just never mke one fully intending to break it, that's the best I can do.
side q: is a financial agreement a promise you have to keep?-
@floormodel
What you said resonates: Is it okay to break a promise? probably not but is it realisitic to think I won't? no it isn't.
I just never make one fully intending to break it, that's the best I can do.
side q: is a financial agreement a promise you have to keep?
I'm not a lawyer and I don't pretend to be one. My answer is: It all depends so I recommend that you consult a lawyer in order to obtain a legal opinion on enforceability on any specific financial agreement.
- What Is a Contract?
A contract is a promise between two or more persons involving the exchange of some good or service. Some of the basic elements of a contract include: an offer and an acceptance; "capacity," or being of legal age and sound competence; "mutual assent," or agreement on the terms of a contract; and "consideration," or compensation for goods or services rendered.
The element that distinguishes a contract from an informal agreements is that it is legally binding: the law provides a remedy in the event that the promise is not fulfilled. By law, certain types of contracts must be in writing, but oral contracts are valid in many situations. An oral contract may be held to exist even in the absence of agreement as to all its terms.
For purposes of analysis, legal scholars have classified contracts in many different ways. The most common classifications of contracts include: "express" and "implied" contracts; "void" and "voidable" contracts; and "enforceable"and "unenforceable" contracts. Read more: law.jrank.org/pages/12504/Contract-Law.html#ixzz0Qw8mc0Uc
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I only make promises I can keep. Things like promising my daughter I would get her ears pierced and flowers to pick. I think when you make a promise you should try to keep it.
There are times a promise can be broken though. For instance if I told me kids we would go to McDonald's on Saturday and everyone ends up sick they aren't going. That usually means they will go at a later time.-
Yes, I think your example is a good one too. When we can't follow through today then we can arrange to do so when it's possible.
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I think under extraordinary circumstances giving rise to an extreme need to break one.-
I agree. As a child I witnessed a family member make a promise that for all intents and purposes at the time could have been kept. However, his circumstances changed and he was unable to follow though. What I found remarkable was how another family member was so lacking in compassion for his reduced circumstances and lack of income that she demanded that he still keep the promise. That situation became a reality check for me, and thereafter I vowed to myself never to make promises that did not also contain a statement to the effect of "provided my circumstances do not change".
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Yeah, the situation that you describe is a well known scenario of disputes among family members and relatives and friends. Promises too are time bound and test against time, sometimes it's a case of a promise failed, leaving behind only the memories.
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Our President doesn't seem to mind breaking promises. He does it all the time.-
This isn't a political discussion. I would appreciate it if you chose to answer the question in a more general context. Would you like to do that please?
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It says general discussion so wouldn't that entail everything? I don't think its ok to break a promise at all.
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Thanks for the clarity.
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sure
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There are times when I think that the more you speak the more you commit mistakes. People say somethinmg in throes of happiness or excitement and later regret that they have said something like that. I will use the husband of my aunt who is Australian as an example. When he went to one of our relatives residence he mentioned something about sending one of the kids to school. The result is that they ended up toiling just to have her finish college. It was not easy financially but then again a promise is a promise. In the end my aunt said" next time keep your mouth shut".
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Thanks for your observation. It's right on. I have been in a situation like the you describe above and now I'm very wary of making any promises when I'm exited.
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I think if someone is going to get hurt than breaking a promise to save that person is OK.-
I agree with that -- first, do no harm.
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If you do not have all of the details of the promise (verbal contractual agreement), then it is okay to break that agreement. People do it everyday. I am a keeper of promises. I consider myself a woman of my word. However, if it is life and death, something illegal, or morally compromising, then perhaps I would rethink the promise that I made.-
However, if it is life and death, something illegal, or morally compromising, then perhaps I would rethink the promise that I made.
I'm also a woman of my word Dee. But, in the circumstances you describe, I would also rethink and perhaps break my promise.
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I think that it is better for your word to be good enough. If you say that you will do something then that should be enough. Swearing or promising to do it honestly should not carry any more weight. If anything the fact that you have to emphasize that you will keep your word by promising shows that you typically do not keep your word, effectively making your promise even less trustworthy.
you should always try to keep your word, as trust is one of the most valuable things in this world. If you are good at keeping your word, then having an unavoidable situation that causes you to break trust would be understood by those who trust you as unavoidable and understandable... and they might go so far as to defend you despite the fact that you broke your word.
Just my opinion.-
I've always taken the position that giving my word to do or not to do something was, in fact, a promise.
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With the heat and din of the party behind him polybore walked into the vast garden of the country estate. Before long he was perfectly alone. The music shouts and screams tailed off into the distance becoming muffled, then a murmur and finally they were forgotten.
The night was still but for the occasional piercing shriek of a peacock hidden somewhere among the trees. It was not cold but the air had about it that sharp clarity which heralds Autumn soon to come.
Polybore followed a path through the dark woods then out into the light of a lawn. The blades of grass sparkled as the tiny beads of dew caught then scattered the moonlight, creating the impression of frost. Here and there were ghostly grey stone statues, their eyes concealed by shadow and their thoughts their own.
After some miles and having reached a boundry wall polybore climbed onto it and looked out across open farmland.
The fields beyond were etched by impossibly long and impenetrably dark shadows cast by the trees and the bright moon which shone her cold light in the sky behind them. Looking back at at the moon it seemed to polybore that she floated just above the silhouetted canopy of these huge mature and timeless trees.
It was time to turn back, to forsake the romance of this magical nocturnal solitude and return to the heat, noise and chaos. Cutting through the woods and striking across a vast lawn polybore made for the shadowy wide stone steps that led to another terraced lawn lying in front of the imposing, menacing gothic facade of the house, the lights of which were now just visible in the distance.
As the stairs came closer he could see that the shadow of the stair's balustrade threw the steps into a patterned sharp relief of light and dark. Then the most extraordinary thing, from out of the shadow at the top of the second flight of stairs, polybore could see the shape of a statue lying across the stairs her ebony white face and arms in stark relief against the grey mossy stone steps.
One arm was bent behind her head as if in repose, the other trailed down the steps palm up. Against the shocking white of her skin there was a black glistening stain from the fore arm to the wrist which spread and pooled onto the steps below. This was no statue and polybore quickened his pace up the steps. Kneeling beside her there was a crunch from under polybore's boot. Across the steps where shards of what looked, in the moonlight, like glittering ice. Polybore moved their boot and kicked something from the shadow and into the light. It was the base of a glass with jagged shards all that remained of it's sides, it did not glitter it was dull and discoloured.
Her face was so very pale, a mask of terrible cold beauty framed by her long dark hair as it cascaded across the steps. In her long dress she looked like a pre-Raphaelite portrait.
Polybore then recognised her, said her name and gently raised her trailing arm above her head. Quietly she spoke
"Polybore, I'm glad that it is you that has found me, I know you won't tell anyone"
As polybore gathered her up in his arms he said.
"I won't tell anyone, I've got you, you are safe now everything is going to be all right I promise"...
Sometimes one, knowingly, makes promises that can't be kept even though they are sincerely and deeply held.-
Beautiful writing. Evocative imagery ... SIGH
I'm gobsmacked. Thanks polybore. -
Thanks TT. Won't be doing a post like that here again in a hurry. Polybore made themselves weep while writing that. No disrespect meant to your thread but in retrospect it seems like overkill and over emotional investment for a simple BC discussion thread post.
Will try and work it up or into something, have been looking for a "start" for a while. -
Are you kidding? I adored it and I almost wept too. I immediately wanted to find your personal blog. BTW I do have a personal blog that's set to "private" that I spill into. Aside from my "spill" blog, I keep a journal blog and an erotic writing blog, which are also set to "private".
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Hmm. Polybore should probably consider a personal blog for this kind of thing as the existing blog is as impersonal as could be. Thanks for that.
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Poly - is it true? -
polybore
If you wish to have your comment removed from this thread you could both click "report," then you could PM an Admin member and explain that you would like to remove it and place it in a personal blog. -
Oh no - dont report yourself Poly - this is beautiful writing and very evocative - and just... Oh I dunno gorgeous...
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What about those who had promises to them broken?
I have known people who have been utterly irrational in this regard: a woman I used to work with was angry with and unforgiving of her husband for not taking her to a society wedding as promised: that he was in the hospital having surgery on his Achilles tendon did not soften her wrath at all...she acted as if he snapped that tendon on purpose.
While we all acknowledge that, for the most part, those making promises have an ethical obligation to fulfill them, is there not an equal ethical obligation for the "promisee" to apply some kind of rational understanding if the promise cannot be kept? (Of course this seldom applies when the promise is contractual in nature, but shouldn't we be bit more forgiving in less constrained circumstances?)-
"While we all acknowledge that, for the most part, those making promises have an ethical obligation to fulfill them, is there not an equal ethical obligation for the "promisee" to apply some kind of rational understanding if the promise cannot be kept?"
Nope. They are allowed to react as they wish. The mere fact that your honor is excused should be reprieve enough.
"Of course this seldom applies when the promise is contractual in nature, but shouldn't we be bit more forgiving in less constrained circumstance?"
No. A Contract is just a formalization of a promise. Any exceptions that would apply to informal promises should apply to formal promises to and the other way around. Really, the case where the promise you make cannot be kept should be the kind that is so rare and so understandable that the other person should exonerate you on their good will, and if they won't but they should, then your honor is the only reprieve you are given. -
So that former coworker of mine was perfectly justified in her anger and outrage at her husband for failing to take her to a society wedding she had be drooling to attend, even though he was laid up in the hospital with a snapped Achilles tendon???
What kind of message about selfishness and unreasonable expectations does that send?? -
I have also experienced "promisees," who were unreasonable and irrational when it came to demanding that promises made to them, prior to a major change in circumstances taking place, be kept. Some people are manipulative "blamers and shamers". They are people I avoid being around because they never take responsibility for the nasty words that issue from their mouths, and they refuse to be accountable for being making selfish and unreasonable demands.
I once worked with a woman who drove everyone else in our unit up the walls. She was the type who used weasel words and elaborate manipulations to secure what she referred to as promises, and then attempted to point fingers of shame and blame when others discovered they had been tricked and refused to follow through.
No matter how much counsel I tried to give her to stop her manipulative behaviors she would not quit. I had to fire her and unbelievably when I did she had the audacity to request a reference. I refused to give her one. -
@SV: A message about not being affected by it all. You will want to be like me.
@TT: Yeah, again, don't hold it against them but let your own sense of honor outshine it.
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I believe if you promise something - you are putting your integrity on the line.
Also your trust - and trust that people put into you.
There are very few times that a promise should be broken - and that is a very rare moment...
I have rarely broken a promise and almost every single time it was due to a situation out of my control.
For example: One time I promised my daughter we would go off island for a shopping trip when I got a specific payment. Just prior to receiving the payment she broke her arm which cost more money than we had at the time - therefore her shopping trip needed to be delayed - and then I left my ex husband and to this day - she is angry that I never took her off island to go shopping...
Unfortunately - I probably won't be able to afford to take her shopping for a little while - but be that as it may - I feel horrible about not being able to keep my promise. Although I made it with the best intentions to keep it - it has become something I cannot deliver.
So - yes - there are times that promises do get broken - for me - but I try so very hard to not do it.
It is a big honor thing for me.
And I too, get disappointed in those who make promises and never deliver.-
Agreed. Pretty much my sentiments, except that I do believe if it is a bilateral promise and they break their side, breaking your side is acceptable.
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I acknowledge the point you made about bilateral promises. I hadn't considered that when I posted this thread.
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my opinion is that it is never good to make a promises, what is the point of making a promise if you gonna break it?-
So I take it that you never make promises of any kind. Is that correct?
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