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How to be one up - how to make the other man feel that something has gone wrong, however slightly.

— Stephen Potter Some Notes on Lifemanship (1950)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Definition of one-upmanship

More quotes by Stephen Potter

A good general rule is to state that the bouquet is better than the taste, and vice versa.

One-Upmanship (1952)

The theory and practice of gamesmanship; or, The art of winning games without actually cheating.

Title of book (1947)

"Yes, but not in the South", with slight adjustments, will do for any argument about any place, if not about any person.

Some Notes on Lifemanship (1950)

Talk of the "imperial decay" of your invalid port. "Its gracious withdrawal from perfection, keeping a hint of former majesty withal, as it hovers between oblivion and the divine Untergang of infinite recession."

One-Upmanship (1952)

In our small chess community in Marylebone it would be mock modesty on my part to deny that I have built up for myself a considerable name without ever actually having won a single game. Even the best players are sometimes beaten, and that is precisely what happens to me.

The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship (1947)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Stephen Potter (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.