He had a great opinion of his skill in diplomacy, the science of those who lack any other and seem profound because they have nothing in them; a science however which it is useful to possess, since the fact of possessing it is demonstrated by the mere exercise of its major functions, since it allows ignoramuses to be reticent and to take refuge in mysterious shakings of the head; since, in short, the most accomplished votary of this science is the man who swims along with his head above the stream of events in such a way that he seems to be determining its course: it thus becomes a question of specific levity rather than gravity. In this sphere, as in the arts, you will find a thousand mediocrities for one man of genius.
–Honoré de Balzac, Lost Illusions (1837-1843)