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Let’s face it: it doesn’t pay to be nice all the time. The sooner we learn the art of confrontation, the sooner we’ll start getting what we want out of life

A make-up-free Frances McDormand at the Oscars last weekend Pic: GETTY

When it comes to confrontation, I’m a diplomat and, frankly, it’s a curse. In the interest of avoiding the merest hint of a skirmish, I’ve calmly eaten terrible meals in expensive restaurants, had my hair transformed into exactly the style I didn’t request without complaint, and been driven in taxis the long way home, all without saying a cross word, for years.

Not only that, but I’ve often stepped out of those cabs, ...