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Ambassadors, collector of intelligence: "We must remember that the real object of foreign envoys is not only that they should convey messages from their governments, but, if we were to look deeply into their purpose, secret information like the exact position and condition of roads, paths, valleys, canals and tanks; wheter or not they are fit for the passage of troops and wheter fodder is available anywhere near them. They also seek to know something about the ruler of the country, the exact state of the army and its equipments; the feelings of the soldiers as well as of the common people; and all about the wealth of the subjects and the comparative populations of different districts. They try to penetrate into the working of the government of the country and to know whether the ministers are honest or dishonest and whether the generals are experienced or not."
— Nizam al-Mulk Tusi
Ambassadors, contributions to policy: "The contributions of a good ambassador are not limited to the persuasive articulation and skillful execution of ... policy, good or bad. What he (or she) reports and how he reports it; the astuteness of his recommendations; his willingness to take the initiative; the courage to disagree and explain why these and many other attributes can make a vital difference to the shaping of policy. How much depends on the good sense of his principals."
— Elliot L. Richardson, 1983
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Chas W. Freeman Jr. (The Diplomat's Dictionary)