“The way of the ruler is to make certain that, if what a minister says beforehand does not tally with what he says later, or what he says later does not tally with what he has said previously, then although he may have fulfilled his task with distinction, he is condemned to certain punishment. This is what it means to hold your subordinates responsible.”

—  Han Fei

"Facing South", in Han Feizi: Basic Writings (2003)

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Han Fei 8
Chinese philosopher -279–-232 BC

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