Saying “I was wrong” in front of people you want to impress takes more guts than most dares.

Most dares cost you a scrape, a cold swim or a bad photograph. Admitting error in front of people whose opinion you are courting costs you standing, or feels like it will, which is why it sits in a harder category than anything physical. The quiet joke is that it usually raises you rather than lowering you, because almost nobody does it and everybody notices when somebody does.

Say the four words plainly next time, with no cushion in front of them and no explanation stacked behind. Then say what you think now instead.