Some wins cost so much character you’d have been richer losing.

Not everything you gain shows up in the result. A win taken by lying, freezing someone out or bending a rule leaves you holding the trophy and missing something harder to replace: the ability to think of yourself as straight. Afterwards the scoreboard says one thing and you quietly know another, and the second one follows you further. Some prices are only visible from the far side of the purchase.

Before the next thing you want badly, name what you are willing to spend and what you are not. When the shortcut appears you will not be deciding under pressure, only reading back a decision you already made.