A honeybee usually dies after stinging a person. Some fights cost more than they’re worth.

The sting is a last resort for a honeybee, because using it usually kills her. It works, and the cost of it working is everything. Plenty of human fights have that shape: you can win the argument and lose the friendship, the job or the place on the team. The question is not whether you could win, it is what remains afterwards.

Before the next confrontation you feel certain about, name what it costs even if it goes well. If the price is something you need, find a smaller move: a private word, a question, a delay.