A golden theatre mask partly covering a reddish fox head on a small pedestal against dark emerald green.

Original artwork, not a still

Otto von Bismarck

They treat me like a fox, a cunning fellow of the first rank. But the truth is that with a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and when I have to do with a pirate, I try to be a pirate and a half.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Bismarck pushes back on his image as a sly fox. His claim is that he simply matches whoever he's dealing with. Gentlemen get a gentleman and a half, and pirates get a pirate and a half.

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