Alfur: What's wrong?
Hilda: Frida's counting on me. I promised her I can fix this, but... what if we can't find the ghost?
Alfur: Ah, this is precisely why an elf would never make a promise without a written document. That way, you can include disclaimers that absolve responsibility in the event the promise cannot be upheld.
Hilda: But that's awful! Why even make a promise at all? You're admitting defeat before you even start.
Alfur: No, you are protecting yourself *against* defeat.
Hilda: You know, this isn't much of a pep talk. Can't you just say "You can do it!"?
Alfur: Sure! You can do it!... "Statement for encouragement purposes only. You may not actually be able to do it".