House

"The same year, to his medalists of labor, he explains: “Behind the contract that binds you to the House and the House to each of you, there is a moral contract, a contract of trust that binds us to each other with our clients and which is the true foundation of the work… The true boss is the client. We are on the same side of the barrier, you and I. We depend on the client’s choice who is in front of us.” And to note: “We cannot levy anyone with little blue papers like those of the Ministry of Finance. We are never in a position of strength… It is the client who makes the payment.”"

"Imperative instruction: never tell anyone—except the hierarchy—what you know, what you do, or what you prepare. Silence is more than a law; it is a duty. “Reckless chatter,” Edouard had said, “can be costly to the House.” Or again: “Discretion is an essential quality just like honesty and work.” This is true within the company as well as outside working hours. Clermont-Ferrand lives under a pall of silence, in fear of spies and informers."