W. and I never make a point of finding someone to discourage. They must find us, deliberately seeking us out, since we who are the last people to whom anyone would want to speak. But we're friendly, if nothing else, and it amuses us when people throw themselves upon our mercy. – 'You must be really desperate. We're the last people you should talk to. It'll get you nowhere'.
What advice do we give? What do we tell them? You have to know you're a failure, we tell them. That's absolutely essential.
Lars Iyer's Blog 