A party to a negotiation or mediation should not assume anything,

 A party to a negotiation or mediation should not assume anything, either. As I must with Cookie, a party must make further inquiry into why a certain statement was made or a position taken. A party must inquire into what is really going on rather than taking "it" at face value and using assumptions to fill in the blanks and gaps. And just as with Cookie, the reason may not be the one assumed (i.e., Cookie has upset stomach) but may be one that we never even thought of (Cookie simply enjoys eating grass!).

The morale; do not assume: rather, ask questions, do some due diligence. More often than not, the rationale or reason for why someone does or says something is quite different than what you assume it to be. Assumptions can be dangerous. Beware of them. A party to a negotiation or mediation should not assume anything,