A free society can survive only with men and women of integrity. Mediocrity can destroy us just as surely as perils far more famous. In a society that is willing to accept mediocrity, the opportunity for failure is boundless. Hyman Rickover More Quotes by Hyman Rickover More Quotes From Hyman Rickover Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous impatience. Hyman Rickover patience motivational life Responsibility is a unique concept... You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you... If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible. Hyman Rickover unique ignorance responsibility The man in charge must concern himself with details. If he does not consider them important, neither will his subordinates. Hyman Rickover details important men Be ever questioning. Ignorance is not bliss. It is oblivion. You don't go to heaven if you die dumb. Become better informed. Lean from others' mistakes. You could not live long enough to make them all yourself. Hyman Rickover ignorance mistake long Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous impatience. Once implemented they can be easily overturned or subverted through apathy or lack of follow-up, so a continuous effort is required. Hyman Rickover leadership practice ideas What it takes to do a job will not be learned from management courses. It is principally a matter of experience, the proper attitude, and common sense — none of which can be taught in a classroom... Human experience shows that people, not organizations or management systems, get things done. Hyman Rickover organization attitude jobs Success teaches us nothing; only failure teaches. Hyman Rickover teach optimistic success Optimism and stupidity are nearly synonymous. Hyman Rickover optimism stupidity stupid Responsibility is a unique concept. It can only reside and inhere in a single individual. You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you. You may disclaim it, but you cannot divest yourself of it. If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible. Hyman Rickover individual unique may I believe it is the duty of each of us to act as if the fate of the world depended on him. Admittedly, one man by himself cannot do the job. However, one man can make a difference. We must live for the future of the human race, and not for our own comfort or success. Hyman Rickover fate jobs believe A system under which it takes three men to check what one is doing is not control; it is systematic strangulation. Hyman Rickover systematic three men I have the charisma of the chipmunk. I never have thought I was smart. I thought the people I dealt with were dumb. Hyman Rickover smart dumb people Human experience shows that people, not organizations or management systems, get things done Hyman Rickover organization done people More than ambition, more than ability, it is rules that limit contribution; rules are the lowest common denominator of human behavior. They are a substitute for rational thought. Hyman Rickover limits ambition common It is a human inclination to hope things will work out, despite evidence or doubt to the contrary. A successful manager must resist this temptation. Hyman Rickover work-out successful temptation When doing a job — any job — one must feel that he owns it, and act as though he will remain in that job forever. Hyman Rickover forever feels jobs I suggest that this is a good time to think soberly about our responsibilities to our descendents - those who will ring out the Fossil Fuel Age. Our greatest responsibility, as parents and as citizens, is to give America's youngsters the best possible education. We need the best teachers and enough of them to prepare our young people for a future immeasurably more complex than the present, and calling for ever larger numbers of competent and highly trained men and women. Hyman Rickover responsibility teacher men We bury the men who do the nation's creative work under layers of administrators and mountains of memoranda. We shrivel creativity by endless frustrations. Hyman Rickover creativity frustration men All new ideas begin in a non-conforming mind that questions some tenet of the conventional wisdom. Hyman Rickover creativity mind ideas To doubt one's own first principles is the mark of a civilized man. Don't defend past actions; what is right today may be wrong tomorrow. Don't be consistent; consistency is the refuge of fools. Hyman Rickover consistency men past
