Incompetence Quotes - Page 2

• Equal opportunity means everyone will have a fair chance at being incompetent.

  Laurence J. Peter

  Love, Life, Relationship

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• Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.

  Laurence J. Peter

  Work, Umpires, Levels

  The Peter Principle ch. 1 (1969)

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• Incompetence is certainty in the absence of expertise. Overconfidence is certainty in the presence of expertise.

  Malcolm Gladwell

  Absence, Certainty, Overconfidence

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• The price of loyalty is incompetence.

  Jonathan Alter

  Loyalty, Government

  Jonathan Alter (2008). “Between the Lines: A View Inside American Politics, People, and Culture”

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• I have little tolerance for incompetence, sloppy thinking, and laziness.

  Michael E. DeBakey

  Thinking, Tolerance, Laziness

  61 Copy quote

• If at first you don't succeed, you may be at your level of incompetence already.

  Laurence J. Peter

  Success, Work, Levels

  27 Copy quote

• Just as your hand has the power to hide the sun, mediocrity has the power to hide your inner light. Do not blame others for your own incompetence.

  Paulo Coelho

  Light, Hands, Mediocrity

  Paulo Coelho (2015). “Warrior of the Light -”, p.31, Booklassic

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• Secrecy breeds incompetence because where there is failure, failure is kept secret.

  Julian Assange

  Secret, Kept Secrets, Secrecy

  "Julian Assange: The Byline Interviews, Part One – ‘The God of Mass Surveillance". Interview with Seung-yoon Lee, www.byline.com. June 11, 2015.

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• One of the reasons for conspiracy theories is an assumption that people in high places always know what they are doing. When they do something that makes no sense, devious reasons are imagined by conspiracy theorists, when in fact it may be due to plain old ignorance and incompetence.

  Thomas Sowell

  Ignorance, Government, People

  Thomas Sowell (2013). “Controversial Essays”, p.317, Hoover Press

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• Incompetence annoys me. Overconfidence terrifies me.

  Malcolm Gladwell

  Annoying, Overconfidence

  "Gladwell packs UTC venue". www.timesfreepress.com. October 6, 2010.

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• Why do we love the idea that people might be secretly working together to control and organise the world? Because we don't like to face the fact that our world runs on a combination of chaos, incompetence and confusion.

  Jonathan Cainer

  Running, Ideas, Our World

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• Sometimes incompetence is useful. It helps you keep an open mind.

  Roberto Cavalli

  Mind, Helping, Sometimes

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• I don't know what I'm doing, but my incompetence has never stopped my enthusiasm.

  Woody Allen

  Fathers Day, Enthusiasm, Best Father

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• It seems that the problem with government as an institution is uniformly bad, worldwide. It may be the ONLY thing that binds all nations together - the incompetence of all of their governments...The unions are the mafia, which is the CIA, which is the Catholic Church, which is the government, which is what's the difference? It's corrupt! It's the same guys pulling these strings, you know? One day he pulls the string and this lamp comes out, the next say he pulls the string and there's a missile coming out.

  Frank Zappa

  Differences, Government, Guy

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• Incompetence is a double-edged banana.

  John Perry Barlow

  Bananas

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• Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for. A product is not quality because it is hard to make and costs a lot of money, as manufacturers typically believe. This is incompetence. Customers pay only for what is of use to them and gives them value. Nothing else constitutes quality.

  Peter Drucker

  Believe, Giving, Quality

  Peter Drucker (2014). “Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, p.244, Routledge

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• I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.

  Billy Joel

  Birthday, Insecurity, Age

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• It happens; incompetence is rewarded more often than not.

  Jeff Lindsay

  Happens

  Jeff Lindsay (2005). “Darkly Dreaming Dexter”, p.25, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

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• Every clique is a refuge for incompetence. It fosters corruption and disloyalty, it begets cowardice, and consequently is a burden upon and a drawback to the progress of the country. Its instincts and actions are those of the pack.

  Soong May-ling

  Country, Progress, Politics

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• Sorcery is the sauce fools spoon over failure to hide the flavor of their own incompetence.

  George R. R. Martin

  Sorcery, Spoons, Flavor

  George R. R. Martin (2011). “A Game of Thrones 4-Book Bundle: A Song of Ice and Fire Series: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Feast for Crows”, p.1143, Bantam

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• Luck is always the last refuge of laziness and incompetence.

  James Cash Penney

  Luck, Laziness, Lasts

  James Cash Penney, Robert Walter Bruère (1931). “J.C. Penney: the Man with a Thousand Partners: An Autobiography of J.C. Penney”

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• Inconsistency, incompetence, and lies are all cut short by the ground. It will stop you if you can't stop yourself.

  Mark Twight

  Lying, Cutting, Inconsistency

  Mark Twight (2001). “Kiss Or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber”

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• The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline.

  James C. Collins

  Business, Discipline, Purpose

  "No more heroes". “Madeleine Bunting's working lives column”, www.theguardian.com. November 3, 2001.

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• Carelessness with details sinks more careers than anyone will admit.

  Lois Wyse

  Careers, Details, Carelessness

  Lois Wyse (1984). “The Six-Figure Woman and How to Be One”, Fawcett Books

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• A bad workman quarrels with the man who calls him that.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Men, He Man, Quarrels

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.114, Courier Corporation

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