Hyman George Rickover > Quotes

“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 G. Rickover

“Success teaches us nothing; only failure teaches.”
― Hyman G. Rickover

“Optimism and stupidity are nearly synonymous.”
― Hyman G. Rickover

“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 G. Rickover

“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 G. Rickover

“Nothing so sharpens the thought process as writing down one's arguments. Weaknesses overlooked in oral discussion become painfully obvious on the written page.”
― Hyman G. Rickover

“Sit down before fact with an open mind. Be prepared to give up every preconceived notion. Follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads or you learn nothing. Don’t push out figures when facts are going in the opposite direction.”
― Hyman G. Rickover

“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 G. Rickover

“If you are going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy. God will forgive you but the bureaucracy won't.”
― Hyman G. Rickover

“They all have excellent resumes... So what I’m trying to find out is how they will behave under pressure.”
― Hyman G. Rickover

“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 G. Rickover

“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
― Hyman G. Rickover

“I have the charisma of the chipmunk. I never have thought I was smart. I thought the people I dealt with were dumb.”
― Hyman George Rickover

“The Devil is in the details, but so is salvation.”
― Hyman George Rickover

“The great end of life is not knowledge, but action. I believe it is the duty of each of us to act as if the fate of the world depended on him. We must live for the future, not for our own comfort or success.”
― Hyman G. Rickover

“It is necessary for us to learn from others’ mistakes.
You will not live long enough to make them all yourself.”
― Hyman George Rickover

“Act as if you are going to live for ever and cast your plans way ahead. You must feel responsible without time limitations, and the consideration of whether you may or may not be around to see the results should never enter your thoughts.”
― Hyman George Rickover

“If you're going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy, God will forgive you but the bureaucracy.”
― Hyman George Rickover

“Uneducated citizens are potentially as dangerous to the proper functioning of our democratic institutions as are uneducated workers when they handle complicated machinery.”
― Hyman George Rickover, The Never-Ending Challenge of Engineering: Admiral H.G. Rickover in His Own Words

“Through concentrating on a specialty too early in life, a man becomes a kind of useful machine, but not a harmoniously developed personality. It is essential that the student acquire an understanding for, and a lively feeling for values. Otherwise, with his specialized knowledge, he more closely resembles a well-trained”
― Hyman George Rickover, The Never-Ending Challenge of Engineering: Admiral H.G. Rickover in His Own Words