Hyman G. Rickover Quotes
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Yet it is incumbent on those in high places to make wise decisions and it is reasonable and important that the public be correctly informed. It is consequently incumbent on all of us to state the facts as forthrightly as possible.
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They all have excellent resumes... So what I’m trying to find out is how they will behave under pressure. Will they lie, or bluff, or panic, or wilt? Or will they continue to function with some modicum of competence and integrity?
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The Devil is in the details, but so is salvation.
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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.
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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.
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Nothing so sharpens the thought process as writing down one's arguments. Weaknesses overlooked in oral discussion become painfully obvious on the written page.
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The tools of the academic designer are a piece of paper and a pencil with an eraser. If a mistake is made, it can always be erased and changed. If the practical-reactor designer errs, he wears the mistake around his neck; it cannot be erased. Everyone sees it.
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Administration is, or ought to be, a necessary overhead to aid production, and should at all times be kept as low as possible.
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One must create the ability in his staff to generate clear, forceful arguments for opposing viewpoints as well as for their own. Open discussions and disagreements must be encouraged, so that all sides of an issue are fully explored.
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Voltaire once said: 'Not to be occupied and not to exist are one and the same thing for a man.' With those few words he captured the essence of a purpose in life: to work, to create, to excel, and to be concerned about the world and its affairs.
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Nature is not as forgiving as Christ.
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Any one detail, followed through to its source, will usually reveal the general state of readiness of the whole organization.
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The question of what we can do to give purpose or meaning to our lives has been debated for thousands of years by philosophers and common men. Yet today we seem, if anything, further from the answer than before. Despite our great material wealth and high standard of living, people are groping for something that money cannot buy.
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In greek mythology, Antaeus was a giant who was strong as long as he had contact with the earth. When he was lifted from the earth he lost strength. So it is with engineers. They must not become isolated from the real world...
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Require rising standards of adequacy.
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If you are going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy. God will forgive you but the bureaucracy won't.
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It is said that a wise man who stands firm is a statesman, and a foolish man who stands firm is a catastrophe.
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Everything new endangers something old. A new machine replaces human hands; a new source of power threatens old businesses; a new trade route wipes out the supremacy of old ports and brings prosperity to new ones. This is the price that must be paid for progress and it is worth it.
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Some of the ideas I try to get across to the people who work for me are the following:
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You know that answer to that, don’t you. You don’t need me to tell you.