WIST Quotations

Peter, Lawrence J. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

An actuary is someone who brings a fake bomb on a plane because that decreases the chances that there will be another bomb on the plane.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
(Attributed)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
(Attributed)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

Psychiatry enables us to correct our faults by confessing our parents’ shortcomings.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
(Attributed)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
(Attributed)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
(Attributed)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 11:53:57 +0000

Would the boy you were be proud of the man you are?

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
(Attributed)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Almanac, “3 December” (1982)

Dave — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:16:33 +0000

You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can make a damn fool of yourself any old time.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Almanac, “3 December” (1982)

See Lincoln.

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Almanac, “July 26” (1982)

Dave — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 20:34:10 +0000

Tact is the art of putting your foot down without stepping on anyone’s toes.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Almanac, “July 26” (1982)
(Source)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s People, ch. 8 (1979)

Dave — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:37:47 +0000

There are two kinds of losers: (1) the good loser and (2) those who can’t act.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s People, ch. 8 (1979)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s People, ch. 8, “Peter’s Theory of Relativity” (1979)

Dave — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:13:10 +0000

The red light is always longer than the green light.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s People, ch. 8, “Peter’s Theory of Relativity” (1979)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977)

Dave — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:26:57 +0000

History teaches us the mistakes we are going to make.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977)

Dave — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:02:37 +0000

There are two kinds of egotists: Those who admit it and the rest of us.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977)

Dave — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 17:49:05 +0000

The most useful of all social graces is the ability to yawn with your mouth closed.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977)
(Source)

Variant: As quoted in The Wall Street Journal (9 Aug 1984): 'At board meetings, "the one unmatched asset is the ability to yawn with your mouth closed," says Robert Mueller in a new book, 'Behind the Boardroom Door.'"

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Quotations (1977)

Dave — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:41:01 +0000

Middle age is when you stop criticizing the older generation and start criticizing the younger one.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Quotations (1977)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Quotations (1977)

Dave — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:05:39 +0000

A pessimist is a man who looks both ways before crossing a one-way street.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Quotations (1977)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Quotations (1977)

Dave — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 15:03:32 +0000

[The reformer] wants his conscience to be your guide.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Quotations (1977)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s Almanac, entry for 24 Sep. (1982).

Dave — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:33:10 +0000

Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Almanac, entry for 24 Sep. (1982).

Peter, Lawrence J. -- The Peter Principle, ch. 1 (1969)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
The Peter Principle, ch. 1 (1969)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- The Peter Principle (1969)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear, but forgetting where you heard it.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
The Peter Principle (1969)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- The Peter Principle (1969)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

If you don’t know where you’re going, you will probably end up somewhere else.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
The Peter Principle (1969)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- The Peter Principle (1969)

Dave — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:33:59 +0000

Competence, like truth, beauty and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
The Peter Principle (1969)

See Richard Cumberland.