WIST Quotations

Townsend, Robert -- Further Up the Organization (1984)

Dave — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:38:41 +0000

When you get right down to it, one of the most important tasks of a manager is to eliminate his people’s excuse for failure.

Robert Townsend (1920-1998) American business executive and author
Further Up the Organization (1984)

Asimov, Isaac -- Science Past, Science Future (1975)

Dave — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 15:03:15 +0000

Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is. The only function of a school is to make self-education easier; failing that, it does nothing.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American author, polymath, biochemist
Science Past, Science Future (1975)
(Source)

Branson, Richard -- Tweet (27 Mar 2014)

Dave — Tue, 03 May 2016 20:33:55 +0000

Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to.

Richard Branson (b. 1950) English business magnate, investor, philanthropist
Tweet (27 Mar 2014)
(Source)

Arendt, Hannah -- On Violence, ch. 2 (1970)

Dave — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:43:27 +0000

Power corresponds to the human ability not just to act but to act in concert. Power is never the property of an individual; it belongs to a group and remains in existence only so long as the group keeps together. When we say of somebody that he is “in power” we actually refer to his being empowered by a certain number of people to act in their name.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
On Violence, ch. 2 (1970)
(Source)

This book is an expansion of her essay (1969-02-27) "Reflections on Violence," The New York Review of Books; this passage is not in the original.