Von Clausewitz, Karl -- On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 3 “On Military Genius [Der Kriegerishe Genius],” (1.3) (1832) [tr. Graham (1873)]

Dave — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 20:29:45 +0000

There is nothing more common than to hear of men losing their energy on being raised to a higher position, to which they do not feel themselves equal.

[Nichts gewöhnlicher ist als Beispiele von Männern, die ihre Thätigkeit verlieren, sobald sie zu höheren Stellen gelangen, denen ihre Einsichten nicht mehr gewachsen sind.]

Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) Prussian soldier, historian, military theorist
On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 3 “On Military Genius [Der Kriegerishe Genius],” (1.3) (1832) [tr. Graham (1873)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Alternate translations:

There is nothing more common than to hear of men losing their energy on being raised to a higher position, to which their abilities are no longer equal.
[tr. Jolles (1943)]

No case is more common than that of the officer whose energy declines as he rises in rank and fills positions that are beyond his abilities.
[tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]

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)

WIST Quotations

Von Clausewitz, Karl -- On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 3 “On Military Genius [Der Kriegerishe Genius],” (1.3) (1832) [tr. Graham (1873)]

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