Saturday, August 29, 2026

Probably Apochryphal Quote

 “There are only four types of officers.


First, there are the lazy, stupid ones. Leave them alone, they do no harm.

Second, there are the hard-working intelligent ones. They make excellent staff officers, ensuring that every detail is properly considered.

Third, there are the hard-working, stupid ones. These people are a menace, and must be fired at once. They create irrelevant work for everybody.

Finally, there are the intelligent lazy ones. They are suited for the highest office.” 
 
--Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord, maybe.
 
I vaguely remembered this, so I Googled it up after I was complaining about idiots at work the other day.
 
I think the modern (non-military) version is
 
Stupid/Lazy: "Promote" into some pointless job so they're out of the way (and do no harm.)
 
Hard-working/intelligent:  Either get fed up and leave, or burnt out and go nuts.
 
Hard-working/stupid: MIDDLE MANAGEMENT, BABY!
 
Intelligent/Lazy: These are the people who've been at the company for 20 years, still are officially near the bottom of the totem pole, and secretly run everything. 

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Probably Apochryphal Quote

 “There are only four types of officers. First, there are the lazy, stupid ones. Leave them alone, they do no harm. Second, there are the h...