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32 Incredible Laurence J Peter Quotes

Laurence Johnston Peter was best known for the formulation of the Peter Principle. His work in this area is considered to be one of the most profound principles taught in management from the University of Southern California. Check out the following collection of great Laurence J. Peter quotes noted during his lifetime.

“A censor is an expert in cutting remarks. A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to.”

“A man doesn’t know what he knows until he knows what he doesn’t know.”

“A pessimist is a man who looks both ways when he crosses the street.”

“Against logic there is no armor like ignorance.”

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

“An intelligence test sometimes shows a man how smart he would have been not to have taken it.”

“Before publishers’ blurbs were invented, authors had to make their reputations by writing.”

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

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

“Don’t believe in miracles – depend on them.”

“Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise.”

“Education is a method whereby one acquires a higher grade of prejudices.”

“Equal opportunity means everyone will have a fair chance at being incompetent.”

“Expert: a man who makes three correct guesses consecutively.”

“If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?”

“If two wrongs don’t make a right, try three.”

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

“It is wise to remember that you are one of those who can be fooled some of the time.”

“It’s better to have loved and lost than to have to do forty pounds of laundry a week.”

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

“Make three correct guesses consecutively and you will establish a reputation as an expert.”

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

“Reality is for people who can’t face drugs.”

“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”

“Speak when you are angry, and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.”

“The best intelligence test is what we do with our leisure.”

“The incompetent with nothing to do can still make a mess of it.”

“The seaman tells stories of winds, the ploughman of bulls; the soldier details his wounds, the shepherd his sheep.”

“Two things reduce prejudice: education and laughter.”

“When in doubt or danger, run in circles, scream and shout.”

“Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.”

“You can always tell a real friend: when you’ve made a fool of yourself he doesn’t feel you’ve done a permanent job.”

Check out the following video for an understanding to the Peter Principle, named after Laurence J. Peter. Understanding the common misconceptions will help you find better solutions for your own business.

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