Hyman Rickover Quotes

Success teaches us nothing; only failure teaches.

The Devil is in the details, but so is salvation.

Optimism and stupidity are nearly synonymous.

When doing a job — any job — one must feel that he owns it, and act as though he will remain in that job forever.

Responsibility is a unique concept... You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you... If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible.

Nothing so sharpens the thought process as writing down one's arguments. Weaknesses overlooked in oral discussion become painfully obvious on the written page.

If you are going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy. God will forgive you but the bureaucracy won't.

What it takes to do a job will not be learned from management courses. It is principally a matter of experience, the proper attitude, and common sense — none of which can be taught in a classroom... Human experience shows that people, not organizations or management systems, get things done.

Sit down before fact with an open mind. Be prepared to give up every preconceived notion. Follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads or you learn nothing. Don’t push out figures when facts are going in the opposite direction.

More than ambition, more than ability, it is rules that limit contribution; rules are the lowest common denominator of human behavior. They are a substitute for rational thought.

They all have excellent resumes... So what I’m trying to find out is how they will behave under pressure.

I believe it is the duty of each of us to act as if the fate of the world depended on him. Admittedly, one man by himself cannot do the job. However, one man can make a difference. We must live for the future of the human race, and not for our own comfort or success.

The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.

I have the charisma of the chipmunk. I never have thought I was smart. I thought the people I dealt with were dumb.

It is necessary for us to learn from others’ mistakes. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself.

The devil is in the details,” the great admiral Hyman Rickover used to say, “but so is salvation.

To Rickover the titles and organization charts meant nothing; only the realities of responsibility mattered.45

Uneducated citizens are potentially as dangerous to the proper functioning of our democratic institutions as are uneducated workers when they handle complicated machinery.

The Devil is in the details, but so is salvation.

If you're going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy, God will forgive you but the bureaucracy.

Act as if you are going to live for ever and cast your plans way ahead. You must feel responsible without time limitations, and the consideration of whether you may or may not be around to see the results should never enter your thoughts.

Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience.   Hyman Rickover, American admiral (1900–1986)

The basis of Rickover's authority was his dual role which tied him to both the Commission and the Navy. Because he quickly sensed the possibilities of this arrangement, he was able to turn it to his advantage. Instead of a double infringement on his authority, the dual organization became a vehicle for unusual independence. Rickover achieved this independence, however, by avoiding routine procedures that would fix organizational patterns. In one instance he would act as a naval officer, in another as a Commission official. This unpredictable and pragmatic approach gave him the freedom he sought. The dual organization itself simply provided the opportunity for independence.

It is necessary to learn from others’ mistakes. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself. ADMIRAL HYMAN G. RICKOVER

The job has not been done to Admiral Hyman Rickover's specifications. He admonished, "Nature is not as forgiving as Christ.

Through concentrating on a specialty too early in life, a man becomes a kind of useful machine, but not a harmoniously developed personality. It is essential that the student acquire an understanding for, and a lively feeling for values. Otherwise, with his specialized knowledge, he more closely resembles a well-trained

Admiral Hyman Rickover pushed his passion for a nuclear-powered submarine as hard as he could without being formally charged with criminal intent, and he was rewarded with one of the most successful projects in the history of engineering. His finished prototype submarine, the USS Nautilus, was all that he had hoped. First put to sea at 11:00 a.m. on January 17, 1955, she broke every existing record of submersible boat performance, made all anti-submarine tactics obsolete, and never endangered a crew member.

It is necessary for us to learn from others’ mistakes. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself. ~ ADM Hyman G. Rickover, US Navy

The great end of life is not knowledge, but action. I believe it is the duty of each of us to act as if the fate of the world depended on him. We must live for the future, not for our own comfort or success.