"The basic theme is elementary and should be beyond argument: No logistical system is sound unless its first principal is enlightened conservation of the power of the individual fighter. The second theme, in 1949 a radically new idea, as yet unsupported by incontrovertible scientific proof, is that sustained fear in the male individual is degenerative as prolonged fatigue exhausts body energy no less."

"Truly then, it is killing men with kindness not to insist upon physical standards during training which will give them maximum fitness for the extraordinary stresses of campaigning in war."

"The first duty of the officer is to challenge whatever seems illusory."

"With respect to the effect of "friendly fire" hitting among troops. however, it is to be observed that if the circumstances leave any room for doubt as to the source, the men will jump to the conclusion that they are being victimized by their own guns."

"A few of them fire their pieces. At first they do so almost timidly, as if fearing a rebuke for wasting ammunition when they do not see the enemy. Others do nothing. Some fail to act mainly because they are puzzled what to do and their leaders do not tell them; others are wholly unnerved and can neither think nor move in sensible relation to the situation."

"We are reluctant to admit that essentially war is the business of killing, though that is the simplest truth in the book."

"War must always start with imperfect instruments."

"The rifleman in training is usually under close observation and the chief pressure upon him is to give satisfaction to his superior, whereas the rifleman engaging the enemy is of necessity pretty much on his own, and the chief pressure on him is to remain alive, if possible."

"The enemy, no more willing to be shot than was his opponent, was rarely seen, only fleetingly if at all."

"Undue emphasis on conservation is as great a danger to fire power as is an excess expenditure of ammunition."

"....most of our textbooks and commentaries on leadership and the mastery of the moral problem in battle are written by senior officers who are either wholly lacking in combat experience or have been for long periods so far removed from the reality of small arms action that they have come to forget what were once their most vital convictions and impressions."

"The first effect of fire is to dissolve all appearances of order."

"We define substance abuse as throwing away substance in favor of a better-looking wrapper. Running off experienced people for cheaper labor makes as much sense as peeling a banana, throwing the fruit away, and eating the peel."

"The cost of “downsizing,” “re-sizing,” or “right-sizing” eclipses what it would have cost to unleash the pent up leadership already inside the organization."

"Efficiency, productivity, and performance should always be priorities, through good times and bad."

"Organizational performance, productivity, and profitability depend more on the emotional investment people have in meeting organizational objectives than any other factor."

"Clinging to unrealistic expectations, we can become our own worst enemies."

"People don't learn much about themselves or others while they're succeeding in spite of poor practices. When the real outcomes reflect the real work being done, the real learning begins."

"After studying idiot bosses for more than two decades, I finally understand why females in certain species eat their young."

"Most executives bring in a consultant or a new training program for course correction after they've steered the ship into an iceberg."

"People participate fully, with the best they have, when they feel necessary to the outcome. People want to participate, but only if they'll feel good about what they're doing."

"Hierarchical organizations are typically run by little Napoleons and Napoleonettes; especially at mid-organization level. A hierarchical organizational design draws leadership focus and energy away from problem solving and progressive thinking by encouraging those climbing the organizational food chain to focus instead on protecting their positions, perks, and territory."

"Whether you like it or not, any time two or more people get together to do anything, a culture emerges."

"The vast majority of your organization's leadership potential is probably locked up behind the bars of bureaucracy or staggering under the weight of organizational inertia. The cultural dragon you are fighting feeds on old school notions about leadership that grew out of a Napoleonic, hierarchical military organizational model."

"When people's hopes and expectations are built up only to be demolished, they become a lot harder to motivate."

"People in intermediate organizational positions quickly learn how they can influence decisions at the top by filtering information as it makes its way up the ladder and back down again."

"Idiot Bosses are mutant hiccups of organizational evolution with cockroach-like immunity to calamities that wipe out truly talented and creative people."

"Classical management theory would have us believe that the fastest way to get a square peg through a round hole is to use a bigger hammer."

"Be thankful for you I-Boss. He might be the easiest to work with and the least threatening to your health of all other boss types."

"When leaders are separate and definitely not equal, they tend to become ensconced in corner offices, or at least offices with windows."

"If escaping your paranoid boss is not easy, keep your activities in plain site; copy your Paranoid Boss on everything; spend more time with him; share the knowledge, share secrets - some of your inner thoughts, within reason."

"Deciding not to intentionally do things to shape your environment... will help bring about the environment you don't want. Inaction around the office is innocuous."

"If you are equally as emotionally needy as your Buddy Boss, it could be a marriage made in heaven, although I would rather go to another heaven."

"Paranoia can feed on itself and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Paranoid Boss spends his energy searching out and exposing the conspiracy against him. The focus and leadership that should have been committed to departmental objectives is wasted and whole operation goes in the tank - thus confirming the paranoid boss's contention."

"Masochistic Bosses make sure their departments fail so upper management will deal out punishment."

"Telling Sadistic Bosses what they want to hear, like "...ouch," will only get them charged up to do more punishment... Try pretending you're a masochist. If your performance is convincing... you'll be out in a flash."

"To Paranoid Bosses, everything and everybody is out to get them, including you."

"Invite you Buddy Boss to everything. Share information openly... Request meetings. Beware of the confessional. Your Buddy Boss will devote endless hours to hearing your confessions and making hers to you - a potential disconnect from getting any appreciable work done. Set time limits."

"This reporter, who invited Dr. Hoover to lunch recently in hopes of learning definitive ways to spot idiots and thwart them before they do too much damage. She came away feeling like, well, an idiot. But not to worry: Dr. Hoover, who has a master's degree in family and marriage therapy and a doctorate in organizational dynamics, says idiotism is a treatable condition. He said his book... is as much a primer for I-Bosses as it is a balm for their beleaguered subordinates."

"Active idiots carry their dysfunction into positions of leadership and remain oblivious to the havoc they wreak."

"Masochistic Bosses attract codependents like flies to a Sunday picnic. They are about as uplifting as a boar anchor."

"Getting along with her requires ignoring everything you're being paid to do. Dedicated workers get hit the hardest because they must work nights and weekends to do the things they would have done. With luck, you might be transferred to an Idiot Boss."

"Conversation sets the stage for the commitment and the covenant."

"Going through channels means seeking permission from those above you. Imagine how much distortion there will be if the information is screened each time based on each person's political agenda."

"There is no question that How to Work for an Idiot: Survive and Thrive ... Without Killing Your Boss... is a subversive book. People will pick it up expecting a tasty blend of commiseration and advice. They will put it down thinking, to rephrase the famous line from the cartoon character Pogo, "We have met the idiot, and he is us.""

"MR. PEABODY: "People who are content and confident in their work tend to be highly motivated and eminently more productive. They collaborate more freely with peers and colleagues, and cooperate better with those they report to..."

"Even the most mechanical organizations can design and deploy a people-centered culture, even if it happens one department at a time and takes a flying squirrel to champion the change."

"An absence of effective communication will ultimately lead to conflict."

"It is much easier to address important issues if the conversation is continuous. Don’t take your team member by surprise. Catching someone off guard produces instant defensiveness."

"You must be willing to reconcile any difference between who you really are, as evidenced by your words and deeds, and who you present yourself to be."