---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everybody in the real world will agree…"
description: "\"Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a project is behind deadline, quality assurance tends to go out the window.\" — Alan Cox"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/alan-cox-73842_agree_everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-t_32763.jpg"
---

#  Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a…

![“Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a project is behind deadline, quality assurance tends to go out the window.” quote by Alan Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/alan-cox-73842_agree_everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-t_32763.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/alan-cox-73842_agree_everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-t_32763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/alan-cox-73842_agree_everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-t_32763.jpg)

> “Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a project is behind deadline, quality assurance tends to go out the window.”

Alan Cox

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker observes that when a project falls behind schedule, quality assurance is often sacrificed, implying a trade‑off between timeliness and quality.

**In simple terms:** Deadlines can erode quality checks.

Key Takeaway

Time pressure compromises quality.

Themes

project management deadline pressure quality assurance risk

Mood

cautious pragmatic

Type

professional observation

When to use this quote

- software development
- construction projects
- product launches

Key Concepts

process trade‑off

Practical Applications

- balance schedule with QA

Questions to Reflect On

- How can teams protect QA under tight deadlines?
- What metrics reveal hidden quality loss?

A Different Perspective

Sometimes rapid iteration is necessary; quality can be built incrementally.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Assurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assurance/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [There are people who literally cannot start a project until the deadline is four hours away, even if it's a big one. And those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pozen/there-are-people-who-literally-cannot-start-a-project-until-the/)

[Robert Pozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pozen/)

> [“Most software is designed for the development lab or the testers in the Quality Assurance (QA) department.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-t-nygard/most-software-is-designed-for-the-development-lab-or-the-testers-in/)

[Michael T. Nygard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-t-nygard/)

> [“One of the essential problems for education is that most countries subject their schools to the fast-food model of quality assurance when they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/one-of-the-essential-problems-for-education-is-that-most-countries/)

[Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/)

> [Laboratories can reduce risk by implementing a proven and internationally accepted quality assurance technology that is applicable across the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/laboratories-can-reduce-risk-by-implementing-a-proven-and/)

[Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/)

> [“Rather than emulate the world of politics, where failures are hidden from others and as a result bound to be repeated over time, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rather-than-emulate-the-world-of-politics-where-failures-are-hidden/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“If you would not spend time looking at it, do not ship it. One of the best quality assurance rules of thumb is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-busche/if-you-would-not-spend-time-looking-at-it-do-not-ship-it-one-of-the/)

[Laura Busche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-busche/)

> [“Forensic DNA Expert Anil Gupta offer a variety of DNA forensic testing systems including STR, Y-STR, and mitochondrial DNA. The DNA Sample in Forensic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-gupta/forensic-dna-expert-anil-gupta-offer-a-variety-of-dna-forensic/)

Anil Gupta

> [I started in the industry in Public Relations, Quality Assurance, Information Systems and furniture moving. I tried my hand in design and haven’t looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-miller/i-started-in-the-industry-in-public-relations-quality-assurance/)

[Dan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-miller/)

> [“Service Beyond Self is Essential for Success Because It . . . • Builds credibility, trust, and customer satisfaction. • Strengthens your personal reputation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/service-beyond-self-is-essential-for-success-because-it-builds/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [We speak of 'software eating the world,' 'the Internet of Things,' and we massify 'data' by declaring it 'Big.' But these concepts remain for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/we-speak-of-software-eating-the-world-the-internet-of-things-and-we/)

[John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/)

> [The place we want to explore unpleasantness in the real world is in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teller/the-place-we-want-to-explore-unpleasantness-in-the-real-world-is-in/)

[Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teller/)

> [I'm completely unlike a lot of other performers in the past who have been forgiven or come to terms with the real world because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-m-completely-unlike-a-lot-of-other-performers-in-the-past-who-have/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [I still have a photo on my wall of the greatest idol I will ever have in my life, and it's myself at eight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/i-still-have-a-photo-on-my-wall-of-the-greatest-idol-i-will-ever-have/)

[Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/)

> [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

> ['The Matrix' is a movie that is all about glamour. I could do a whole talk on 'The Matrix' and glamour. It was criticized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-matrix-is-a-movie-that-is-all-about-glamour-i-could-do-a-whole/)

[Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/)

## More by Alan Cox

> [I figure lots of predictions is best. People will forget the ones I get wrong and marvel over the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/i-figure-lots-of-predictions-is-best-people-will-forget-the-ones-i/)

Alan Cox

> [Live fast, die old, and make very sure everyone knows you were there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/live-fast-die-old-and-make-very-sure-everyone-knows-you-were-there/)

Alan Cox

> [All software sucks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/all-software-sucks/)

Alan Cox

Explore all 4 Alan Cox quotes

## More Agree quotes

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/)

[Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/)

> [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/)

[Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/)

> [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/)

[Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/)

> [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/)

[Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/)

Browse all 3,079 Agree quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a project is behind deadline, quality assurance tends to go out the window.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Cox"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-the-moment-a-project-is-behind/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agree"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-the-moment-a-project-is-behind/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/alan-cox-73842_agree_everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-t_32763.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/alan-cox-73842_agree_everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-t_32763.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f6/alan-cox-73842_agree_everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-t_32763.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a project is behind deadline, quality assurance tends to…” — Alan Cox",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alan Cox",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cox/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Everybody in the real world will...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-the-moment-a-project-is-behind/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-the-moment-a-project-is-behind/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
