--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A camel looks like a horse that was…" description: "\"A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee.\" — Alec Issigonis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/alec-issigonis-49051_camel_a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-plan_762785.png" --- # A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee. ![“A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee.” quote by Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/alec-issigonis-49051_camel_a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-plan_762785.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/alec-issigonis-49051_camel_a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-plan_762785.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/alec-issigonis-49051_camel_a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-plan_762785.png) > “A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee.” [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A camel looks like a horse designed by a committee. **In simple terms:** Committee designs can become absurd. Key Takeaway Beware over‑design by many voices. Themes design bureaucracy absurdity Mood critical witty Type humorous observational When to use this quote - product development - team meetings - creative projects Key Concepts design theory groupthink Questions to Reflect On - When does collaboration hinder design? - How can you balance input with simplicity? A Different Perspective May ignore functional benefits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camel/) [Camels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camels/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meetings/) ## Related quotes > [“The straw that breaks the camel's back always looks light enough, until it lands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cantero/the-straw-that-breaks-the-camel-s-back-always-looks-light-enough/) [Edgar Cantero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cantero/) > [A cloud can look like a camel, but a camel is unlikely to look like a cloud. This is so because the signifier must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/a-cloud-can-look-like-a-camel-but-a-camel-is-unlikely-to-look-like-a/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [No committee could ever come up with anything as revolutionary as a camel - anything as practical and as perfectly designed to perform effectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/no-committee-could-ever-come-up-with-anything-as-revolutionary-as-a/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [A camel is a horse designed by a committee and a committee's a sweet running piece of machinery compared to any government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-r-dickson/a-camel-is-a-horse-designed-by-a-committee-and-a-committee-s-a-sweet/) [Gordon R. Dickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-r-dickson/) > [He runs like a camel. A really pissed off camel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-donovan/he-runs-like-a-camel-a-really-pissed-off-camel/) [Art Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-donovan/) > [Death is a black camel, which kneels at the gates of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdelkader-el-djezairi/death-is-a-black-camel-which-kneels-at-the-gates-of-all/) [Abdelkader El Djezairi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdelkader-el-djezairi/) > [As a camel beareth labor, and heat, and hunger, and thirst, through deserts of sand, and fainteth not; so the fortitude of a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-a-camel-beareth-labor-and-heat-and-hunger-and-thirst-through/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I got to Grinnell College, I was part of the black turtleneck sweater and Camel cigarette crowd of poets and writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-coyote/when-i-got-to-grinnell-college-i-was-part-of-the-black-turtleneck/) [Peter Coyote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-coyote/) > [Camel trips, as I suspected all along, and as I was about to have confirmed, do not being or end: they mere change form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-davidson/camel-trips-as-i-suspected-all-along-and-as-i-was-about-to-have/) [Robyn Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-davidson/) > [ \[On the camel:\] Its weak point is its morale, and it is here that so much depends on its human master. Discouragement is fatal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-cable/on-the-camel-its-weak-point-is-its-morale-and-it-is-here-that-so-much/) [Mildred Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-cable/) > [“Tomorrow, sell our camel and buy a horse. Camels are traitorous: they walk thousands of paces and never seem to tire. Then suddenly, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/tomorrow-sell-our-camel-and-buy-a-horse-camels-are-traitorous-they/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You'd think that would have been forgotten long ago. But no, no sooner has a little grass grown over it than some clumsy camel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/you-d-think-that-would-have-been-forgotten-long-ago-but-no-no-sooner/) [Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/) > [The difference between camels and men; a camel can work a week and not drink; a man can drink a week and not work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-tuwim/the-difference-between-camels-and-men-a-camel-can-work-a-week-and-not/) [Julian Tuwim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-tuwim/) > [Ah, the camel of Cairo! ... He went quietly and comfortably through the narrowest lanes and the densest crowds by the mere force of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-jeannette-duncan/ah-the-camel-of-cairo-he-went-quietly-and-comfortably-through-the/) [Sara Jeannette Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-jeannette-duncan/) > [Expediency is a law of nature. The camel is a wonderful animal, but the desert made the camel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/expediency-is-a-law-of-nature-the-camel-is-a-wonderful-animal-but-the/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) ## More by Alec Issigonis > [It is much easier to drive without having an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/it-is-much-easier-to-drive-without-having-an-accident/) [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) > [I feel very, very proud that so many people have copied me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/i-feel-very-very-proud-that-so-many-people-have-copied-me/) [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) > [An expert is someone who tells you why you can't do something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/an-expert-is-someone-who-tells-you-why-you-can-t-do-something/) [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) > [The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/the-public-don-t-know-what-they-want-it-s-my-job-to-tell-them/) [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) > [My doodles and sketches are not the work of an academic engineer. They represent many years of design study in attempts to produce the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/my-doodles-and-sketches-are-not-the-work-of-an-academic-engineer-they/) [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) > [A camel is a horse designed by a committee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/a-camel-is-a-horse-designed-by-a-committee/) [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) > [I've always felt that stylists such as you have in America are ashamed of a car and are preoccupied with making it look like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/i-ve-always-felt-that-stylists-such-as-you-have-in-america-are/) [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) [Explore all 8 Alec Issigonis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) ## More Camel quotes > [Expediency is a law of nature. The camel is a wonderful animal, but the desert made the camel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/expediency-is-a-law-of-nature-the-camel-is-a-wonderful-animal-but-the/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Death is a black camel, which kneels at the gates of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdelkader-el-djezairi/death-is-a-black-camel-which-kneels-at-the-gates-of-all/) [Abdelkader El Djezairi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdelkader-el-djezairi/) > [“Compromise is like the old joke, “A camel is a horse made by a committee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/compromise-is-like-the-old-joke-a-camel-is-a-horse-made-by-a-committee/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [You'd think that would have been forgotten long ago. But no, no sooner has a little grass grown over it than some clumsy camel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/you-d-think-that-would-have-been-forgotten-long-ago-but-no-no-sooner/) [Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/) > [“the senile, lecherous expression of a camel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-senile-lecherous-expression-of-a-camel/) [yann martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“All things (e.g. a camel's journey through A needle's eye) are possible, it's true. But picture how the camel feels, squeezed out In one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/all-things-e-g-a-camel-s-journey-through-a-needle-s-eye-are-possible/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“I want to know about the future because I’m a man,” the camel driver had said to the seer. “And men always live their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-want-to-know-about-the-future-because-i-m-a-man-the-camel-driver/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [He runs like a camel. A really pissed off camel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-donovan/he-runs-like-a-camel-a-really-pissed-off-camel/) [Art Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-donovan/) > [“Many people still believe that “tough guy” means having a camel type muscles rather than a lion heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/many-people-still-believe-that-tough-guy-means-having-a-camel-type/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Ah, the camel of Cairo! ... He went quietly and comfortably through the narrowest lanes and the densest crowds by the mere force of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-jeannette-duncan/ah-the-camel-of-cairo-he-went-quietly-and-comfortably-through-the/) [Sara Jeannette Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-jeannette-duncan/) > [“I saw the camel put on its shirt An leave without tears for Mecca With a thousand and one Sand sellers and Dark crowds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-mansour/i-saw-the-camel-put-on-its-shirt-an-leave-without-tears-for-mecca/) Joyce Mansour > [“A blanket could be used to wrap up all the love I have to offer you, so it’ll be easier for you to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-blanket-could-be-used-to-wrap-up-all-the-love-i-have-to-offer-you/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Is there a right end of a camel for your head to be in?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-j-caile/is-there-a-right-end-of-a-camel-for-your-head-to-be-in/) Dani J Caile > [A single camel can carry around 300 kilograms. Using camels for hauling during migration is becoming a rarity in Mongolia, where mechanized transport is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cope/a-single-camel-can-carry-around-300-kilograms-using-camels-for/) [Tim Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cope/) > [The difference between camels and men; a camel can work a week and not drink; a man can drink a week and not work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-tuwim/the-difference-between-camels-and-men-a-camel-can-work-a-week-and-not/) [Julian Tuwim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-tuwim/) [Browse all 103 Camel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alec Issigonis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-planned-by-a-committee/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Camel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-planned-by-a-committee/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/alec-issigonis-49051_camel_a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-plan_762785.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/alec-issigonis-49051_camel_a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-plan_762785.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/alec-issigonis-49051_camel_a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-plan_762785.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee.” — Alec Issigonis", "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": "Alec Issigonis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A camel looks like a horse...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-planned-by-a-committee/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-planned-by-a-committee/#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 } } ] } ```