--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is a story about four people named…" description: "\"This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to do and Everybody was asked to do it. Eve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/anonymous-1_angry_this-is-a-story-about-four-people-named_1003682.jpg" --- # This is a story about four people named Everybody… ![“This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to do and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/anonymous-1_angry_this-is-a-story-about-four-people-named_1003682.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/anonymous-1_angry_this-is-a-story-about-four-people-named_1003682.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/anonymous-1_angry_this-is-a-story-about-four-people-named_1003682.jpg) > “This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to do and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody would do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tale illustrating how collective responsibility leads to inaction when everyone assumes someone else will act. **In simple terms:** Everyone expects others to act, so nothing gets done. Key Takeaway Assign clear ownership to avoid failure. Themes responsibility teamwork accountability inaction Mood frustrated reflective Type parable didactic When to use this quote - workplace projects - community initiatives - emergency response - group tasks Key Concepts social psychology diffusion of responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Who will you hold accountable when a group task stalls? - How can you ensure clear ownership in a team? A Different Perspective If no one is explicitly assigned, the task may still be ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-a-story-about-four-people-named-everybody-somebody-anybody-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was definitely bullied, basically. I was definitely the person that everybody blamed for everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-pivarnick/i-was-definitely-bullied-basically-i-was-definitely-the-person-that/) [Angelina Pivarnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-pivarnick/) > [I'm not angry. Everybody thinks I'm so angry because I have a point of view. They're expecting me to just be all Smucker's Jam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-west/i-m-not-angry-everybody-thinks-i-m-so-angry-because-i-have-a-point-of/) [Billy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-west/) > [“She had spent so much time thinking about what it would be like to finally come home and how much she missed everybody -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/she-had-spent-so-much-time-thinking-about-what-it-would-be-like-to/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [I just didn't believe I was like everybody else. I thought I was unique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/i-just-didn-t-believe-i-was-like-everybody-else-i-thought-i-was-unique/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [“If you were different from anybody in town, you had to get out. That's why everybody was so much alike. The way they talked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/if-you-were-different-from-anybody-in-town-you-had-to-get-out-that-s/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [I came back once or twice a year to visit my family, and then I would take off again. In the beginning, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-gelman/i-came-back-once-or-twice-a-year-to-visit-my-family-and-then-i-would/) [Rita Gelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-gelman/) > [When I first started to blow up, everybody thought I was rich. Everybody started asking for stuff. My friends started becoming fans. Even my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ybn-nahmir/when-i-first-started-to-blow-up-everybody-thought-i-was-rich/) [YBN Nahmir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ybn-nahmir/) > [Everybody thought that Hillary Clinton was gonna win. That's the problem. Everybody thought, nobody was paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/everybody-thought-that-hillary-clinton-was-gonna-win-that-s-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“almost nobody made it out of the game in one piece, and almost everybody thought they would be the exception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-price/almost-nobody-made-it-out-of-the-game-in-one-piece-and-almost/) [Richard Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-price/) > [“Nobody else suspected that he was going crazy. Everybody else thought he looked fine and was acting fine. Now he was in the hospital.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nobody-else-suspected-that-he-was-going-crazy-everybody-else-thought/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Everybody thought I was a bit of an eccentric for wanting to be out there looking at the stars, but I still do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-may/everybody-thought-i-was-a-bit-of-an-eccentric-for-wanting-to-be-out/) [Brian May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-may/) > [Back then, when everybody thought the world would last forever, nobody had time for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/back-then-when-everybody-thought-the-world-would-last-forever-nobody/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I want to show people that I'm not what everybody thought I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-green/i-want-to-show-people-that-i-m-not-what-everybody-thought-i-was/) [Gerald Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-green/) > [I spent a lot of time in my head, but not like caring about what everybody else thought, just literally in my own world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tierra-whack/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-in-my-head-but-not-like-caring-about-what/) [Tierra Whack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tierra-whack/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Angry quotes > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [When you're frustrated with people, when they've made you angry, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/when-you-re-frustrated-with-people-when-they-ve-made-you-angry-it/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. 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So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Of course I get angry, but I want to use my brain a little bit and not just smash things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/of-course-i-get-angry-but-i-want-to-use-my-brain-a-little-bit-and-not/) [Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/) > [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) [Browse all 3,857 Angry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to do and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody would do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. 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