--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you ask amateurs to act as front-line…" description: "\"If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security personnel, you shouldn't be surprised when you get amateur security.\" — Bruce Schneier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/bruce-schneier-8231_amateurs_if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line_2945309.png" --- # If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security… ![“If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security personnel, you shouldn't be surprised when you get amateur security.” quote by Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/bruce-schneier-8231_amateurs_if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line_2945309.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/bruce-schneier-8231_amateurs_if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line_2945309.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/bruce-schneier-8231_amateurs_if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line_2945309.png) > “If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security personnel, you shouldn't be surprised when you get amateur security.” [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Amateur security staff lack expertise, leading to poor protection; professional training is essential. **In simple terms:** Untrained guards are ineffective; train them. Key Takeaway Invest in professional security training. Themes security expertise risk management training Mood practical cautious Type security organizational When to use this quote - event security - corporate protection - cyber‑physical integration - public safety Key Concepts amateur vs professional human factor Questions to Reflect On - What risks arise from using untrained security? - How can organizations balance cost and safety? A Different Perspective Budget constraints may limit training. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Personnel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personnel/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) ## Related quotes > [If the security personnel do their job properly, they just might cause you to miss your plane, thereby possibly saving your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/if-the-security-personnel-do-their-job-properly-they-just-might-cause/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [At highly-charged games, clubs need to employ experts who understand the tribal emotions of football and the potential for incidents. We need highly-trained security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-savage/at-highly-charged-games-clubs-need-to-employ-experts-who-understand/) [Robbie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-savage/) > [Sometimes, I wish we were all amateurs again. I'd play for nothing. Ab-so-lute-ly free. But that's not the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-marino/sometimes-i-wish-we-were-all-amateurs-again-i-d-play-for-nothing-ab/) [Dan Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-marino/) > [“They were chosen for their perfect ignorance of these things. That is how the system works. In the end, the lawyers and judges happily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/they-were-chosen-for-their-perfect-ignorance-of-these-things-that-is/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [We're all amateurs when it comes to love. Don't be too hard on each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/we-re-all-amateurs-when-it-comes-to-love-don-t-be-too-hard-on-each/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [Conor is not emulating me. He has to be his own man and learn his trade from the start. He will fight in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/conor-is-not-emulating-me-he-has-to-be-his-own-man-and-learn-his/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [You know, criticism began as the province of amateurs, of wealthy men who liked the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/you-know-criticism-began-as-the-province-of-amateurs-of-wealthy-men/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [There's a myth among amateurs, optimists and fools that beyond a certain level of achievement, famous artists retire to some kind of Elysium where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-matousek/there-s-a-myth-among-amateurs-optimists-and-fools-that-beyond-a/) [Mark Matousek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-matousek/) > [Inner beauty is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-taintor/inner-beauty-is-for-amateurs/) [Anne Taintor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-taintor/) > [Amateurs look for challenges; professionals look for easy trades. Losers get high from the action; the pros look for the best odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-elder/amateurs-look-for-challenges-professionals-look-for-easy-trades/) [Alexander Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-elder/) > [A lot of amateurs are terrified of going up against a player who is clearly better than they are. They never play their best,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fuzzy-zoeller/a-lot-of-amateurs-are-terrified-of-going-up-against-a-player-who-is/) [Fuzzy Zoeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fuzzy-zoeller/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [Even virtue is an art; and even its devotees are divided into those who practise it and those who are merely amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/even-virtue-is-an-art-and-even-its-devotees-are-divided-into-those/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [I love mixing amateurs and professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/i-love-mixing-amateurs-and-professionals/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [Dealing with Jazz at Lincoln Center and its board of directors, who are so great, and then seeing how these Rock Hall guys operate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/dealing-with-jazz-at-lincoln-center-and-its-board-of-directors-who/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) ## More by Bruce Schneier > [It is sort of interesting that in our society this days we are very quick to apply the term 'war' to places where thare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-is-sort-of-interesting-that-in-our-society-this-days-we-are-very/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [There are two types of encryption: one that will prevent your sister from reading your diary and one that will prevent your government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/there-are-two-types-of-encryption-one-that-will-prevent-your-sister/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Don't make the mistake of thinking you're Facebook's customer, you're not – you're the product,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/don-t-make-the-mistake-of-thinking-you-re-facebook-s-customer-you-re/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Cryptography products may be declared illegal, but the information will never be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/cryptography-products-may-be-declared-illegal-but-the-information/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/the-real-targets-of-terrorism-are-the-rest-of-us-the-billions-of-us/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [A colleague once told me that the world was full of bad security systems designed by people who read Applied Cryptography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/a-colleague-once-told-me-that-the-world-was-full-of-bad-security/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Surveillance is the business model of the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/surveillance-is-the-business-model-of-the-internet/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [History has taught us: never underestimate the amount of money, time, and effort someone will expend to thwart a security system. It's always better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/history-has-taught-us-never-underestimate-the-amount-of-money-time/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [ID can be hijacked, and cards can be faked. All of the 9/11 terrorists had fake IDs, yet they still got on the planes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/id-can-be-hijacked-and-cards-can-be-faked-all-of-the-9-11-terrorists/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Terrorism is a crime against the mind. We win by refusing fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/terrorism-is-a-crime-against-the-mind-we-win-by-refusing-fear/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [It's certainly easier to implement bad security and make it illegal for anyone to notice than it is to implement good security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-s-certainly-easier-to-implement-bad-security-and-make-it-illegal/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [The very definition of news is something that hardly ever happens. If an incident is in the news, we shouldn't worry about it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/the-very-definition-of-news-is-something-that-hardly-ever-happens-if/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [“Even though we don't know which companies the NSA has compromised – or by what means – knowing that they could have compromised any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/even-though-we-don-t-know-which-companies-the-nsa-has-compromised-or/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Computer security can simply be protecting your equipment and files from disgruntled employees, spies, and anything that goes bump in the night, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/computer-security-can-simply-be-protecting-your-equipment-and-files/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Hardware is easy to protect: lock it in a room, chain it to a desk, or buy a spare. Information poses more of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/hardware-is-easy-to-protect-lock-it-in-a-room-chain-it-to-a-desk-or/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) [Explore all 82 Bruce Schneier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) ## More Amateurs quotes > [Dealing with Jazz at Lincoln Center and its board of directors, who are so great, and then seeing how these Rock Hall guys operate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/dealing-with-jazz-at-lincoln-center-and-its-board-of-directors-who/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [I love mixing amateurs and professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/i-love-mixing-amateurs-and-professionals/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [Even virtue is an art; and even its devotees are divided into those who practise it and those who are merely amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/even-virtue-is-an-art-and-even-its-devotees-are-divided-into-those/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [A lot of amateurs are terrified of going up against a player who is clearly better than they are. They never play their best,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fuzzy-zoeller/a-lot-of-amateurs-are-terrified-of-going-up-against-a-player-who-is/) [Fuzzy Zoeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fuzzy-zoeller/) > [Amateurs look for challenges; professionals look for easy trades. Losers get high from the action; the pros look for the best odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-elder/amateurs-look-for-challenges-professionals-look-for-easy-trades/) [Alexander Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-elder/) > [Inner beauty is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-taintor/inner-beauty-is-for-amateurs/) [Anne Taintor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-taintor/) > [There's a myth among amateurs, optimists and fools that beyond a certain level of achievement, famous artists retire to some kind of Elysium where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-matousek/there-s-a-myth-among-amateurs-optimists-and-fools-that-beyond-a/) [Mark Matousek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-matousek/) > [You know, criticism began as the province of amateurs, of wealthy men who liked the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/you-know-criticism-began-as-the-province-of-amateurs-of-wealthy-men/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [Conor is not emulating me. He has to be his own man and learn his trade from the start. He will fight in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/conor-is-not-emulating-me-he-has-to-be-his-own-man-and-learn-his/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [We're all amateurs when it comes to love. Don't be too hard on each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/we-re-all-amateurs-when-it-comes-to-love-don-t-be-too-hard-on-each/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [“They were chosen for their perfect ignorance of these things. That is how the system works. In the end, the lawyers and judges happily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/they-were-chosen-for-their-perfect-ignorance-of-these-things-that-is/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [Sometimes, I wish we were all amateurs again. I'd play for nothing. Ab-so-lute-ly free. But that's not the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-marino/sometimes-i-wish-we-were-all-amateurs-again-i-d-play-for-nothing-ab/) [Dan Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-marino/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/inspiration-is-for-amateurs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs,” Close says. “The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-currey/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-close-says-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up/) [Mason Currey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-currey/) [Browse all 127 Amateurs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security personnel, you shouldn't be surprised when you get amateur security.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Schneier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line-security-personnel-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amateurs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line-security-personnel-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/bruce-schneier-8231_amateurs_if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line_2945309.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/bruce-schneier-8231_amateurs_if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line_2945309.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/bruce-schneier-8231_amateurs_if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line_2945309.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security personnel, you shouldn't be surprised when you get amateur…” — Bruce Schneier", "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": "Bruce Schneier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you ask amateurs to act...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line-security-personnel-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/if-you-ask-amateurs-to-act-as-front-line-security-personnel-you/#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 } } ] } ```