Boards Quote by Calvin Coolidge
![“I have done it [appointed commissions] regretfully and with the hope that it would be temporary. But after a commission is established you find it always wants to enlarge itself, employ more people, is very busy with Senators and Congressmen to impress upon them the great value of the services of…” quote by Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b5/calvin-coolidge-764_boards_i-have-done-it-appointed-commissions-reg_1527941.jpg)
“I have done it [appointed commissions] regretfully and with the hope that it would be temporary. But after a commission is established you find it always wants to enlarge itself, employ more people, is very busy with Senators and Congressmen to impress upon them the great value of the services of the commission, and even when I talk to people that I appoint to commissions and tell them I would like them to go on to various boards with the idea that they may be abolished, they say they ought to be abolished, but when they have taken their position they very soon seem to change their mind.”
About This Quote
Commission members often expand their influence and resist abolition, even when initially appointed to dissolve them.
In simple terms: Commissions tend to grow and avoid being ended.
Key Takeaway
Beware of institutional inertia.
Themes
power
bureaucracy
self-preservation
Mood
skeptical
critical
Type
political
observational
When to use this quote
- government reform
- policy implementation
- committee oversight
Key Concepts
political science
organizational behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do institutions resist termination?
- How can reform be ensured?
A Different Perspective
Reforms may be blocked by the very bodies they aim to change.
![“I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or a survey and Legal Services Corporation board when President [Jimmy ]Carter appointed me and trying to get lawyers for poor people. I have worked in these…” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6c7/hillary-clinton-51_action_i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-th_9078.jpg)
