--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Assuredly men of merit are never lacking…" description: "\"Assuredly men of merit are never lacking at any time, for those are the men who manage affairs, and it is affairs that produce the men. I have never se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/catherine-the-great-12381_affair_assuredly-men-of-merit-are-never-lacking_3202781.jpg" --- # Assuredly men of merit are never lacking at any time, for… ![“Assuredly men of merit are never lacking at any time, for those are the men who manage affairs, and it is affairs that produce the men. I have never searched, and I have always found under my hand the men who have served me, and for the most part I have been well served.” quote by Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/catherine-the-great-12381_affair_assuredly-men-of-merit-are-never-lacking_3202781.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/catherine-the-great-12381_affair_assuredly-men-of-merit-are-never-lacking_3202781.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/catherine-the-great-12381_affair_assuredly-men-of-merit-are-never-lacking_3202781.jpg) > “Assuredly men of merit are never lacking at any time, for those are the men who manage affairs, and it is affairs that produce the men. I have never searched, and I have always found under my hand the men who have served me, and for the most part I have been well served.” [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People who are competent attract opportunities; their competence creates the circumstances that keep them employed and respected. **In simple terms:** Competent people draw work and respect. Key Takeaway Cultivate skill to generate opportunity. Themes leadership competence opportunity service merit Mood confident pragmatic Type advice reflective When to use this quote - career advancement - team building - mentorship - networking Key Concepts Meritocracy social capital reciprocity Questions to Reflect On - How can you develop competence that attracts opportunity? - What role does networking play in merit? A Different Perspective Competence alone may not guarantee success without external factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“She wrote that she was pretty sure more women and people of color could enroll “without denying to white men of merit a fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/she-wrote-that-she-was-pretty-sure-more-women-and-people-of-color/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“Men do not manage well with too much peace. Someone will find a quarrel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/men-do-not-manage-well-with-too-much-peace-someone-will-find-a-quarrel/) [Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/) > [History reports that the men who can manage men manage the men who can manage only things, and the men who can manage money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/history-reports-that-the-men-who-can-manage-men-manage-the-men-who/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [There is no reason to believe that the people who staff the managerial and professional positions in our service institutions are any less qualified,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/there-is-no-reason-to-believe-that-the-people-who-staff-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Many have paid lip service to philosophy, but these men served it with their whole heart. 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I can't come up with a metaphor. That's how lacking in studliness I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-as-much-of-a-stud-as-i-can-t-come-up-with-a-metaphor-that-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Catherine the Great > [I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/i-like-to-praise-and-reward-loudly-to-blame-quietly/) [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) > [I shall be an autocrat: that's my trade. 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