Crisis Quote by Charles Stross
““By dawn on Sunday he had been awake for over thirty hours, tracking a crisis of ever-expanding but indeterminate scope. A large body of operational research demonstrates that human beings suffer disproportionately from fatigue-induced errors of judgment after twelve hours of concentration at work; while Gerald Lockhart had long experience of pushing himself under crisis conditions, he was about to make a fatal mistake.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Halting State, Charles Stross, 2007
Extended wakefulness erodes judgment, making fatigue a critical risk factor in high‑stakes tasks.
In simple terms: Fatigue impairs decisions.
Limit work hours and rest.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- night shifts
- emergency response
- long‑duration projects
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can organizations mitigate fatigue‑induced errors?
- What personal strategies help maintain clarity?
Rest may be unavailable in crises, forcing trade‑offs.