--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A rough rule in life is that an…" description: "\"A rough rule in life is that an organization foolish in one way in dealing with a complex system is all too likely to be foolish in another.\" — Charlie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/charlie-munger-458_complex-systems_a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organiza_471559.jpg" --- # A rough rule in life is that an organization foolish in… ![“A rough rule in life is that an organization foolish in one way in dealing with a complex system is all too likely to be foolish in another.” quote by Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/charlie-munger-458_complex-systems_a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organiza_471559.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/charlie-munger-458_complex-systems_a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organiza_471559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/charlie-munger-458_complex-systems_a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organiza_471559.jpg) > “A rough rule in life is that an organization foolish in one way in dealing with a complex system is all too likely to be foolish in another.” [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mistakes in handling complexity often repeat across different aspects of an organization. **In simple terms:** Flaws in one area signal likely flaws elsewhere. Key Takeaway Watch for systemic patterns of error. Themes complexity organizations mistakes systems Mood analytical critical Type observational advice When to use this quote - project management - product development - policy design Key Concepts systems thinking organizational learning Questions to Reflect On - What recurring error patterns exist in your organization? - How can you break the cycle of repeated mistakes? A Different Perspective Overgeneralizing can miss unique causes of each problem. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complex systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex-systems/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Dealing Complex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dealing-complex-4074676/) [Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) [Foolish Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-way-2510452/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Likely Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likely-foolish-2174687/) [One way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-way/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Organization Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization-foolish-4074675/) [Rough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rough/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [When dealing with complex transportation issues, the best thing to do is pull up with a cold beer and let somebody else figure it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/when-dealing-with-complex-transportation-issues-the-best-thing-to-do/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [A widespread belief is more often likely to be foolish than sensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/a-widespread-belief-is-more-often-likely-to-be-foolish-than-sensible/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not entirely absurd; indeed in view of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-aaron/the-fact-that-an-opinion-has-been-widely-held-is-no-evidence-whatever-3/) [A.J. Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-aaron/) > [“If you don't show, I'm likely to do something foolish, like throw myself at Aluc-”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/if-you-don-t-show-i-m-likely-to-do-something-foolish-like-throw/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-fact-that-an-opinion-has-been-widely-held-is-no-evidence-whatever/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“A foolish way to get around." Hal smiled. "If the gods had meant us to ride horses, they never would have given us ships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/a-foolish-way-to-get-around-hal-smiled-if-the-gods-had-meant-us-to/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [“But an intelligent man like you would know that to live in an unrealistic hope is a very foolish way to spend a life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/but-an-intelligent-man-like-you-would-know-that-to-live-in-an/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [“Fear is a foolish way to control people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-watson/fear-is-a-foolish-way-to-control-people/) [Jules Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-watson/) > [There’s no easier way to cure foolishness than to give a man leave to be foolish. And the only way to show a fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/there-s-no-easier-way-to-cure-foolishness-than-to-give-a-man-leave-to-2/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) > [ThereÂ’s no easier way to cure foolishness than to give a man leave to be foolish. And the only way to show a fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/there-s-no-easier-way-to-cure-foolishness-than-to-give-a-man-leave-to/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) > [“Interpretation of Complex Systems Kenyon B. De Greene All systems evolve, although the rates of evolution may vary over time both between and within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-douglas-kiel/interpretation-of-complex-systems-kenyon-b-de-greene-all-systems/) [L. Douglas Kiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-douglas-kiel/) > [Implicit in the activist conception of government is the assumption that you can take the good things in a complex system for granted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/implicit-in-the-activist-conception-of-government-is-the-assumption/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [We don't live in a capitalist totality. Capitalism couldn't survive as a totality anyway. We live in this complex system and we already live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/we-don-t-live-in-a-capitalist-totality-capitalism-couldn-t-survive-as/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [When discussing complex systems like brains and other societies, it is easy to oversimplify: I call this Occam's lobotomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-j-good/when-discussing-complex-systems-like-brains-and-other-societies-it-is/) [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) > [The only way to know how a complex system will behave-after you modify it-is to modify it and see how it behaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-e-p-box/the-only-way-to-know-how-a-complex-system-will-behave-after-you/) [George E. P. Box](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-e-p-box/) ## More by Charlie Munger > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Acquire worldly wisdom and adjust your behavior accordingly. If your new behavior gives you a little temporary unpopularity with your peer group then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/acquire-worldly-wisdom-and-adjust-your-behavior-accordingly-if-your/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I think time and time again, in reality, psychological notions and economic notions interplay, and the man who doesn't understand both is a damned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-think-time-and-time-again-in-reality-psychological-notions-and/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I have what I call an iron prescription that helps me keep sane when I naturally drift toward preferring one ideology over another and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-have-what-i-call-an-iron-prescription-that-helps-me-keep-sane-when/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [The tax code gives you an enormous advantage if you can find some things you can just sit with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/the-tax-code-gives-you-an-enormous-advantage-if-you-can-find-some/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [The great lesson in microeconomics is to discriminate between when technology is going to help you and when it's going to kill you. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/the-great-lesson-in-microeconomics-is-to-discriminate-between-when/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Some years ago one oil company bought a fertilizer company, and every other major oil company practically ran out and bought a fertilizer company.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/some-years-ago-one-oil-company-bought-a-fertilizer-company-and-every/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [ They \[Mc Donalds\] take people and give them a first job, which enables them to get a second job. They do a very good… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/they-mc-donalds-take-people-and-give-them-a-first-job-which-enables/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [What good is envy? It’s the one sin you can’t have any fun at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/what-good-is-envy-it-s-the-one-sin-you-can-t-have-any-fun-at/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [We believe that almost all really good investment records will involve relatively little diversification. The basic idea that it was hard to find good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/we-believe-that-almost-all-really-good-investment-records-will/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [It is way less certain to be a wonderful business in the future. The threat is alternative mediums of information. Every newspaper is scrambling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/it-is-way-less-certain-to-be-a-wonderful-business-in-the-future-the/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [In the corporate world, if you have analysts, due diligence, and no horse sense, you've just described hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/in-the-corporate-world-if-you-have-analysts-due-diligence-and-no/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [We have to have a special insight, or we'll put it in the 'too tough' basket. All of you have to look for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/we-have-to-have-a-special-insight-or-we-ll-put-it-in-the-too-tough/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I've heard that one-half of the students at elite schools want to go into private equity or hedge funds. They want to keep up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-ve-heard-that-one-half-of-the-students-at-elite-schools-want-to-go/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Explore all 544 Charlie Munger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) ## More Complex systems quotes > [The only way to know how a complex system will behave-after you modify it-is to modify it and see how it behaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-e-p-box/the-only-way-to-know-how-a-complex-system-will-behave-after-you/) [George E. P. Box](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-e-p-box/) > [When discussing complex systems like brains and other societies, it is easy to oversimplify: I call this Occam's lobotomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-j-good/when-discussing-complex-systems-like-brains-and-other-societies-it-is/) [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) > [We don't live in a capitalist totality. Capitalism couldn't survive as a totality anyway. We live in this complex system and we already live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/we-don-t-live-in-a-capitalist-totality-capitalism-couldn-t-survive-as/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [Implicit in the activist conception of government is the assumption that you can take the good things in a complex system for granted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/implicit-in-the-activist-conception-of-government-is-the-assumption/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Interpretation of Complex Systems Kenyon B. De Greene All systems evolve, although the rates of evolution may vary over time both between and within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-douglas-kiel/interpretation-of-complex-systems-kenyon-b-de-greene-all-systems/) [L. Douglas Kiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-douglas-kiel/) > [Global terrorism is extreme both in its lack of realistic goals and in its cynical exploitation of the vulnerability of complex systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-habermas/global-terrorism-is-extreme-both-in-its-lack-of-realistic-goals-and/) [Jurgen Habermas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-habermas/) > [It is important to understand that while oxytocin may be the hub of the evolution of the social brain in mammals, it is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-churchland/it-is-important-to-understand-that-while-oxytocin-may-be-the-hub-of/) [Patricia Churchland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-churchland/) > [The first proponent of cortical memory networks on a major scale was neither a neuroscientist nor a computer scientist but .. a Viennes economist:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-fuster/the-first-proponent-of-cortical-memory-networks-on-a-major-scale-was/) [Joaquin Fuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-fuster/) > [You show me a successful complex system, and I will show you a system that has evolved through trial and error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/you-show-me-a-successful-complex-system-and-i-will-show-you-a-system/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [“What’s the point of making predictions if they cannot change anything? Some complex systems, such as the weather, are oblivious to our predictions. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/what-s-the-point-of-making-predictions-if-they-cannot-change-anything/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I believe the evidence strongly supports common descent. But the root question remains unanswered: What has caused complex systems to form?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/i-believe-the-evidence-strongly-supports-common-descent-but-the-root/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [What seems interesting to me is to reproduce in the figurative representation of an object the whole complex system of impressions we receive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/what-seems-interesting-to-me-is-to-reproduce-in-the-figurative/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) > [Consciousness, like a complex system of software, has thousands of levels of nested, self-accessing subroutines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/consciousness-like-a-complex-system-of-software-has-thousands-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“all these complex systems have somehow acquired the ability to bring order and chaos into a special kind of balance. This balance point—often called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-mitchell-waldrop/all-these-complex-systems-have-somehow-acquired-the-ability-to-bring/) [M. Mitchell Waldrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-mitchell-waldrop/) > [“Conventional economics is the dominant intellectual rationalization of today’s world order. As we’ve overextended the growth phase of our global adaptive cycle, this rationalization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-homer-dixon/conventional-economics-is-the-dominant-intellectual-rationalization/) [Thomas Homer-Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-homer-dixon/) [Browse all 94 Complex systems quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex-systems/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A rough rule in life is that an organization foolish in one way in dealing with a complex system is all too likely to be foolish in another.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charlie Munger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organization-foolish-in-one-way-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complex systems" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organization-foolish-in-one-way-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/charlie-munger-458_complex-systems_a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organiza_471559.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/charlie-munger-458_complex-systems_a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organiza_471559.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/charlie-munger-458_complex-systems_a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organiza_471559.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A rough rule in life is that an organization foolish in one way in dealing with a complex system is all too…” — Charlie Munger", "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": "Charlie Munger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A rough rule in life is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organization-foolish-in-one-way-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organization-foolish-in-one-way-in/#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 } } ] } ```