--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the most difficult problems of our…" description: "\"One of the most difficult problems of our age is that leaders, and perhaps academics as well, cannot readily admit that things are out of control and t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/donald-michael-kraig-56153_ability_one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-ou_757215.jpg" --- # One of the most difficult problems of our age is that… ![“One of the most difficult problems of our age is that leaders, and perhaps academics as well, cannot readily admit that things are out of control and that we do not know what to do. We have too much information, limited cognitive abilities to think in systemic terms and an unwillingness to appear…” quote by Donald Michael Kraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/donald-michael-kraig-56153_ability_one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-ou_757215.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/donald-michael-kraig-56153_ability_one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-ou_757215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/donald-michael-kraig-56153_ability_one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-ou_757215.jpg) > “One of the most difficult problems of our age is that leaders, and perhaps academics as well, cannot readily admit that things are out of control and that we do not know what to do. We have too much information, limited cognitive abilities to think in systemic terms and an unwillingness to appear to be in control and to have solutions for our problems. We are afraid that if we admit to our confusion, we will make our followers and students anxious and disillusioned. We know we must learn how to learn, but we are afraid to admit it.” [Donald Michael Kraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-michael-kraig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders struggle to admit uncertainty due to information overload and fear of losing authority, hindering learning. **In simple terms:** Leaders fear admitting they don’t know. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty to learn. Themes leadership uncertainty learning information overload Mood reflective serious Type professional philosophical When to use this quote - corporate meetings - academic seminars - policy making - personal development Key Concepts cognitive limits systemic thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders model humility? - What systems support collective learning? A Different Perspective Admitting confusion can erode confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Anxious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxious/) [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Difficult problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-problems/) [Disillusioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disillusioned/) [Followers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/followers/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Don't fear your problems when you are walking with God. Let your problems be afraid of you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/don-t-fear-your-problems-when-you-are-walking-with-god-let-your/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [We are an age without leaders. We stopped having leaders at the end of the 20th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/we-are-an-age-without-leaders-we-stopped-having-leaders-at-the-end-of/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [The age of leaders has come and gone. You must be your own leader now. You must contain the spirit of our time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/the-age-of-leaders-has-come-and-gone-you-must-be-your-own-leader-now/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [A new medical study reports that men who eat ten pizzas a week are less likely to develop prostate problems at age 50. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/a-new-medical-study-reports-that-men-who-eat-ten-pizzas-a-week-are/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“Do you know, one of the greatest problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/do-you-know-one-of-the-greatest-problems-of-our-age-is-that-we-are/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [The great twin political problems of the age are the brutality of the right, and the dishonesty of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wheatcroft/the-great-twin-political-problems-of-the-age-are-the-brutality-of-the/) Geoffrey Wheatcroft > [Do you know that one of the great problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/do-you-know-that-one-of-the-great-problems-of-our-age-is-that-we-are/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Everywhere that I go in the world, people desperately look to American leadership in all of their world's most difficult problems. You can look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/everywhere-that-i-go-in-the-world-people-desperately-look-to-american/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [You have perhaps waited for years to be freed from some need. For a long, long time you have looked out from the darkness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-arnold/you-have-perhaps-waited-for-years-to-be-freed-from-some-need-for-a/) [Eberhard Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-arnold/) > [..if a special geometry has to be invented in order to account for a falling apple, even Newton might be appalled at the complications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-lodge/if-a-special-geometry-has-to-be-invented-in-order-to-account-for-a/) [Oliver Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-lodge/) > [If you have a single narrator, a person like an "I" - "'I' did this" and "'I' did that" - it automatically solves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/if-you-have-a-single-narrator-a-person-like-an-i-i-did-this-and-i-did/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [The history of mathematics is a history of horrendously difficult problems being solved by young people too ignorant to know that they were impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-history-of-mathematics-is-a-history-of-horrendously-difficult/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Don't tell me this is a difficult problem. If it weren't difficult, it wouldn't be a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/don-t-tell-me-this-is-a-difficult-problem-if-it-weren-t-difficult-it/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [We've got to get back to a country that can get things done. And my whole career has been marching and charging at and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/we-ve-got-to-get-back-to-a-country-that-can-get-things-done-and-my/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [ The system \[of thought\] doesn't stay with the difficult problem that produces unpleasant feelings. It's conditioned somehow to move as fast as it can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/the-system-of-thought-doesn-t-stay-with-the-difficult-problem-that/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) ## More by Donald Michael Kraig > [To all my friends, readers, and students: I apologize for not being able to write you directly, however the God and Goddess have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/to-all-my-friends-readers-and-students-i-apologize-for-not-being-able/) [Donald Michael Kraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-michael-kraig/) > [In fact, the ultimate speculation we can make about the nature of Divinity is that Divinity is NO-THING which we can know. In Hebrew,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/in-fact-the-ultimate-speculation-we-can-make-about-the-nature-of/) [Donald Michael Kraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-michael-kraig/) > [Magick is not something you do, magick is something you are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/magick-is-not-something-you-do-magick-is-something-you-are/) [Donald Michael Kraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-michael-kraig/) > [Reading, writing, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine, physics, and more were all at one time deep occult secrets. Today, many of these things are taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/reading-writing-mathematics-astronomy-chemistry-medicine-physics-and/) [Donald Michael Kraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-michael-kraig/) > [No one can give you magickal powers. You have to earn them. There is only one way to do this. Practice, practice, practice!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/no-one-can-give-you-magickal-powers-you-have-to-earn-them-there-is/) [Donald Michael Kraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-michael-kraig/) [Explore all 6 Donald Michael Kraig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-michael-kraig/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the most difficult problems of our age is that leaders, and perhaps academics as well, cannot readily admit that things are out of control and that we do not know what to do. We have too much information, limited cognitive abilities to think in systemic terms and an unwillingness to appear to be in control and to have solutions for our problems. We are afraid that if we admit to our confusion, we will make our followers and students anxious and disillusioned. We know we must learn how to learn, but we are afraid to admit it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donald Michael Kraig" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-our-age-is-that-leaders-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-our-age-is-that-leaders-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/donald-michael-kraig-56153_ability_one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-ou_757215.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/donald-michael-kraig-56153_ability_one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-ou_757215.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/850/donald-michael-kraig-56153_ability_one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-ou_757215.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the most difficult problems of our age is that leaders, and perhaps academics as well, cannot readily…” — Donald Michael Kraig", "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": "Donald Michael Kraig", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-michael-kraig/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of the most difficult problems...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-our-age-is-that-leaders-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-michael-kraig/one-of-the-most-difficult-problems-of-our-age-is-that-leaders-and/#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 } } ] } ```