--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obviously somebody had been appallingly…" description: "\"Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he hoped to God it wasn't him.\" — Douglas Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/douglas-adams-122_incompetence_obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly_93497.png" --- # Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he… ![“Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he hoped to God it wasn't him.” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/douglas-adams-122_incompetence_obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly_93497.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/douglas-adams-122_incompetence_obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly_93497.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/douglas-adams-122_incompetence_obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly_93497.png) > “Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he hoped to God it wasn't him.” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous accusation that someone’s incompetence is so blatant they hope divine intervention will spare them. **In simple terms:** Incompetence and denial Key Takeaway Blatant failure invites divine hope Themes humor incompetence denial hope absurdity Mood witty ironic Type humor satire When to use this quote - workplace performance reviews - political scandals - project failures - comedic writing - team meetings Key Concepts self‑deception accountability Practical Applications - satirical commentary - risk assessment training Questions to Reflect On - Why do people cling to hope when evidence of failure is clear? - How does humor expose incompetence? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetence/) [Incompetent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetent/) ## Related quotes > [“The doctor was clueless!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-doctor-was-clueless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“I know the word "incompetent" from my father. He uses it when there's something political on TV, or when he and Uncle Miki are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sa-a-stani-i/i-know-the-word-incompetent-from-my-father-he-uses-it-when-there-s/) [Saša Stanišić](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sa-a-stani-i/) > [“The more skill it takes to accomplish a task, the more difficult it is to comprehend the knowledge needed to deal with it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigina-sgarro/the-more-skill-it-takes-to-accomplish-a-task-the-more-difficult-it-is/) [Luigina Sgarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigina-sgarro/) > [“Those who are weakest often tend to blame others for their own incompetence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriella-geach/those-who-are-weakest-often-tend-to-blame-others-for-their-own/) Gabriella Geach > [Initial incompetence is not a reason to be dismissive of capabilities. Al Qaeda itself was incompetent when it started as a terrorist organization. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/initial-incompetence-is-not-a-reason-to-be-dismissive-of-capabilities/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [You should know how many incompetent men I had to compete with-in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inge-lehmann/you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men-i-had-to-compete-with-in-vain/) Inge Lehmann > [Our government has become incompetent, unresponsive, corrupt. And that incompetence, ineptitude, lack of accountability is now dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/our-government-has-become-incompetent-unresponsive-corrupt-and-that/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/never-ascribe-to-malice-that-which-is-adequately-explained-by/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [“For some authorities it isn't that they're evil - or even that they're incompetent - but rather they just don't care enough; and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/for-some-authorities-it-isn-t-that-they-re-evil-or-even-that-they-re/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [“Life, as I know it, is cataclysms and apocalypses. With each passing day I feel that much more incompetent even to trace gestures or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/life-as-i-know-it-is-cataclysms-and-apocalypses-with-each-passing-day/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Here lies the separation of stupidity and incompetence. If you’re stupid, you just didn’t understand what happened and then make adjustments. If you’re incompetent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/here-lies-the-separation-of-stupidity-and-incompetence-if-you-re/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [The only weapon with which the unconscious patient can immediately retaliate upon the incompetent surgeon is hemorrhage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stewart-halsted/the-only-weapon-with-which-the-unconscious-patient-can-immediately/) William Stewart Halsted > [“Worse than a corrupt government is an incompetent one, not least because having the second characteristic does not exclude the first one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-bello-accioly/worse-than-a-corrupt-government-is-an-incompetent-one-not-least/) [Victor Bello Accioly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-bello-accioly/) > [“Any work is always improvable, you cannot really finish the work, you can only abandon it out of tiredness or incompetence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/any-work-is-always-improvable-you-cannot-really-finish-the-work-you/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Incompetent government embraces hiring quotas, thus furthering their incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/incompetent-government-embraces-hiring-quotas-thus-furthering-their/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) ## More by Douglas Adams > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-technology-involved-in-making-anything-invisible-is-so-infinitely/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [One is never alone with a rubber duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-is-never-alone-with-a-rubber-duck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/this-must-be-thursday-i-never-could-get-the-hang-of-thursdays/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-are-some-oddities-in-the-perspective-with-which-we-see-the-world/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Eight hours West sat a man alone on a beach mourning an inexplicable loss. He could only think of his loss in little packets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/eight-hours-west-sat-a-man-alone-on-a-beach-mourning-an-inexplicable/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The Universe, the whole infinite Universe. The infinite suns, the infinite distances between them, and yourself an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-universe-the-whole-infinite-universe-the-infinite-suns-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Incompetence quotes > [A bad artist almost always tries to conceal his incompetence by whooping up a new formula.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/a-bad-artist-almost-always-tries-to-conceal-his-incompetence-by/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [You are senile old fool, and because of your impudence, I cannot fathom how you still live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-senile-old-fool-and-because-of-your-impudence-i-cannot-fathom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the lead up to the Iraq war and its later conduct, I saw at a minimum, true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility, at worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-zinni/in-the-lead-up-to-the-iraq-war-and-its-later-conduct-i-saw-at-a/) [Anthony Zinni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-zinni/) > [You basically have a group of four spies who are chosen for a mission they feel for the fact of how competent they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-leblanc/you-basically-have-a-group-of-four-spies-who-are-chosen-for-a-mission/) [Matt LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-leblanc/) > [Where incompetence is prized, it is ever-present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/where-incompetence-is-prized-it-is-ever-present/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“Sometimes history is just an excuse for incompetence at getting along with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-voinov/sometimes-history-is-just-an-excuse-for-incompetence-at-getting-along/) [Aleksandr Voinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-voinov/) > [“Expecting accountability from the UN system was akin to expecting a blind dog to catch a flying Frisbee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-soussan/expecting-accountability-from-the-un-system-was-akin-to-expecting-a/) Michael Soussan > [The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-fani-kayode/the-problem-that-we-have-is-the-president-himself-a-president-who/) Femi Fani-Kayode > [Sometimes incompetence is useful. It helps you keep an open mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-cavalli/sometimes-incompetence-is-useful-it-helps-you-keep-an-open-mind/) [Roberto Cavalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-cavalli/) > [Everyone rises to their level of incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/everyone-rises-to-their-level-of-incompetence/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/misgovernment-is-of-four-kinds-often-in-combination-they-are-1/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Incompetence plus incompetence equals incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/incompetence-plus-incompetence-equals-incompetence/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [My mother is a big fan of precision, and tries her best to maintain it. Unfortunately, her own incompetence gets in the way. Dinner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-galloway/my-mother-is-a-big-fan-of-precision-and-tries-her-best-to-maintain-it/) [Gregory Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-galloway/) > [I was recently asked what it takes to become a writer. Three things, I answered: first, one must cultivate incompetence at almost every other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-was-recently-asked-what-it-takes-to-become-a-writer-three-things-i/) [Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/) [Browse all 323 Incompetence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he hoped to God it wasn't him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly-incompetent-and-he-hoped-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Incompetence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly-incompetent-and-he-hoped-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/douglas-adams-122_incompetence_obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly_93497.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/douglas-adams-122_incompetence_obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly_93497.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/douglas-adams-122_incompetence_obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly_93497.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he hoped to God it wasn't him.” — Douglas Adams", "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": "Douglas Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly-incompetent-and-he-hoped-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly-incompetent-and-he-hoped-to/#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 } } ] } ```