Efficiency Quote by Frederick Winslow Taylor
““We can see our forests vanishing, our water-powers going to waste, our soil being carried by floods into the sea; and the end of our coal and our iron is in sight. But our larger wastes of human effort, which go on every day through such of our acts as are blundering, ill-directed, or inefficient, and which Mr. Roosevelt refers to as a lack of" national efficiency," are less visible) less tangible, and are but vaguely appreciated. We can see and feel the waste of material things. Awkward, inefficient, or ill-directed movements of men, however, leave nothing visible or tangible behind them. Their appreciation calls for an act of memory, an effort of the imagination. And for this reason, even though our daily loss from this source is greater than from our waste of material things, the one has stirred us deeply, while the other has moved us but little.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Industrial Efficiency, early 20th century
The quote contrasts visible material waste with invisible inefficiencies in human effort, urging recognition of the latter as a greater loss.
In simple terms: Visible waste is easy to see; hidden inefficiency is harder but more costly.
Key Takeaway
Identify and address hidden inefficiencies.
Themes
efficiency
industrialization
human behavior
environment
productivity
Mood
reflective
critical
thoughtful
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- business management
- environmental policy
- personal productivity
- organizational change
Key Concepts
systems thinking
resource allocation
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we make hidden inefficiencies visible?
- What tools help quantify effort waste?
A Different Perspective
Invisible inefficiencies are harder to measure and may be ignored.
![“When, however the elements of this [book] such as time study, functional formanaship etc, are used without being accompanied by the true philosophy of management, the results are in many cases disastrous. And, unfortunately, even [when those] who are throughly in sympathy ... undertake to change…” quote by Frederick Winslow Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/141/frederick-winslow-taylor-38918_books_when-however-the-elements-of-this-book-s_694475.jpg)
