--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We’re like the Bates Motel of changes,” I…" description: "\"“We’re like the Bates Motel of changes,” I say in disbelief. “Changes go in but never come out. Within a month, we’ll have thousands of changes that we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/gene-kim-2268_change_we-re-like-the-bates-motel-of-changes-i_2860185.jpg" --- # We’re like the Bates Motel of changes,” I say in… ![“We’re like the Bates Motel of changes,” I say in disbelief. “Changes go in but never come out. Within a month, we’ll have thousands of changes that we’ll be carrying around, all competing to get implemented.” quote by Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/gene-kim-2268_change_we-re-like-the-bates-motel-of-changes-i_2860185.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/gene-kim-2268_change_we-re-like-the-bates-motel-of-changes-i_2860185.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/gene-kim-2268_change_we-re-like-the-bates-motel-of-changes-i_2860185.jpg) > ““We’re like the Bates Motel of changes,” I say in disbelief. “Changes go in but never come out. Within a month, we’ll have thousands of changes that we’ll be carrying around, all competing to get implemented.”” [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Change overload creates bottlenecks, as endless modifications accumulate without resolution, leading to inefficiency. **In simple terms:** Too many changes overwhelm systems. Key Takeaway Limit and prioritize changes. Themes technology process change management Mood cautious critical Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - software development - IT operations - project planning - organizational change Key Concepts change fatigue workflow implementation prioritization Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify high‑impact changes? - What criteria decide which changes to discard? A Different Perspective Not all changes are equally critical; some may be unnecessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ## Related quotes > [“But old things leave, new things come, that's the way it is. This world changes. Some say it can't hold everything”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hillerman/but-old-things-leave-new-things-come-that-s-the-way-it-is-this-world/) Ann Hillerman > [Everything changes, some say change is inevitable what if it's negative are supposed to accept it or act ourselves out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-matobo/everything-changes-some-say-change-is-inevitable-what-if-it-s/) [Frank Matobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-matobo/) > [Now a days One of the great problem that people are facing is when SHE or HIS GIRLFRIEND's monthly period doesn't come yet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-voice/now-a-days-one-of-the-great-problem-that-people-are-facing-is-when/) NO VOICE > [I have a house here in California and come back every month and a half to see my kids. And they come to New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wright/i-have-a-house-here-in-california-and-come-back-every-month-and-a/) [Robin Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wright/) > [“One way or the other, come back to me, in a month, or a year, when you’re old, a haunt in my dreams, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lila-felix/one-way-or-the-other-come-back-to-me-in-a-month-or-a-year-when-you-re/) [Lila Felix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lila-felix/) > [It'll come to you in a month in a plain brown wrapper with no return address.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-rayburn/it-ll-come-to-you-in-a-month-in-a-plain-brown-wrapper-with-no-return/) Gene Rayburn > [When you live as a friend of the now, many changes come into your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-live-as-a-friend-of-the-now-many-changes-come-into-your-life/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“We are who we are. When changes come, we start with what we are right then, and then we work to try to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-are-who-we-are-when-changes-come-we-start-with-what-we-are-right/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“We are experiencing changes across the full spectrum of our experience: to our bodies, our diet, our sleep, and so much more. many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-e-heying/we-are-experiencing-changes-across-the-full-spectrum-of-our/) Heather E. Heying > [“Being comfortable with the norm can make changes come as a shock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/being-comfortable-with-the-norm-can-make-changes-come-as-a-shock/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [There certainly have been a lot of changes, although they come in such gradations that most people have either forgotten, or, if they're too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-saxon/there-certainly-have-been-a-lot-of-changes-although-they-come-in-such/) John Saxon > [Listen to the extremists - changes come from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-peterson/listen-to-the-extremists-changes-come-from-them/) [Esther Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-peterson/) > [Only through love changes come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yes-band/only-through-love-changes-come/) [Yes (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yes-band/) > [One of the good things that come of a true marriage is, that there is one face on which changes come without your seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/one-of-the-good-things-that-come-of-a-true-marriage-is-that-there-is/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [Well life changes we just have to deal with the changes that come along with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-rafael-yglesia/well-life-changes-we-just-have-to-deal-with-the-changes-that-come/) Ivan Rafael Yglesia ## More by Gene Kim > [“for those organizations that provided a stock ticker symbol, we found that high performers had 50% higher market capitalization growth over three years. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/for-those-organizations-that-provided-a-stock-ticker-symbol-we-found/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“A critical part of the Second Way is making wait times visible, so you know when your work spends days sitting in someone’s queue—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/a-critical-part-of-the-second-way-is-making-wait-times-visible-so-you/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“when something does go wrong, we conduct blameless post-mortems, not to punish anyone, but to better understand what caused the accident and how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-something-does-go-wrong-we-conduct-blameless-post-mortems-not-to/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Bill Baker, a distinguished engineer at Microsoft, quipped that we used to treat servers like pets: “You name them and when they get sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/bill-baker-a-distinguished-engineer-at-microsoft-quipped-that-we-used/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“To even get feedback from our integration process would require twenty-four to thirty-six hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/to-even-get-feedback-from-our-integration-process-would-require/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“work can bounce between teams endlessly due to incomplete information, or work can be passed onto downstream work centers with problems that remain completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/work-can-bounce-between-teams-endlessly-due-to-incomplete-information/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“practicing five minutes daily is better than practicing once a week for three hours. And if you want to create a genuine culture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/practicing-five-minutes-daily-is-better-than-practicing-once-a-week/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“habits are what enable mastery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/habits-are-what-enable-mastery/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“20% on detailed planning (Their poor throughput and high lead times were misattributed to faulty estimation, and so, hoping to get a better answer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/20-on-detailed-planning-their-poor-throughput-and-high-lead-times/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Features are always a gamble. If you’re lucky, ten percent will get the desired benefits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/features-are-always-a-gamble-if-you-re-lucky-ten-percent-will-get-the/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“I listen to Wes and Patty brainstorm ideas to reduce yet another dependency on Brent when something starts to bother me. Erik called WIP,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/i-listen-to-wes-and-patty-brainstorm-ideas-to-reduce-yet-another/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [The status quo (of development) pre-ordains failure from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/the-status-quo-of-development-pre-ordains-failure-from-the-very/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“high performers were twice as likely to exceed profitability, market share, and productivity goals. And,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/high-performers-were-twice-as-likely-to-exceed-profitability-market/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“we value improvement of our daily work more than daily work itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/we-value-improvement-of-our-daily-work-more-than-daily-work-itself/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Alert fatigue is the single biggest problem we have right now…We need to be more intelligent about our alerts or we’ll all go insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/alert-fatigue-is-the-single-biggest-problem-we-have-right-now-we-need/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) [Explore all 175 Gene Kim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We’re like the Bates Motel of changes,” I say in disbelief. “Changes go in but never come out. 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