--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fight hierarchy and bureaucracy as hard…" description: "\"Fight hierarchy and bureaucracy as hard as you possibly can. Don't ever let it become the master; always remember it's the servant.\" — Herb Kelleher" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herb-kelleher-8657_bureaucracy_fight-hierarchy-and-bureaucracy-as-hard_2773837.png" --- # Fight hierarchy and bureaucracy as hard as you possibly… ![“Fight hierarchy and bureaucracy as hard as you possibly can. Don't ever let it become the master; always remember it's the servant.” quote by Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herb-kelleher-8657_bureaucracy_fight-hierarchy-and-bureaucracy-as-hard_2773837.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herb-kelleher-8657_bureaucracy_fight-hierarchy-and-bureaucracy-as-hard_2773837.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herb-kelleher-8657_bureaucracy_fight-hierarchy-and-bureaucracy-as-hard_2773837.png) > “Fight hierarchy and bureaucracy as hard as you possibly can. Don't ever let it become the master; always remember it's the servant.” [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates resisting hierarchical dominance, treating structures as tools, not masters. **In simple terms:** Keep hierarchy as a servant, not a ruler. Key Takeaway Maintain humility in leadership. Themes leadership organization power dynamics Mood assertive inspirational Type business leadership When to use this quote - company restructuring - team empowerment - process redesign - leadership training Key Concepts management theory organizational behavior servant leadership Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure structures serve people? - What checks prevent hierarchy from becoming oppressive? A Different Perspective Power can subtly dominate despite intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) ## Related quotes > [We will empower patients as well as health professionals. We will disempower the hierarchy and bureaucracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lansley/we-will-empower-patients-as-well-as-health-professionals-we-will/) [Andrew Lansley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lansley/) > [“Bureaucracy will be the deity of the twentieth century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-ter-esterh-zy/bureaucracy-will-be-the-deity-of-the-twentieth-century/) [Péter Esterházy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-ter-esterh-zy/) > [“It is horrible to think that the world could one day be filled with nothing but those little cogs, little men clinging to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/it-is-horrible-to-think-that-the-world-could-one-day-be-filled-with/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [“Uniformity in the common law, consisting of broad principles like the "reasonable person" standard, generally permits adjustment for the circumstances. This type of uniform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/uniformity-in-the-common-law-consisting-of-broad-principles-like-the/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [So many signatures for such a small heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/so-many-signatures-for-such-a-small-heart/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Trump conducts meetings and actually tries to get something done rather than just have the meeting and rather than just announce a framework and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/trump-conducts-meetings-and-actually-tries-to-get-something-done/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/) [Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/) > [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Socialism would gather all power to the supreme party and party leaders, rising like stately pinnacles above their vast bureaucracies of civil servants no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/socialism-would-gather-all-power-to-the-supreme-party-and-party/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing wrong with the Democratic Party that talks more about - and more loudly about - jobs, and cutting red tape, and bureaucracy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-that-talks-more-about/) [John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/) > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) ## More by Herb Kelleher > [If the Wright brother were alive today Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/if-the-wright-brother-were-alive-today-wilbur-would-have-to-fire/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [You have to treat your employees like your customers. When you treat them right they will treat your outside customers right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/you-have-to-treat-your-employees-like-your-customers-when-you-treat/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/power-should-be-reserved-for-weightlifting-and-boats-and-leadership/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [As far as value is concerned, the principal reason that I moved to Texas from New Jersey many, many years ago was because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/as-far-as-value-is-concerned-the-principal-reason-that-i-moved-to/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [Sometimes you need a little courage too just to buck popular opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/sometimes-you-need-a-little-courage-too-just-to-buck-popular-opinion/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [I want to see Texas remain an entrepreneurial powerhouse in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/i-want-to-see-texas-remain-an-entrepreneurial-powerhouse-in-the/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [You can't have a mid-life crisis in the airline industry because every day is a crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/you-can-t-have-a-mid-life-crisis-in-the-airline-industry-because/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [Keep costs low and spirits high, and the people of Southwest Airlines will keep LUV in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/keep-costs-low-and-spirits-high-and-the-people-of-southwest-airlines/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/a-company-is-stronger-if-it-is-bound-by-love-rather-than-by-fear/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [The people of Southwest have always been my pride, my joy and my love. Their indomitable dedication and esprit de corps have taken Southwest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/the-people-of-southwest-have-always-been-my-pride-my-joy-and-my-love/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy, so they keep coming back. It's not one of the enduring green mysteries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/a-motivated-employee-treats-the-customer-well-the-customer-is-happy/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [Hire for attitude, train for skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/hire-for-attitude-train-for-skill/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [We have the best customer satisfaction record, based on Transportation Dept. statistics, of any airline in America, the fewest complaints filed per 100,000 passengers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/we-have-the-best-customer-satisfaction-record-based-on-transportation/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [Think small and act small, and we'll get bigger. Think big and act big, and we'll get smaller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/think-small-and-act-small-and-we-ll-get-bigger-think-big-and-act-big/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [I've found that many of the greatest ideas surface in bars because that's where many people cultivate inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/i-ve-found-that-many-of-the-greatest-ideas-surface-in-bars-because/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) [Explore all 79 Herb Kelleher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) ## More Bureaucracy quotes > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [There's nothing wrong with the Democratic Party that talks more about - and more loudly about - jobs, and cutting red tape, and bureaucracy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-that-talks-more-about/) [John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/) > [Socialism would gather all power to the supreme party and party leaders, rising like stately pinnacles above their vast bureaucracies of civil servants no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/socialism-would-gather-all-power-to-the-supreme-party-and-party/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I think Kafka was right when he said that for a modern, secular, nonreligious man, state bureaucracy is the only remaining contact with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-think-kafka-was-right-when-he-said-that-for-a-modern-secular/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/) [Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/) > [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [Trump conducts meetings and actually tries to get something done rather than just have the meeting and rather than just announce a framework and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/trump-conducts-meetings-and-actually-tries-to-get-something-done/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [So many signatures for such a small heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/so-many-signatures-for-such-a-small-heart/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“Uniformity in the common law, consisting of broad principles like the "reasonable person" standard, generally permits adjustment for the circumstances. This type of uniform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/uniformity-in-the-common-law-consisting-of-broad-principles-like-the/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [“It is horrible to think that the world could one day be filled with nothing but those little cogs, little men clinging to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/it-is-horrible-to-think-that-the-world-could-one-day-be-filled-with/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [“Bureaucracy will be the deity of the twentieth century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-ter-esterh-zy/bureaucracy-will-be-the-deity-of-the-twentieth-century/) [Péter Esterházy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-ter-esterh-zy/) > [the greater the bureaucratization of public life, the greater will be the attraction of violence. In a fully developed bureaucracy there is nobody left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-greater-the-bureaucratization-of-public-life-the-greater-will-be/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) [Browse all 636 Bureaucracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fight hierarchy and bureaucracy as hard as you possibly can. 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