--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great liability of the engineer…" description: "\"The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/herbert-hoover-1115_air_the-great-liability-of-the-engineer-comp_1513990.jpg" --- # The great liability of the engineer compared to men of… ![“The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge…” quote by Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/herbert-hoover-1115_air_the-great-liability-of-the-engineer-comp_1513990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/herbert-hoover-1115_air_the-great-liability-of-the-engineer-comp_1513990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70e/herbert-hoover-1115_air_the-great-liability-of-the-engineer-comp_1513990.jpg) > “The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects, cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot, like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope the people will forget. The engineer simply cannot deny he did it. If his works do not work, he is damned...” [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engineers' work is publicly visible, making their mistakes unavoidable and accountable. **In simple terms:** Engineers cannot hide errors; they are exposed. Key Takeaway Own and fix mistakes openly. Themes accountability transparency engineering ethics Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - construction projects - software development - product design - public infrastructure Key Concepts public scrutiny error ownership professional responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure quality before release? - What systems can catch errors early? A Different Perspective Mistakes may still be costly despite openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Arguing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/) [Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) [Civil engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-engineer/) [Civil engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-engineering/) [Deny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deny/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineer/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget Engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-engineer-5580407/) [Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graves/) [Great Liability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-liability-3651405/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Liability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liability/) [Liability Engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liability-engineer-5580405/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Opponents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opponents/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Will Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-will-forget/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Presidential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidential/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Screens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screens/) [Shortcomings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shortcomings/) [Shortcomings Blaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shortcomings-blaming-5580406/) [Step By Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/step-by-step/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [Thin air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thin-air/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Vines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vines/) ## Related quotes > [The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-great-liability-of-the-engineer-compared-to-men-of-other-2/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [To the engineer falls the job of clothing the bare bones of science with life, comfort, and hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/to-the-engineer-falls-the-job-of-clothing-the-bare-bones-of-science/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-a-great-profession-there-is-the-fascination-of-watching-a/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [No greater care is required upon any works than upon such as are to withstand the action of water; for this reason, all parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frontinus/no-greater-care-is-required-upon-any-works-than-upon-such-as-are-to/) [Frontinus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frontinus/) > [Strive for perfection in everything you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-royce/strive-for-perfection-in-everything-you-do/) [Henry Royce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-royce/) > [Engineers are not superhuman. They make mistakes in their assumptions, in their calculations, in their conclusions. That they make mistakes is forgivable; that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-petroski/engineers-are-not-superhuman-they-make-mistakes-in-their-assumptions/) [Henry Petroski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-petroski/) > [My dad wanted me to be a professional person, which I was - I was a civil engineer. I graduated from civil engineering at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hong/my-dad-wanted-me-to-be-a-professional-person-which-i-was-i-was-a/) [James Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hong/) > [When engineers and quantity surveyors discuss aesthetics and architects study what cranes do we are on the right road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ove-arup/when-engineers-and-quantity-surveyors-discuss-aesthetics-and/) [Ove Arup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ove-arup/) > [Take the best that exists and make it better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-royce/take-the-best-that-exists-and-make-it-better/) [Henry Royce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-royce/) > [Go for civil engineering, because civil engineering is the branch of engineering which teaches you the most about managing people. 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This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ove-arup/engineering-problems-are-under-defined-there-are-many-solutions-good/) [Ove Arup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ove-arup/) > [Civil Engineering is the art of directing the great sources of Power in Nature for the use and convenience of man; being that practical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-tredgold/civil-engineering-is-the-art-of-directing-the-great-sources-of-power/) [Thomas Tredgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-tredgold/) > [Engineering is the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-tredgold/engineering-is-the-art-of-directing-the-great-sources-of-power-in/) [Thomas Tredgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-tredgold/) > [George Washington was quite a farmer. He was a farmer, Civil Engineer and gentleman. 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There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-a-great-profession-there-is-the-fascination-of-watching-a/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [The human animal originally came from out-of-doors. When spring begins to move in his bones, he just must get out again. Moreover, as civilization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-human-animal-originally-came-from-out-of-doors-when-spring-begins/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [“No one ever listened themselves out of a job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/no-one-ever-listened-themselves-out-of-a-job/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [Somebody has inquired as to whether I will be going to the opening baseball game. I hope to have that pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/somebody-has-inquired-as-to-whether-i-will-be-going-to-the-opening/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [It is always possible that occasional individuals may have overstepped the law and humanity in treatment of criminals and those charged with crime, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-always-possible-that-occasional-individuals-may-have/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [One of the primary necessities of the world for the maintenance of peace is the elimination of the frictions which arise from competitive armament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/one-of-the-primary-necessities-of-the-world-for-the-maintenance-of/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [Man is still by instinct a predatory animal given to devilish aggression. The discoveries of science have immensely increased productivity of material things. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/man-is-still-by-instinct-a-predatory-animal-given-to-devilish/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [You convey too great a compliment when you say that I have earned the right to the presidential nomination. No man can establish such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/you-convey-too-great-a-compliment-when-you-say-that-i-have-earned-the/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [“Leadership cannot be created synthetically. 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