--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You should know how many incompetent men…" description: "\"You should know how many incompetent men I had to compete with-in vain.\" — Inge Lehmann" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/inge-lehmann-108083_competing_you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men_1711333.jpg" --- # You should know how many incompetent men I had to compete… ![“You should know how many incompetent men I had to compete with-in vain.” quote by Inge Lehmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/inge-lehmann-108083_competing_you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men_1711333.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/inge-lehmann-108083_competing_you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men_1711333.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/inge-lehmann-108083_competing_you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men_1711333.jpg) > “You should know how many incompetent men I had to compete with-in vain.” [Inge Lehmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inge-lehmann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker laments competing against many incompetent individuals, highlighting the difficulty and futility of such contests. **In simple terms:** Competing with incompetence feels futile. Key Takeaway Seek higher standards or change fields. Themes competition incompetence disillusionment career self-worth Mood disappointed reflective Type critical observational When to use this quote - job interviews - team projects - industry networking Key Concepts professional standards personal growth leadership challenges Questions to Reflect On - How can you raise the bar for peers? - When is it wise to leave a toxic environment? A Different Perspective Choosing to stay may waste effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete/) [Compete Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete-vain-1250338/) [Competing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competing/) [Competitors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competitors/) [Ignorant people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant-people/) [Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetence/) [Incompetent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetent/) [Incompetent Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetent-men-1250336/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-how/) [Know Incompetent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-incompetent-1250337/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) ## Related quotes > [All experience teaches that, whenever there is a great national establishment, employing large numbers of officials, the public must be reconciled to support many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/all-experience-teaches-that-whenever-there-is-a-great-national/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Donald Trump's mini-me, Boris Johnson, is in the ascendant: the Tory crown is his to lose. But his colleagues know he's an incompetent, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-jones/donald-trump-s-mini-me-boris-johnson-is-in-the-ascendant-the-tory/) [Owen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-jones/) > [I don't know enough to be incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-don-t-know-enough-to-be-incompetent/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“For she is remembering Paul’s saying: There is no such thing as a frigid woman, there are only incompetent men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/for-she-is-remembering-paul-s-saying-there-is-no-such-thing-as-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Problems always appear big when incompetent men are working on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/problems-always-appear-big-when-incompetent-men-are-working-on-them/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) > [“The doctor was clueless!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-doctor-was-clueless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he hoped to God it wasn't him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly-incompetent-and-he-hoped-to/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More by Inge Lehmann > [I may have been 15 or 16 years old when, on a Sunday morning, I was sitting at home together with my mother and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inge-lehmann/i-may-have-been-15-or-16-years-old-when-on-a-sunday-morning-i-was/) [Inge Lehmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inge-lehmann/) [Explore all 2 Inge Lehmann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inge-lehmann/) ## More Compete quotes > [Honestly, we’ll compete with everybody. I love competition. As long as people invent their own stuff, I love competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/honestly-we-ll-compete-with-everybody-i-love-competition-as-long-as/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [You don't go into the game to compete. You go into each game to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-newton/you-don-t-go-into-the-game-to-compete-you-go-into-each-game-to-win/) [Cam Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-newton/) > [The Way of the Sage is to act but not to compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-way-of-the-sage-is-to-act-but-not-to-compete/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [For me, it's more important to bring my level up and make sure that I can compete against guys in the top 100 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-shapovalov/for-me-it-s-more-important-to-bring-my-level-up-and-make-sure-that-i/) [Denis Shapovalov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-shapovalov/) > [I love to compete. That's the essence of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/i-love-to-compete-that-s-the-essence-of-who-i-am/) [Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/) > [When I was young, all I wanted to do was to compete, have fun and travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-gaylord/when-i-was-young-all-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-compete-have-fun-and-travel/) [Mitch Gaylord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-gaylord/) > [“The secret to unseating great power, is not to move the other direction, but to compete directly against their goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-secret-to-unseating-great-power-is-not-to-move-the-other/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [There are a lot of champions out there, a lot of great guys, but I think that the way I compete and my fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-pettis/there-are-a-lot-of-champions-out-there-a-lot-of-great-guys-but-i/) [Anthony Pettis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-pettis/) > [“Successful people compete against themselves, not against other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/successful-people-compete-against-themselves-not-against-other-people/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [Most people should be given a chance to compete in the Olympic Games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-the-eagle/most-people-should-be-given-a-chance-to-compete-in-the-olympic-games/) [Eddie the Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-the-eagle/) > [The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-reese/the-hardest-skill-to-acquire-in-this-sport-is-the-one-where-you/) [Eddie Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-reese/) > [They wanted me to lead these young players, teach them the way to compete, when the only thing I should be worried about is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kinsler/they-wanted-me-to-lead-these-young-players-teach-them-the-way-to/) [Ian Kinsler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kinsler/) > [For some people, success is a zero sum game. They think that if they push other people out of the way, fewer people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lelia-bundles/for-some-people-success-is-a-zero-sum-game-they-think-that-if-they/) [A'Lelia Bundles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lelia-bundles/) > [We can't live true to our set of values unless American educational system is strong. I really believe that if we don't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/we-can-t-live-true-to-our-set-of-values-unless-american-educational/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I write what I like to read, and I enjoy love triangles in YA and adult fiction - not to mention in other media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/i-write-what-i-like-to-read-and-i-enjoy-love-triangles-in-ya-and/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) [Browse all 999 Compete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You should know how many incompetent men I had to compete with-in vain.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Inge Lehmann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inge-lehmann/you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men-i-had-to-compete-with-in-vain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compete" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inge-lehmann/you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men-i-had-to-compete-with-in-vain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/inge-lehmann-108083_competing_you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men_1711333.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/inge-lehmann-108083_competing_you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men_1711333.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/inge-lehmann-108083_competing_you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men_1711333.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You should know how many incompetent men I had to compete with-in vain.” — Inge Lehmann", "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": "Inge Lehmann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inge-lehmann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You should know how many incompetent...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inge-lehmann/you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men-i-had-to-compete-with-in-vain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inge-lehmann/you-should-know-how-many-incompetent-men-i-had-to-compete-with-in-vain/#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 } } ] } ```