--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once we've made a decision, we are…" description: "\"Once we've made a decision, we are efficient only if we go through with it decisively, undistracted by doubts about its correctness.\" — John Cleese" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/john-cleese-1768_correctness_once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-effici_2903082.jpg" --- # Once we've made a decision, we are efficient only if we go… ![“Once we've made a decision, we are efficient only if we go through with it decisively, undistracted by doubts about its correctness.” quote by John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/john-cleese-1768_correctness_once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-effici_2903082.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/john-cleese-1768_correctness_once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-effici_2903082.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/john-cleese-1768_correctness_once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-effici_2903082.jpg) > “Once we've made a decision, we are efficient only if we go through with it decisively, undistracted by doubts about its correctness.” [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Decisive action after a decision prevents doubt and maintains efficiency. **In simple terms:** Follow through decisively to stay efficient. Key Takeaway Commit fully to your choices. Themes decision‑making efficiency confidence Mood determined pragmatic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - business - personal goals - project management Key Concepts psychology of commitment focus Questions to Reflect On - What decision are you hesitating on? - How can you ensure thoughtful follow‑through? A Different Perspective Over‑confidence can lead to reckless choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Correctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/correctness/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Decisively Undistracted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisively-undistracted-4138358/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Doubts Correctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubts-correctness-4138357/) [Efficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficiency/) [Efficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficient/) [Efficient Decisively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficient-decisively-4138356/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Undistracted Doubts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undistracted-doubts-4138355/) ## Related quotes > [Political correctness is a bit like a granny, a maiden aunt arriving at a party when everyone's having a good time. And she comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/political-correctness-is-a-bit-like-a-granny-a-maiden-aunt-arriving/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [My views are heretical to people who believe in political correctness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/my-views-are-heretical-to-people-who-believe-in-political-correctness/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [“You see political correctness is just like any other religion. It’s based on faith, impervious to logic, always looking for converts and its true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-white-jr/you-see-political-correctness-is-just-like-any-other-religion-it-s/) [E.R. White Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-white-jr/) > [The truth is that this culture of political correctness has tied the hands of law enforcement around the USA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-truth-is-that-this-culture-of-political-correctness-has-tied-the/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Political correctness is neither political nor is it correct. It amounts to social censorship, and the sooner we spit it out, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/political-correctness-is-neither-political-nor-is-it-correct-it/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [You get so tired of political correctness. I'm noted for speaking out all my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/you-get-so-tired-of-political-correctness-i-m-noted-for-speaking-out/) [Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/) > [“No one in the world can shake you up if you are correct. First comes ‘correctness’ and then comes exactness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/no-one-in-the-world-can-shake-you-up-if-you-are-correct-first-comes/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [We all have Tumblr, and we all have Instagram and everything. People care so much about it because, now, any random can be famous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/we-all-have-tumblr-and-we-all-have-instagram-and-everything-people/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [All this discussion though politically correct, is dead beyond destruction though it leaves me quite erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/live-band/all-this-discussion-though-politically-correct-is-dead-beyond/) [Live (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/live-band/) > [The job of formal methods is to elucidate the assumptions upon which formal correctness depends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/the-job-of-formal-methods-is-to-elucidate-the-assumptions-upon-which/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [Political correctness is a thing of leftist radicals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/political-correctness-is-a-thing-of-leftist-radicals/) [Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/) > [Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is 'Political Correctness.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/another-plague-upon-the-land-as-devastating-as-the-locusts-god-loosed/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [Political correctness is a major defect of the western ethos. Some Western countries have even passed blasphemy laws that would put you in legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/political-correctness-is-a-major-defect-of-the-western-ethos-some/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schnitzler/martyrdom-has-always-been-a-proof-of-the-intensity-never-of-the/) [Arthur Schnitzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schnitzler/) > [Whether it's people walking off 'The View' when Bill O'Reilly makes a statement about radical Islam or Juan Williams being fired for expressing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantor/whether-it-s-people-walking-off-the-view-when-bill-o-reilly-makes-a/) [Eric Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantor/) ## More by John Cleese > [Too many people confuse being serious with being solemn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/too-many-people-confuse-being-serious-with-being-solemn/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Nerves are always a big problem for me, which is why I loved doing American sitcoms. Because you know when you do the take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/nerves-are-always-a-big-problem-for-me-which-is-why-i-loved-doing/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [years ago we would have been burned for this. Now what I am suggesting is that we've advanced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/years-ago-we-would-have-been-burned-for-this-now-what-i-am-suggesting/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I think that sometimes you do something that makes a small group of people laugh, which is all we were trying to do; we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-think-that-sometimes-you-do-something-that-makes-a-small-group-of/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [The very essence of playfulness is an openness to anything that may happen, the feeling that whatever happens, it's okay... you're either free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/the-very-essence-of-playfulness-is-an-openness-to-anything-that-may/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Loving your neighbour as much as yourself is practically bloody impossible? You might as well have a commandment that states,'Thou shalt fly'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/loving-your-neighbour-as-much-as-yourself-is-practically-bloody/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Creativity is not the possession of some special talent. It’s about the willingness to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/creativity-is-not-the-possession-of-some-special-talent-it-s-about/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [England is a fairly envious little country and it's embodied in the press. They don't like anyone being more distinguished than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/england-is-a-fairly-envious-little-country-and-it-s-embodied-in-the/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I used to desire many, many things, but now I have just one desire, and that's to get rid of all my other desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-used-to-desire-many-many-things-but-now-i-have-just-one-desire-and/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I think the hard thing for young comedians is that the majority of the young people in the audience out there don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-think-the-hard-thing-for-young-comedians-is-that-the-majority-of/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I wish you wusses would stop whining about your unhappiness. I'm really fed up with it. Pour yourself a scotch and pull yourself together.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-wish-you-wusses-would-stop-whining-about-your-unhappiness-i-m/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [On movies, I like to involve the cast in the writing of the script. I like to have a rehearsal period, after which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/on-movies-i-like-to-involve-the-cast-in-the-writing-of-the-script-i/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I had a very, very difficult relationship with my mother, who was supremely self-centred. She was hilariously self-centred. She did not really take interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-had-a-very-very-difficult-relationship-with-my-mother-who-was/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Nothing will stop you being creative more effectively as the fear of making a mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/nothing-will-stop-you-being-creative-more-effectively-as-the-fear-of/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I was very sad to hear of the death of Ronnie Barker, who was such a warm, friendly and encouraging presence to have when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-was-very-sad-to-hear-of-the-death-of-ronnie-barker-who-was-such-a/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) [Explore all 209 John Cleese quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) ## More Correctness quotes > [Whether it's people walking off 'The View' when Bill O'Reilly makes a statement about radical Islam or Juan Williams being fired for expressing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantor/whether-it-s-people-walking-off-the-view-when-bill-o-reilly-makes-a/) [Eric Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantor/) > [Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schnitzler/martyrdom-has-always-been-a-proof-of-the-intensity-never-of-the/) [Arthur Schnitzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schnitzler/) > [Political correctness is a major defect of the western ethos. Some Western countries have even passed blasphemy laws that would put you in legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/political-correctness-is-a-major-defect-of-the-western-ethos-some/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is 'Political Correctness.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/another-plague-upon-the-land-as-devastating-as-the-locusts-god-loosed/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [Political correctness is a thing of leftist radicals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/political-correctness-is-a-thing-of-leftist-radicals/) [Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/) > [The job of formal methods is to elucidate the assumptions upon which formal correctness depends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/the-job-of-formal-methods-is-to-elucidate-the-assumptions-upon-which/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [All this discussion though politically correct, is dead beyond destruction though it leaves me quite erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/live-band/all-this-discussion-though-politically-correct-is-dead-beyond/) [Live (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/live-band/) > [We all have Tumblr, and we all have Instagram and everything. People care so much about it because, now, any random can be famous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/we-all-have-tumblr-and-we-all-have-instagram-and-everything-people/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [“No one in the world can shake you up if you are correct. First comes ‘correctness’ and then comes exactness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/no-one-in-the-world-can-shake-you-up-if-you-are-correct-first-comes/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [You get so tired of political correctness. I'm noted for speaking out all my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/you-get-so-tired-of-political-correctness-i-m-noted-for-speaking-out/) [Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/) > [Political correctness is neither political nor is it correct. It amounts to social censorship, and the sooner we spit it out, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/political-correctness-is-neither-political-nor-is-it-correct-it/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [The truth is that this culture of political correctness has tied the hands of law enforcement around the USA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-truth-is-that-this-culture-of-political-correctness-has-tied-the/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [“You see political correctness is just like any other religion. It’s based on faith, impervious to logic, always looking for converts and its true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-white-jr/you-see-political-correctness-is-just-like-any-other-religion-it-s/) [E.R. White Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-white-jr/) > [In this era of political correctness, some people seem unaware that being squeamish about words can mean being blind to realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-this-era-of-political-correctness-some-people-seem-unaware-that/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [To speak plainly and truthfully about the state of our world - to say, for instance, that the Bible and the Koran both contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/to-speak-plainly-and-truthfully-about-the-state-of-our-world-to-say/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Browse all 313 Correctness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/correctness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once we've made a decision, we are efficient only if we go through with it decisively, undistracted by doubts about its correctness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cleese" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-efficient-only-if-we-go-through/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Correctness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-efficient-only-if-we-go-through/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/john-cleese-1768_correctness_once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-effici_2903082.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/john-cleese-1768_correctness_once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-effici_2903082.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/john-cleese-1768_correctness_once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-effici_2903082.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once we've made a decision, we are efficient only if we go through with it decisively, undistracted by…” — John Cleese", "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": "John Cleese", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Once we've made a decision, we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-efficient-only-if-we-go-through/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/once-we-ve-made-a-decision-we-are-efficient-only-if-we-go-through/#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 } } ] } ```