---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In any great organization it is far, far…"
description: "\"In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone.\" — John Kenneth Galbraith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_majority_in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far_1973953.png"
---

#  In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong…

![“In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_majority_in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far_1973953.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_majority_in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far_1973953.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_majority_in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far_1973953.png)

> “In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone.”

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

In large organizations, aligning with the majority protects you more than solitary correctness.

**In simple terms:** Being with the group is safer.

Key Takeaway

Seek consensus to reduce personal risk.

Themes

group dynamics risk avoidance organizational behavior

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- corporate governance
- team leadership
- policy development

Key Concepts

conformity collective decision‑making

Questions to Reflect On

- When should you challenge the majority?
- How to balance conformity and dissent?

A Different Perspective

Blind conformity can stifle innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/)

## Related quotes

> [“It is far safer to be feared than loved”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-is-far-safer-to-be-feared-than-loved/)

[Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [America will be far safer if we reduce the chances of a terrorist attack in one of our cities than if we diminish the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/america-will-be-far-safer-if-we-reduce-the-chances-of-a-terrorist/)

[Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/)

> [Hollywood is a far safer place to work than working abroad, because of the skill level, and because of the safety considerations that experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rhys-davies/hollywood-is-a-far-safer-place-to-work-than-working-abroad-because-of/)

[John Rhys-Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rhys-davies/)

> [Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/wrong-does-not-cease-to-be-wrong-because-the-majority-share-in-it/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Basic philosophy, spirit and drive of an organization have far more to do with its relative achievements than do technological or economic resources, organizational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bower/basic-philosophy-spirit-and-drive-of-an-organization-have-far-more-to/)

[Marvin Bower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bower/)

> [The funny thing is, people's perceptions of what a song is about is usually wrong a majority of the time. But they're still going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gill/the-funny-thing-is-people-s-perceptions-of-what-a-song-is-about-is/)

[Vince Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gill/)

> [If the majority doesn't laugh at you, beware that you must be saying something wrong. When the majority thinks you are a fool, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-the-majority-doesn-t-laugh-at-you-beware-that-you-must-be-saying/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [Wealth in activity--capital with all its friction--is far safer than invested wealth lying dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/wealth-in-activity-capital-with-all-its-friction-is-far-safer-than/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [Food additives are far safer in actual use than the basic natural food themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-j-stare/food-additives-are-far-safer-in-actual-use-than-the-basic-natural/)

Frederick J. Stare

> [Rather than risk starting their own businesses, most people seek safer environments, preferring job security to freedom and a steady paycheck to greater wealth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/rather-than-risk-starting-their-own-businesses-most-people-seek-safer/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [I want to say that our shows are safer-spaces shows. Don't push anyone or affect anyone's space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hopkins/i-want-to-say-that-our-shows-are-safer-spaces-shows-don-t-push-anyone/)

[Ben Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hopkins/)

> [America's families will be safer in a world where we're strong, where we're engaged, but where we're respected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/america-s-families-will-be-safer-in-a-world-where-we-re-strong-where/)

[John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/)

> [I find myself safer running in a pack of wolves than walking through a city alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf/i-find-myself-safer-running-in-a-pack-of-wolves-than-walking-through/)

Wolf

> [I ride my bike almost every day here in New York. It's getting safer to do so, but I do have to be fairly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-ride-my-bike-almost-every-day-here-in-new-york-it-s-getting-safer/)

[David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/)

> [It is so much safer not to feel, not to let the world touch me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/it-is-so-much-safer-not-to-feel-not-to-let-the-world-touch-me/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

## More by John Kenneth Galbraith

> [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [“Men can labor to make sense out of single steps toward the goal without ever pausing to reflect that the goal itself is ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/men-can-labor-to-make-sense-out-of-single-steps-toward-the-goal/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [World War II revealed two of the enduring features of the Keynesian Revolution. One was the moral difference between spending for welfare and spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/world-war-ii-revealed-two-of-the-enduring-features-of-the-keynesian/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge. One has now come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/money-is-what-fueled-the-industrial-society-but-in-the-informational/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/a-bad-book-is-the-worse-that-it-cannot-repent-it-has-not-been-the/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Genius is a rising stock market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/genius-is-a-rising-stock-market/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Mr. David Stockman has said that supply-side economics was merely a cover for the trickle-down approach to economic policy—what an older and less elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/mr-david-stockman-has-said-that-supply-side-economics-was-merely-a/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies-that-are-not-born-are-rarely/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

[Explore all 434 John Kenneth Galbraith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

## More Majority quotes

> [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/)

[Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/)

[J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/)

> [The idea that this world is a playground instead of a battleground has now been accepted in practice by the vast majority of Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-idea-that-this-world-is-a-playground-instead-of-a-battleground/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-majority-is-never-right-never-i-tell-you-that-s-one-of-these-lies/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [Ideally, when Christians meet, as Christians do, to take counsel together, their purpose is not ( or should not be) to ascertain what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/ideally-when-christians-meet-as-christians-do-to-take-counsel/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [I'm going to do everything I can to get myself elected, but that's not enough. I'm going to try to help move the Senate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-m-going-to-do-everything-i-can-to-get-myself-elected-but-that-s-not/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Cricket, politics, and cinema is what a majority in our country are most passionate about. They have the power to divide the best of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-deverakonda/cricket-politics-and-cinema-is-what-a-majority-in-our-country-are/)

[Vijay Deverakonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-deverakonda/)

> [By the time any view becomes a majority view, it is no longer the best view: somebody will already have advanced beyond the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/by-the-time-any-view-becomes-a-majority-view-it-is-no-longer-the-best/)

[Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/)

> [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The vast majority of people are born, grow up, struggle and go through life in misery and failure, not realizing that it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-vast-majority-of-people-are-born-grow-up-struggle-and-go-through/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [The vast majority of local people will neither know all of the initiatives nor have any perception that the individual elements are beginning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-burrell/the-vast-majority-of-local-people-will-neither-know-all-of-the/)

[Paul Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-burrell/)

> [The majority of Arab people would side with Russia and China, not with the West. And they'd throw their 'elites' groomed in and by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/the-majority-of-arab-people-would-side-with-russia-and-china-not-with/)

[Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/)

> [I'm not trying to represent all Muslim women. I'm trying to give voice to the silent majority. Unfortunately, I'm a bit loony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maysoon-zayid/i-m-not-trying-to-represent-all-muslim-women-i-m-trying-to-give-voice/)

[Maysoon Zayid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maysoon-zayid/)

> [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/)

[Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/)

Browse all 3,215 Majority quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Kenneth Galbraith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far-safer-to-be-wrong-with-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Majority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far-safer-to-be-wrong-with-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_majority_in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far_1973953.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_majority_in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far_1973953.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_majority_in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far_1973953.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In any great organization it is far, far safer to be wrong with the majority than to be right alone.” — John Kenneth Galbraith",
                "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 Kenneth Galbraith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In any great organization it is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far-safer-to-be-wrong-with-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-any-great-organization-it-is-far-far-safer-to-be-wrong-with-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
