--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse…" description: "\"Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse than professional bureaucrats.\" — John McCarthy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/john-mccarthy-14699_amateur_amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse_514876.jpg" --- # Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse than professional… ![“Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse than professional bureaucrats.” quote by John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/john-mccarthy-14699_amateur_amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse_514876.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/john-mccarthy-14699_amateur_amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse_514876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/john-mccarthy-14699_amateur_amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse_514876.jpg) > “Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse than professional bureaucrats.” [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Amateur bureaucrats can be more detrimental than professionals. **In simple terms:** Inexperienced officials may cause greater harm. Key Takeaway Ensure competence before granting authority. Themes bureaucracy competence authority Mood critical analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - government agencies - nonprofits - corporate compliance Key Concepts Organizational behavior public administration Questions to Reflect On - How can we improve oversight of inexperienced officials? - What safeguards protect against bureaucratic abuse? A Different Perspective Professional training can also be flawed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bureaucrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucrats/) [Even worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even-worse/) ## Related quotes > [If kids can have some sort of social responsibility, that's cool. But if they're not actually having social responsibility, and they're kind of hiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/if-kids-can-have-some-sort-of-social-responsibility-that-s-cool-but/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [Many salespeople are trying to make their quota rather than developing a deeper belief in their product or service - and even worse, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/many-salespeople-are-trying-to-make-their-quota-rather-than/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [Hundreds of investors ask me questions each year about the dilemmas they confront. Their worst problem? Uncertainty. They are traumatized and become emotional or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/hundreds-of-investors-ask-me-questions-each-year-about-the-dilemmas/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Part of what I like about the best villains in TV and film is when you feel sorry for them, and that makes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-o-donoghue/part-of-what-i-like-about-the-best-villains-in-tv-and-film-is-when/) [Colin O'Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-o-donoghue/) > [The term 'glass ceiling' was coined in 1984. More than 20 years later, the ceiling has barely cracked. There isn't a single country in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/the-term-glass-ceiling-was-coined-in-1984-more-than-20-years-later/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I think women - relative to men - tend to feel that they have to do the household chores on top of everything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/i-think-women-relative-to-men-tend-to-feel-that-they-have-to-do-the/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [When you're nice to me, I'm nice to you; but when you are not nice, I'm even worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-jedrzejczyk/when-you-re-nice-to-me-i-m-nice-to-you-but-when-you-are-not-nice-i-m/) [Joanna Jedrzejczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-jedrzejczyk/) > [It drives me crazy when your parents try to read your mind. It's even worse when they try to read your mail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/it-drives-me-crazy-when-your-parents-try-to-read-your-mind-it-s-even/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [There are journalists who are drawn to the most extroverted, aggressive jobs because they get an ego high from it. It can be shocking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/there-are-journalists-who-are-drawn-to-the-most-extroverted/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [There is probably no such thing as a good divorce, but clinging to an old idea of how relationships are unraveled can make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wasser/there-is-probably-no-such-thing-as-a-good-divorce-but-clinging-to-an/) [Laura Wasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wasser/) > [Sometimes living in a room that's badly designed isn't the worst thing in the world. Trust me - this is a fact! Living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-olson/sometimes-living-in-a-room-that-s-badly-designed-isn-t-the-worst/) [Candice Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-olson/) > [In most countries, it is possible to visit zoos and see bored animals pacing back and forth in cages, with nothing to do but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/in-most-countries-it-is-possible-to-visit-zoos-and-see-bored-animals/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [This trend of reporting process over substance is unfortunate, if omnipresent. Even worse is the media's inability - or unwillingness - to fact-check Republicans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/this-trend-of-reporting-process-over-substance-is-unfortunate-if/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [If Romney explains why where we are with Obama is unacceptable, why whither we are tending is even worse - and why his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kristol/if-romney-explains-why-where-we-are-with-obama-is-unacceptable-why/) [Bill Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kristol/) > [Even a very brief tape-delay introduces a form of censorship into the broadcast - not direct governmental control, but it means that a network…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pierson/even-a-very-brief-tape-delay-introduces-a-form-of-censorship-into-the/) [Frank Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pierson/) ## More by John McCarthy > [Self-righteousness has killed more people than smoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/self-righteousness-has-killed-more-people-than-smoking/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [“All travel is, after all, a journey in time & in mind… physical landscapes are a mirror of, or perhaps a key into, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/all-travel-is-after-all-a-journey-in-time-in-mind-physical-landscapes/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [Never abandon a theory that explains something until you have a theory that explains more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/never-abandon-a-theory-that-explains-something-until-you-have-a/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [An extreme optimist is a man who believes that humanity will probably survive even if it doesn't take his advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/an-extreme-optimist-is-a-man-who-believes-that-humanity-will-probably/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [A declining institution often experiences survival of the unfittest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/a-declining-institution-often-experiences-survival-of-the-unfittest/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [We modern Marxists regard socialism as a historically brief transitional stage between feudalism and capitalism, necessary only in backward countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/we-modern-marxists-regard-socialism-as-a-historically-brief/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [If a person can be said to have the wrong attitude, there is no need to pay attention to his arguments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/if-a-person-can-be-said-to-have-the-wrong-attitude-there-is-no-need/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [His ambition is to be the spider in the World Wide Web.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/his-ambition-is-to-be-the-spider-in-the-world-wide-web/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [When I see a slippery slope, my instinct is to build a terrace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/when-i-see-a-slippery-slope-my-instinct-is-to-build-a-terrace/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [The slogan was 'Don't trust anyone over thirty'. Sixty years later the slogan became, 'Don't trust anyone over ninety'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/the-slogan-was-don-t-trust-anyone-over-thirty-sixty-years-later-the/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/he-who-refuses-to-do-arithmetic-is-doomed-to-talk-nonsense/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [Don't try to talk anyone out of concentrating his hatred on Ayn Rand or any other dead person. It can't harm the dead. Diverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/don-t-try-to-talk-anyone-out-of-concentrating-his-hatred-on-ayn-rand/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [Language is froth on the surface of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/language-is-froth-on-the-surface-of-thought/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [When thugs by nature meet thugs by political conviction, 5-0 is not surprising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/when-thugs-by-nature-meet-thugs-by-political-conviction-5-0-is-not/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) > [Foolishness is rarely a matter of lack of intelligence or even lack of information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/foolishness-is-rarely-a-matter-of-lack-of-intelligence-or-even-lack/) [John McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) [Explore all 45 John McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/) ## More Amateur quotes > [“The amateur doesn't appreciate the need for experimentation. He wants his experts to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-amateur-doesn-t-appreciate-the-need-for-experimentation-he-wants/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I did a musical when I was 17, an amateur show, and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taron-egerton/i-did-a-musical-when-i-was-17-an-amateur-show-and-i-loved-it/) [Taron Egerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taron-egerton/) > [Every artist was first an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-artist-was-first-an-amateur/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) Alan Sheinwald > [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [You count a man's U.S. Amateur titles after he starts winning professional majors. That's something any intelligent golf writer with a sense of history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/you-count-a-man-s-u-s-amateur-titles-after-he-starts-winning/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/amateur-boxing-is-one-of-the-safest-sports-around/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [“Amateur: One reckless enough to risk being interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barringer/amateur-one-reckless-enough-to-risk-being-interesting/) David Barringer > [Time management is probably the biggest thing I've had to learn to deal with being on the PGA Tour, whether it be media or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/time-management-is-probably-the-biggest-thing-i-ve-had-to-learn-to/) [Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/) > [When people buy, rescue, or otherwise acquire a dog from unscrupulous breeders or amateur rescue groups, they are making a decision with ethical consequences.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/when-people-buy-rescue-or-otherwise-acquire-a-dog-from-unscrupulous/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) Browse all 352 Amateur quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse than professional bureaucrats.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse-than-professional-bureaucrats/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amateur" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse-than-professional-bureaucrats/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/john-mccarthy-14699_amateur_amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse_514876.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/john-mccarthy-14699_amateur_amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse_514876.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/john-mccarthy-14699_amateur_amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse_514876.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse than professional bureaucrats.” — John McCarthy", "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 McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse-than-professional-bureaucrats/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccarthy/amateur-bureaucrats-are-often-even-worse-than-professional-bureaucrats/#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 } } ] } ```