--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am telling you that order is absurd…" description: "\"“I am telling you that order is absurd. You think there are no idiots in the intelligence business, that your superiors are all brilliant men who under..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/kate-quinn-15879_bad-leadership_i-am-telling-you-that-order-is-absurd-yo_432275.jpg" --- # I am telling you that order is absurd. You think there are… ![“I am telling you that order is absurd. You think there are no idiots in the intelligence business, that your superiors are all brilliant men who understand the game?” A furious hand waved in Major Allenton’s direction. “This business is rife with idiots. They play with lives and they play badly…” quote by Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/kate-quinn-15879_bad-leadership_i-am-telling-you-that-order-is-absurd-yo_432275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/kate-quinn-15879_bad-leadership_i-am-telling-you-that-order-is-absurd-yo_432275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/kate-quinn-15879_bad-leadership_i-am-telling-you-that-order-is-absurd-yo_432275.jpg) > ““I am telling you that order is absurd. You think there are no idiots in the intelligence business, that your superiors are all brilliant men who understand the game?” A furious hand waved in Major Allenton’s direction. “This business is rife with idiots. They play with lives and they play badly, and when people like you die as a result, they shrug and say, ‘Risks have to be taken in wartime.”” [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes the reckless acceptance of risk in war, highlighting that many leaders are incompetent and indifferent to human cost. **In simple terms:** War leaders often ignore the human cost of risky decisions. Key Takeaway Question authority and demand competence. Themes war leadership ethics risk human cost Mood critical serious Type cautionary reflective When to use this quote - military planning - policy debates - ethical training - public accountability Key Concepts military hierarchy morality decision making Questions to Reflect On - How do we ensure accountability in high‑risk decisions? - What mechanisms can prevent reckless risk‑taking? A Different Perspective Even brilliant leaders can be idiots; systemic safeguards are needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad-leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-leadership-2/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ## Related quotes > [ “You think there are no idiots in the intelligence business, that your superiors are all brilliant men who understand the game? \[...\] This business… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/you-think-there-are-no-idiots-in-the-intelligence-business-that-your/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [People are surprised to find out that an awful lot of people think that they're idiots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/people-are-surprised-to-find-out-that-an-awful-lot-of-people-think/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [I want people to watch us and think, 'They're idiots. 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Keep achieving anyways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/pretty-normal-for-a-high-achiever-to-be-shut-out-by-superiors-for/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) [Browse all 15 Bad-leadership quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-leadership-2/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I am telling you that order is absurd. You think there are no idiots in the intelligence business, that your superiors are all brilliant men who understand the game?” A furious hand waved in Major Allenton’s direction. “This business is rife with idiots. 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