--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Membership First's record is one of…" description: "\"Membership First's record is one of conflict, division and, ultimately, failure.\" — Ken Howard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/ken-howard-17901_conflict_membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conf_1419535.jpg" --- # Membership First's record is one of conflict, division… ![“Membership First's record is one of conflict, division and, ultimately, failure.” quote by Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/ken-howard-17901_conflict_membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conf_1419535.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/ken-howard-17901_conflict_membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conf_1419535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/ken-howard-17901_conflict_membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conf_1419535.jpg) > “Membership First's record is one of conflict, division and, ultimately, failure.” [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The organization’s history shows that prioritizing membership over broader goals leads to internal conflict and eventual collapse. **In simple terms:** Focusing only on members caused division and failure. Key Takeaway Balance member interests with overall mission. Themes leadership culture conflict failure Mood cautious reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - corporate strategy - team building - stakeholder management Key Concepts organizational dynamics groupthink Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders integrate broader stakeholder views? - What safeguards prevent internal division? A Different Perspective Neglecting external perspectives can worsen outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Conflict Division](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict-division-5023763/) [Division Ultimately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division-ultimately-5023766/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Membership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/membership/) [Membership Record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/membership-record-5023765/) [Record Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record-conflict-5023764/) [Ultimately Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimately-failure-2745359/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I think the fall in Eden was ultimately a failure to give thanks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/i-think-the-fall-in-eden-was-ultimately-a-failure-to-give-thanks/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You have a wonderful organization. I understand you have ten thousand here. And if you count the ones in the various federal prisons, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/you-have-a-wonderful-organization-i-understand-you-have-ten-thousand/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [In turbulent times, in times of great change, people head for the two extremes: fundamentalism and personal, spiritual experience...With no membership lists or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-naisbitt/in-turbulent-times-in-times-of-great-change-people-head-for-the-two/) [John Naisbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-naisbitt/) > [Having cancer gave me membership in an elite club I'd rather not belong to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilda-radner/having-cancer-gave-me-membership-in-an-elite-club-i-d-rather-not/) [Gilda Radner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilda-radner/) > [ Some \[intentional communities\], like the Shakers and the Harmony Society, have endured for a century or even longer. The Hutterians, to cite an extreme… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-zablocki/some-intentional-communities-like-the-shakers-and-the-harmony-society/) [Benjamin Zablocki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-zablocki/) > [Church membership was so important that Paul and Silas baptized the Philippian jailer into the membership of Christ's church at midnight with Paul's back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-adams/church-membership-was-so-important-that-paul-and-silas-baptized-the/) [Jay Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-adams/) > [Its so easy to feel bombarded by photos of people at the gym, and people telling you that you need a gym membership. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-richardson/its-so-easy-to-feel-bombarded-by-photos-of-people-at-the-gym-and/) [Anna Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-richardson/) > [. . . the membership relation for sets can often be replaced by the composition operation for functions. This leads to an alternative foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saunders-mac-lane/the-membership-relation-for-sets-can-often-be-replaced-by-the/) [Saunders Mac Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saunders-mac-lane/) > [I have no doubt that there will continue to be bumps, some serious crises indeed in our relationship with China… Neither membership in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-will-continue-to-be-bumps-some-serious/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) > [What I appreciate about WP is that they have very clear processes for candidacy and membership. There is no fast track or parachuting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-seah/what-i-appreciate-about-wp-is-that-they-have-very-clear-processes-for/) [Nicole Seah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-seah/) > [Have you walked around in heels? That's a workout. But like all good gay men, I have a gym membership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-del-rio/have-you-walked-around-in-heels-that-s-a-workout-but-like-all-good/) [Bianca Del Rio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-del-rio/) > [Turkey's NATO membership is one thing that is forestalling the worst-case scenario - open conflict between Russia and Turkey - because neither Moscow nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kenyon/turkey-s-nato-membership-is-one-thing-that-is-forestalling-the-worst/) [Peter Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kenyon/) > [If I could get my membership fee back, I'd resign from the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/if-i-could-get-my-membership-fee-back-i-d-resign-from-the-human-race/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [I've never belonged to any group that didn't have at least one member who wasn't a total dick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-cowles/i-ve-never-belonged-to-any-group-that-didn-t-have-at-least-one-member/) [Rock Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-cowles/) > [I became an MP in 2017 and have been around to watch Liberal Democrat party membership soar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/i-became-an-mp-in-2017-and-have-been-around-to-watch-liberal-democrat/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) ## More by Ken Howard > [I loved that outrageous, creative style of city ball. 'Logic is the death of art,' they taught me at Yale. Maybe in basketball, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/i-loved-that-outrageous-creative-style-of-city-ball-logic-is-the/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [Unifying the legacy SAG and AFTRA contracts was essential, and I am very pleased that we were able to achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/unifying-the-legacy-sag-and-aftra-contracts-was-essential-and-i-am/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [One of the things that make actors good is their capacity to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/one-of-the-things-that-make-actors-good-is-their-capacity-to-listen/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [Sometimes you wonder if television is really affecting the culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/sometimes-you-wonder-if-television-is-really-affecting-the-culture/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [A lack of diversity permeates our industry, and SAG-AFTRA as an organization is committed to effecting change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/a-lack-of-diversity-permeates-our-industry-and-sag-aftra-as-an/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [I was from a town called Manhasset, very nice town out on the North Shore of Long Island, New York, but there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/i-was-from-a-town-called-manhasset-very-nice-town-out-on-the-north/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [When television gets in trouble is when it forgets that it all begins with the written word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/when-television-gets-in-trouble-is-when-it-forgets-that-it-all-begins/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [What we are, the experiences we've had, come to the surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/what-we-are-the-experiences-we-ve-had-come-to-the-surface/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [I have no theories about the divorce rate or things like that, but it does occur to me that dealing with kids and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/i-have-no-theories-about-the-divorce-rate-or-things-like-that-but-it/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [Some people really think I'm an ex-pro player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/some-people-really-think-i-m-an-ex-pro-player/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [Service that benefits the community and those in need is an act that betters us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/service-that-benefits-the-community-and-those-in-need-is-an-act-that/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [IMDb publishes the actual dates of birth of thousands of actors without their consent, most of them not celebrities but rank-and-file actors whose names…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/imdb-publishes-the-actual-dates-of-birth-of-thousands-of-actors/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [Sports is a terrific metaphor that's hardly been touched on TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/sports-is-a-terrific-metaphor-that-s-hardly-been-touched-on-tv/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [Singing was always the thing - I played some leads in musicals. Then when I went to college, I joined a singing group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/singing-was-always-the-thing-i-played-some-leads-in-musicals-then/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) > [I've always been entranced when it came to musical comedy; it's probably my favorite thing. It's a real true American form, and it's big,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/i-ve-always-been-entranced-when-it-came-to-musical-comedy-it-s/) [Ken Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) [Explore all 36 Ken Howard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/) ## More Conflict quotes > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [There is a conflict in the Middle East between two entities, and they're both right, each in their own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuven-rivlin/there-is-a-conflict-in-the-middle-east-between-two-entities-and-they/) [Reuven Rivlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuven-rivlin/) > [Conflict isn't negative, it just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-crum/conflict-isn-t-negative-it-just-is/) [Thomas Crum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-crum/) > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Africa, being the major target of colonial plunder, therefore becomes a major source of conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-horne/africa-being-the-major-target-of-colonial-plunder-therefore-becomes-a/) [Gerald Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-horne/) > [All drama is conflict. Without conflict, there is no action. Without action, there is no character. Without character, there is no story. And without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/all-drama-is-conflict-without-conflict-there-is-no-action-without/) [Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/) > [The irrepressible conflict propounded by abolitionism has produced now its legitimate fruits - disunion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-irrepressible-conflict-propounded-by-abolitionism-has-produced/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“These are all good things, I said. But no one knows where your country is or who you are. You don't have a familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/these-are-all-good-things-i-said-but-no-one-knows-where-your-country/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [I understand the formula that producers hire directors and directors are hired to direct and actors are hired to act. I don't have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-trejo/i-understand-the-formula-that-producers-hire-directors-and-directors/) [Danny Trejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-trejo/) > [“While there is battle and hatred men have eyes for nothing save the fact that the enemy is the cause of all the troubles;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-butterfield/while-there-is-battle-and-hatred-men-have-eyes-for-nothing-save-the/) [Herbert Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-butterfield/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [All men have an instinct for conflict: at least, all healthy men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/all-men-have-an-instinct-for-conflict-at-least-all-healthy-men/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [I didnt like the Survivor shows because of the mean-spirited aspect, and women certainly were part of whatever conflict they would create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/i-didnt-like-the-survivor-shows-because-of-the-mean-spirited-aspect/) [Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/) > [“How we traverse the space between us when conflict arises has a profound effect on the health and longevity of our relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/how-we-traverse-the-space-between-us-when-conflict-arises-has-a/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) [Browse all 3,969 Conflict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Membership First's record is one of conflict, division and, ultimately, failure.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Howard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conflict-division-and-ultimately/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conflict" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conflict-division-and-ultimately/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/ken-howard-17901_conflict_membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conf_1419535.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/ken-howard-17901_conflict_membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conf_1419535.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/ken-howard-17901_conflict_membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conf_1419535.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Membership First's record is one of conflict, division and, ultimately, failure.” — Ken Howard", "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": "Ken Howard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-howard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Membership First's record is one of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conflict-division-and-ultimately/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-howard/membership-first-s-record-is-one-of-conflict-division-and-ultimately/#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 } } ] } ```