--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can't keep up, drag them down to…" description: "\"If you can't keep up, drag them down to your level.\" — Laurence J. Peter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/laurence-j-peter-2798_drag_if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-y_678489.png" --- # If you can't keep up, drag them down to your level. ![“If you can't keep up, drag them down to your level.” quote by Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/laurence-j-peter-2798_drag_if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-y_678489.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/laurence-j-peter-2798_drag_if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-y_678489.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/laurence-j-peter-2798_drag_if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-y_678489.png) > “If you can't keep up, drag them down to your level.” [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People who cannot keep pace are often pulled down by those who resist progress, reinforcing mediocrity. **In simple terms:** Holding back others keeps you at the same level. Key Takeaway Avoid dragging others down; lift them up. Themes leadership competence hierarchy Mood frustrated determined Type advice motivational When to use this quote - workplace - team projects - career advancement - organizational change Key Concepts Peter Principle social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond when peers resist your progress? - What steps can you take to support others' growth? A Different Perspective Not all environments allow upward mobility; systemic barriers may persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/never-keep-up-with-the-joneses-drag-them-down-to-your-level/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Bitter people try and drag you down to their level...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bitter-people-try-and-drag-you-down-to-their-level/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone rises to their level of incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/everyone-rises-to-their-level-of-incompetence/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [And the user may have a higher comfort level deciding what information to provide rather than worrying about what inferences might be made from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-felten/and-the-user-may-have-a-higher-comfort-level-deciding-what/) [Edward Felten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-felten/) > [There are a lot of folks at Fox News who bring a certain level of sophistication to their understanding of politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shuster/there-are-a-lot-of-folks-at-fox-news-who-bring-a-certain-level-of/) [David Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shuster/) > [For me, if you distill comedy down, it is surprise and the unexpected. That has to be it on its most base level, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/for-me-if-you-distill-comedy-down-it-is-surprise-and-the-unexpected/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I'm sorry I can't get into Scooby Doo on any level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-judge/i-m-sorry-i-can-t-get-into-scooby-doo-on-any-level/) [Mike Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-judge/) > [Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of "The Lord of the Rings". You must go forth with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/evidently-an-a-level-in-english-is-a-sacred-trust-like-something-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [There's also the tradition of voodoo, the Haitian magic arts, in New Orleans. And because New Orleans is below sea level, when they bury…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-trammell/there-s-also-the-tradition-of-voodoo-the-haitian-magic-arts-in-new/) [Sam Trammell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-trammell/) > [Once you climb to another level, you have to figure out how to sustain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/once-you-climb-to-another-level-you-have-to-figure-out-how-to-sustain/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [I wanted to be a soccer player; I wanted to do it at the highest level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/i-wanted-to-be-a-soccer-player-i-wanted-to-do-it-at-the-highest-level/) [Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/) > [Aggression is not a breed thing. Its a state of mind, and it comes from how the human is with the dog. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/aggression-is-not-a-breed-thing-its-a-state-of-mind-and-it-comes-from/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [What is a shame is that there isn't stuff that is as great as 'Oz' on a consistent level around today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/what-is-a-shame-is-that-there-isn-t-stuff-that-is-as-great-as-oz-on-a/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [Texting is apocalyptic on some level. It's a reduction of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/texting-is-apocalyptic-on-some-level-it-s-a-reduction-of-things/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## More by Laurence J. Peter > [You don't need to take a persons advice to make him feel good, just ask him for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/you-don-t-need-to-take-a-persons-advice-to-make-him-feel-good-just/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [The surest sign that you haven't any sense is to argue with one who hasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/the-surest-sign-that-you-haven-t-any-sense-is-to-argue-with-one-who/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [It is wise to remember that you are one of those who can be fooled some of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/it-is-wise-to-remember-that-you-are-one-of-those-who-can-be-fooled/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Everyone rises to their level of incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/everyone-rises-to-their-level-of-incompetence/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Give a child enough rope and he will trip you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/give-a-child-enough-rope-and-he-will-trip-you-up/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Incompetence plus incompetence equals incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/incompetence-plus-incompetence-equals-incompetence/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [He laughs best whose laugh lasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/he-laughs-best-whose-laugh-lasts/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [The best intelligence test is what we do with our leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/the-best-intelligence-test-is-what-we-do-with-our-leisure/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [A man convinced against his will is not convinced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/a-man-convinced-against-his-will-is-not-convinced/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Bore : A fellow who can change the subject back to his topic of conversation faster than you can change it back to yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/bore-a-fellow-who-can-change-the-subject-back-to-his-topic-of/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Men now monopolize the upper levels... depriving women of their rightful share of opportunities for incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/men-now-monopolize-the-upper-levels-depriving-women-of-their-rightful/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [An optimist is one who makes the best of it when he gets the worst of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/an-optimist-is-one-who-makes-the-best-of-it-when-he-gets-the-worst-of/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [The seaman tells stories of winds, the ploughman of bulls; the soldier details his wounds, the shepherd his sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/the-seaman-tells-stories-of-winds-the-ploughman-of-bulls-the-soldier/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Nobody can be perfect unless he admits his faults, but if he has faults how can he be perfect?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/nobody-can-be-perfect-unless-he-admits-his-faults-but-if-he-has/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/early-to-bed-early-to-rise-work-like-hell-and-advertise/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) [Explore all 148 Laurence J. Peter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) ## More Drag quotes > [Some people say that 'Drag Race' is about glory and immortalizing yourself in the Hall of Fame. For me, it's about shaking RuPaul down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trixie-mattel/some-people-say-that-drag-race-is-about-glory-and-immortalizing/) [Trixie Mattel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trixie-mattel/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [Drag has always been an open space where anyone within the LGBT community can express their creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-carrera/drag-has-always-been-an-open-space-where-anyone-within-the-lgbt/) [Carmen Carrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-carrera/) > [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Wish there was something that I could say or do, I can resist anything but the temptation from you. But I'd rather walk alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-harper/wish-there-was-something-that-i-could-say-or-do-i-can-resist-anything/) [Ben Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-harper/) > [A film is a boat which is always on the point of sinking-it always tends to break up as you go along and drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/a-film-is-a-boat-which-is-always-on-the-point-of-sinking-it-always/) [Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/) > [If I was a man, I would be a drag queen. Honestly, I would. I absolutely love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/if-i-was-a-man-i-would-be-a-drag-queen-honestly-i-would-i-absolutely/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [Life will drag us kicking and screaming to our destiny if we try to escape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/life-will-drag-us-kicking-and-screaming-to-our-destiny-if-we-try-to/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [If you don't have to drag yourself off the field exhausted after 90 minutes, you can't claim to have done your best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nichols/if-you-don-t-have-to-drag-yourself-off-the-field-exhausted-after-90/) [Bill Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nichols/) > [Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/never-keep-up-with-the-joneses-drag-them-down-to-your-level/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-one-holds-command-over-me-no-man-no-god-no-prince-what-is-a-claim/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I want to do something that is not just a pastiche of drag that's come before but is really authentically me. I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-velour/i-want-to-do-something-that-is-not-just-a-pastiche-of-drag-that-s/) [Sasha Velour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-velour/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) Browse all 1,167 Drag quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you can't keep up, drag them down to your level.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laurence J. Peter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-your-level/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Drag" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-your-level/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/laurence-j-peter-2798_drag_if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-y_678489.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/laurence-j-peter-2798_drag_if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-y_678489.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/laurence-j-peter-2798_drag_if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-y_678489.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can't keep up, drag them down to your level.” — Laurence J. Peter", "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": "Laurence J. Peter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you can't keep up, drag...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-your-level/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/if-you-can-t-keep-up-drag-them-down-to-your-level/#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 } } ] } ```