--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Few men of action have been able to make…" description: "\"Few men of action have been able to make a graceful exit at the appropriate time.\" — Malcolm Muggeridge" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_able_few-men-of-action-have-been-able-to-make_2107115.png" --- # Few men of action have been able to make a graceful exit… ![“Few men of action have been able to make a graceful exit at the appropriate time.” quote by Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_able_few-men-of-action-have-been-able-to-make_2107115.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_able_few-men-of-action-have-been-able-to-make_2107115.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_able_few-men-of-action-have-been-able-to-make_2107115.png) > “Few men of action have been able to make a graceful exit at the appropriate time.” [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Only a few decisive people can exit gracefully at the right moment. **In simple terms:** Graceful exits need timing and resolve. Key Takeaway Know when to leave. Themes leadership timing graceful exit Mood thoughtful determined Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - politics - business - artistic careers Key Concepts strategy career legacy Questions to Reflect On - What signals a timely exit? - How can you ensure a positive legacy? A Different Perspective Leaving may be seen as failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [This business about graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/this-business-about-graceful-exit-just-simply-has-no-realism-to-it-at/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“There’s a trick to the 'graceful exit.' It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, or a relationship is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/there-s-a-trick-to-the-graceful-exit-it-begins-with-the-vision-to-3/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [There's a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/there-s-a-trick-to-the-graceful-exit-it-begins-with-the-vision-to-2/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [There's a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/there-s-a-trick-to-the-graceful-exit-it-begins-with-the-vision-to/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I am going to oblige all my TV commitments, and if films work out, I will make a graceful exit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiten-tejwani/i-am-going-to-oblige-all-my-tv-commitments-and-if-films-work-out-i/) [Hiten Tejwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiten-tejwani/) > [\[To the House of Representatives before casting the only vote against allowing George W. Bush to use 'all necesary and appropriate force' in response…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-lee/to-the-house-of-representatives-before-casting-the-only-vote-against/) [Barbara Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-lee/) > [The men of action are, after all, only the unconscious instruments of the men of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-men-of-action-are-after-all-only-the-unconscious-instruments-of/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Men of action usually win - that is one of their distinctive features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/men-of-action-usually-win-that-is-one-of-their-distinctive-features/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Thinkers too often disparage men of action in ways that do them no credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/thinkers-too-often-disparage-men-of-action-in-ways-that-do-them-no/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Men of ideas and men of action have much to learn from each other, and the truly great are men of both action and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-donovan/men-of-ideas-and-men-of-action-have-much-to-learn-from-each-other-and/) [Jack Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-donovan/) > [Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-gaulle/deliberation-is-the-work-of-many-men-action-of-one-alone/) [Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-gaulle/) > [The true men of action in our time, those who transform the world, are not the politicians and statesmen, but the scientists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-true-men-of-action-in-our-time-those-who-transform-the-world-are/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [Men of action," whose minds are too busy with the day's work to see beyond it. They are essential men, we cannot do without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/men-of-action-whose-minds-are-too-busy-with-the-day-s-work-to-see/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The successful men of action are not sufficiently self-observant to know exactly on what their success depends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-jacobs/the-successful-men-of-action-are-not-sufficiently-self-observant-to/) [Joseph Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-jacobs/) > [The dreamers ride against the men of action. Oh see the men of action falling back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-dreamers-ride-against-the-men-of-action-oh-see-the-men-of-action/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## More by Malcolm Muggeridge > [It is only possible to succeed at second-rate pursuitslikebecoming a millionaire or a prime minister, winning a war, seducing beautiful women, flying thought the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/it-is-only-possible-to-succeed-at-second-rate-pursuitslikebecoming-a/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [He was not only a bore; he bored for England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/he-was-not-only-a-bore-he-bored-for-england/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-orgasm-has-replaced-the-cross-as-the-focus-of-longing-and-the/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Posterity will surely be amazed, and I hope vastly amused, that such slipshod and unconvincing theorizing should have so easily captivated twentieth-century minds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/posterity-will-surely-be-amazed-and-i-hope-vastly-amused-that-such/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [In politics, as in womanizing, failure is decisive. It sheds its retrospective gloom on earlier endeavor which at the time seemed full of promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/in-politics-as-in-womanizing-failure-is-decisive-it-sheds-its/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Marx and Freud are the two great destroyers of Christian civilization, the first replacing the gospel of love by the gospel of hate, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/marx-and-freud-are-the-two-great-destroyers-of-christian-civilization/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [I wouldn't have said that Anthony Eden was equipped by nature to deal with the situation in the world today. I would have said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/i-wouldn-t-have-said-that-anthony-eden-was-equipped-by-nature-to-deal/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [God, stay with me, let no word cross my lips that is not your word, no thoughts enter my mind that are not your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/god-stay-with-me-let-no-word-cross-my-lips-that-is-not-your-word-no/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [The monarchical institution in England is immensely valuable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-monarchical-institution-in-england-is-immensely-valuable/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Education, the great mumbo jumbo and fraud of the age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/education-the-great-mumbo-jumbo-and-fraud-of-the-age/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [This life in us; however low it flickers or fiercely burns, is still a divine flame which no man dare presume to put out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/this-life-in-us-however-low-it-flickers-or-fiercely-burns-is-still-a/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [As Man alone, Jesus could not have saved us; As God alone, He would not; Made flesh, He could and did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/as-man-alone-jesus-could-not-have-saved-us-as-god-alone-he-would-not/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [ I think it \[presidency of Dwight Eisenhower\] came too late and I think that he is not on the wavelength of this dreadful time… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/i-think-it-presidency-of-dwight-eisenhower-came-too-late-and-i-think/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [Future historians will surely see us as having created in the media a Frankenstein monster whom no one knows how to control ordirect, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/future-historians-will-surely-see-us-as-having-created-in-the-media-a/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [ I think that President \[Dwight\] Eisenhower was... did the most marvelous job in the war, not really a military job: a public relations job,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/i-think-that-president-dwight-eisenhower-was-did-the-most-marvelous/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) [Explore all 168 Malcolm Muggeridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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