---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The combination of professionalism and…"
description: "\"The combination of professionalism and technology may also result in narrow-minded specialization more suited to a debating society than to an organiza..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/martin-van-creveld-23146_combination_the-combination-of-professionalism-and-t_1074497.jpg"
---

#  The combination of professionalism and technology may also…

![“The combination of professionalism and technology may also result in narrow-minded specialization more suited to a debating society than to an organization whose task it is to cope with, and indeed live in, the dangerous and uncertain environment of war.” quote by Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/martin-van-creveld-23146_combination_the-combination-of-professionalism-and-t_1074497.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/martin-van-creveld-23146_combination_the-combination-of-professionalism-and-t_1074497.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/martin-van-creveld-23146_combination_the-combination-of-professionalism-and-t_1074497.jpg)

> “The combination of professionalism and technology may also result in narrow-minded specialization more suited to a debating society than to an organization whose task it is to cope with, and indeed live in, the dangerous and uncertain environment of war.”

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Professionalism and technology can lead to overly narrow expertise, better suited for debate than handling the chaotic realities of war.

**In simple terms:** Narrow expertise may hinder war readiness.

Key Takeaway

Balance breadth and depth in skills.

Themes

war technology professionalism specialization uncertainty

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

critical observational

When to use this quote

- military planning
- crisis management
- policy development
- training programs

Key Concepts

military strategy organizational design

Questions to Reflect On

- How can organizations foster adaptable expertise?
- What trade‑offs exist between depth and flexibility?

A Different Perspective

Over-specialization may ignore broader strategic needs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Narrow minded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrow-minded/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Professionalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professionalism/) [Specialization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/specialization/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [The best way to let people go is to let them know when they're hired that it's an uncertain environment and that their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-saffo/the-best-way-to-let-people-go-is-to-let-them-know-when-they-re-hired/)

[Paul Saffo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-saffo/)

> [In a difficult and uncertain environment, Renault remains on track to meet its 2012 objective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ghosn/in-a-difficult-and-uncertain-environment-renault-remains-on-track-to/)

[Carlos Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ghosn/)

> [It is better, as far as getting the vote is concerned, I believe, to have a small, united group than an immense debating society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-paul/it-is-better-as-far-as-getting-the-vote-is-concerned-i-believe-to/)

[Alice Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-paul/)

> [In college, I was in the debating society - this total nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-brennan/in-college-i-was-in-the-debating-society-this-total-nerd/)

[Margaret Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-brennan/)

> [Jackson, however, persevered. He joined the Franklin Debating Society, an institution that had been in existence over fifty years, and had enrolled in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-hill/jackson-however-persevered-he-joined-the-franklin-debating-society-an/)

Daniel H. Hill

> [Nothing ever gets settled in this town (Washington). It's not like running a company or even a university. It's a seething debating society, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-shultz/nothing-ever-gets-settled-in-this-town-washington-it-s-not-like/)

[George P. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-shultz/)

> [I was in the debating society at school, I was the president of the Oxford Union, and then I became an MP in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/i-was-in-the-debating-society-at-school-i-was-the-president-of-the/)

[Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/)

> [“The world’s most renowned debating society had been established in 1823. It was called the Oxford Union and stayed the focal point of contentious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/the-world-s-most-renowned-debating-society-had-been-established-in/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [Politics is a rough and tumble business, and yet there seems to be an effort by the commentariat to sanitise American politics to some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/politics-is-a-rough-and-tumble-business-and-yet-there-seems-to-be-an/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [Canberra can be a bit of a debating society from time to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-morrison/canberra-can-be-a-bit-of-a-debating-society-from-time-to-time/)

[Scott Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-morrison/)

> [Nothing ever gets settled in this town. a seething debating society in which the debate never stops, in which people never give up, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-shultz/nothing-ever-gets-settled-in-this-town-a-seething-debating-society-in/)

[George P. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-shultz/)

> [“The more you concentrate on what you discover that you will be good for you to pursue, the more experienced you will be while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-more-you-concentrate-on-what-you-discover-that-you-will-be-good/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [“Don’t be afraid to say no to projects. Prove that you’re serious about specialization by turning down work that falls outside your area of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warrillow/don-t-be-afraid-to-say-no-to-projects-prove-that-you-re-serious-about/)

John Warrillow

> [“Rex has never been unkind to me intentionally. It's just that he isn't a real person at all; he's just a few faculties of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/rex-has-never-been-unkind-to-me-intentionally-it-s-just-that-he-isn-t/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

## More by Martin Van Creveld

> [In Tunisia, the so-called Yasmin revolution has led to the installation of a relatively moderate Islamic government. Whether or not that means democracy will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/in-tunisia-the-so-called-yasmin-revolution-has-led-to-the/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [We possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets and can launch them at targets in all directions, perhaps even at Rome. Most European capitals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/we-possess-several-hundred-atomic-warheads-and-rockets-and-can-launch/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [The enemy resembles us. Therefore, he needs to be approached not as an assembly of 'targets' to be destroyed one by one; but as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/the-enemy-resembles-us-therefore-he-needs-to-be-approached-not-as-an/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [“Though Moltke was working with subordinates who were totally lacking in comprehension for whatever strategic plans he may have entertained and who on occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/though-moltke-was-working-with-subordinates-who-were-totally-lacking/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [The fate of Syria hangs in the balance, but it is entirely possible that the fall of the Assad regime will result in anarchy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/the-fate-of-syria-hangs-in-the-balance-but-it-is-entirely-possible/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [I want to put any number of assorted 'ists' - such as relativists, deconstructionists, destructivists, postmodernists, the more maudlin kind of pacifists and feminists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/i-want-to-put-any-number-of-assorted-ists-such-as-relativists/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [Except when war is waged in a desert, noncombatants, also known as civilians or "the people," constitute the great majority of those affected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/except-when-war-is-waged-in-a-desert-noncombatants-also-known-as/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [If you are strong, and you are fighting the weak for any period of time, you are going to become weak yourself. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/if-you-are-strong-and-you-are-fighting-the-weak-for-any-period-of/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [Since 2006, when the Second Lebanon War killed perhaps 2,000 Lebanese, many of them civilians, and led to the destruction of an entire section…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/since-2006-when-the-second-lebanon-war-killed-perhaps-2-000-lebanese/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [Obviously, we don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons and I don't know if they're developing them, but if they're not developing them, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/obviously-we-don-t-want-iran-to-have-nuclear-weapons-and-i-don-t-know/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [The defense of the West Bank by Arab forces would be a truly suicidal enterprise. The late King Hussein understood these facts well. Until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/the-defense-of-the-west-bank-by-arab-forces-would-be-a-truly-suicidal/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [If you are strong and fighting the weak, then if you kill your opponent, then you are a scoundrel... if you let him kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/if-you-are-strong-and-fighting-the-weak-then-if-you-kill-your/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [Never' is too much of a word. Nothing lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/never-is-too-much-of-a-word-nothing-lasts-forever/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [Our armed forces are not the thirtieth strongest in the world, but rather the second or third. We have the capability to take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/our-armed-forces-are-not-the-thirtieth-strongest-in-the-world-but/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

> [Sun Tzu does not need my praise. His work has lived for over two thousand years, and will surely live for another two thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/sun-tzu-does-not-need-my-praise-his-work-has-lived-for-over-two/)

[Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

[Explore all 25 Martin Van Creveld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/)

## More Combination quotes

> [Anytime there is any lyrical meaning or combination in my mixes, it's very blatant. I'm not trying to make any statement or anything like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/anytime-there-is-any-lyrical-meaning-or-combination-in-my-mixes-it-s/)

[Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/)

> [We do not claim that punning is legitimate wit. Wit consists in combination of ideas, punning in combination of words only. We wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-hosmer/we-do-not-claim-that-punning-is-legitimate-wit-wit-consists-in/)

[Harriet Hosmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-hosmer/)

> [A successful director is someone who has the combination of skills that you can learn, but there's also an intuitive sensibility that they bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-heinrichs/a-successful-director-is-someone-who-has-the-combination-of-skills/)

[Rick Heinrichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-heinrichs/)

> [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/)

[Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/)

> [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/)

[Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/)

> [The combination of such characters, some, as the sacral ones, altogether peculiar among Reptiles, others borrowed, as it were, from groups now distinct from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-owen/the-combination-of-such-characters-some-as-the-sacral-ones-altogether/)

[Richard Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-owen/)

> [Henry Kissinger may have wished I had presented him as a combination of Charles DeGaulle and Disraeli, but I didn't…out of respect for DeGaulle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/henry-kissinger-may-have-wished-i-had-presented-him-as-a-combination/)

[Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/)

> [A combination of the qualities of the scholar, the master cook, the painter, the gastronomer, the sportsman and the pantologist, assisted by the skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ellwanger/a-combination-of-the-qualities-of-the-scholar-the-master-cook-the/)

[George Ellwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ellwanger/)

> [I did play a lot of fingerstyle when I first started playing. I could never really find the right combination of flatpick or fingerpick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-did-play-a-lot-of-fingerstyle-when-i-first-started-playing-i-could/)

[Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/)

> [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/)

Peter Martins

> [A thorough understanding of the typical mating continuations makes the most complicated sacrificial combinations leading up to them not only not difficult, but almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/a-thorough-understanding-of-the-typical-mating-continuations-makes/)

[Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/)

> [I am a combination of my entire family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionne-warwick/i-am-a-combination-of-my-entire-family/)

[Dionne Warwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionne-warwick/)

> [As I work day after day, inspirations from different places go into the work. It's combination, but it's also comparative. I'll be reading two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-banisadr/as-i-work-day-after-day-inspirations-from-different-places-go-into/)

[Ali Banisadr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-banisadr/)

> [Emile Zola was a poor student at his school at Aix. We are all so different largely because we all have different combinations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/emile-zola-was-a-poor-student-at-his-school-at-aix-we-are-all-so/)

[Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/)

> [“the previous weeks – a combination of being”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-previous-weeks-a-combination-of-being/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 1,578 Combination quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The combination of professionalism and technology may also result in narrow-minded specialization more suited to a debating society than to an organization whose task it is to cope with, and indeed live in, the dangerous and uncertain environment of war.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Martin Van Creveld"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/the-combination-of-professionalism-and-technology-may-also-result-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Combination"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/the-combination-of-professionalism-and-technology-may-also-result-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/martin-van-creveld-23146_combination_the-combination-of-professionalism-and-t_1074497.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/martin-van-creveld-23146_combination_the-combination-of-professionalism-and-t_1074497.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d60/martin-van-creveld-23146_combination_the-combination-of-professionalism-and-t_1074497.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The combination of professionalism and technology may also result in narrow-minded specialization more…” — Martin Van Creveld",
                "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": "Martin Van Creveld",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The combination of professionalism and technology...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/the-combination-of-professionalism-and-technology-may-also-result-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/the-combination-of-professionalism-and-technology-may-also-result-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
