--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Committee - a group of men who keep…" description: "\"Committee - a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours.\" — Milton Berle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/milton-berle-3246_committee_committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minute_2719598.png" --- # Committee - a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours. ![“Committee - a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours.” quote by Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/milton-berle-3246_committee_committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minute_2719598.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/milton-berle-3246_committee_committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minute_2719598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/milton-berle-3246_committee_committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minute_2719598.png) > “Committee - a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours.” [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A satirical definition of committees as men who waste time on minutes. **In simple terms:** Committees often become inefficient. Key Takeaway Streamline meetings for productivity. Themes bureaucracy efficiency time management gender organizational behavior Mood sarcastic humorous Type satirical observational When to use this quote - Corporate settings - government bodies - nonprofits - project teams Key Concepts meeting culture decision making administrative overhead Questions to Reflect On - When do committees add value? - How can meetings be more effective? A Different Perspective Overgeneralization may ignore effective committees. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) ## Related quotes > [Committee, n.: A group of people that, when given the task of deciding whether to start array indices from either 0 or 1, compromises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-kelly-bootle/committee-n-a-group-of-people-that-when-given-the-task-of-deciding/) [Stan Kelly-Bootle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-kelly-bootle/) > [Committee: A group which succeeds in getting something done only when it consists of three members, one of whom happens to be sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/committee-a-group-which-succeeds-in-getting-something-done-only-when/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/a-committee-is-a-group-that-keeps-minutes-and-loses-hours/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Committee - a group of men who individually can do nothing but as a group decide that nothing can be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/committee-a-group-of-men-who-individually-can-do-nothing-but-as-a/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [What is a committee? A group of the unwilling, picked from the unfit, to do the unnecessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harkness/what-is-a-committee-a-group-of-the-unwilling-picked-from-the-unfit-to/) Richard Harkness > [A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing, but who, as a group, can meet and decide that nothing can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/a-committee-is-a-group-of-people-who-individually-can-do-nothing-but-2/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [A committee is a group of individuals who all put in a perfectly good color, and it comes out gray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-sherman/a-committee-is-a-group-of-individuals-who-all-put-in-a-perfectly-good/) [Allan Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-sherman/) > [A committee is a group of the unprepared, appointed by the unwilling to do the unnecessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/a-committee-is-a-group-of-the-unprepared-appointed-by-the-unwilling/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/a-committee-is-a-group-of-people-who-individually-can-do-nothing-but/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [“Thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear, thy dial how thy precious minutes waste”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thy-glass-will-show-thee-how-thy-beauties-wear-thy-dial-how-thy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't ever take lunch. If I were to go to lunch I would waste four hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-soare/i-don-t-ever-take-lunch-if-i-were-to-go-to-lunch-i-would-waste-four/) [Anastasia Soare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastasia-soare/) > [whenever they get a chance, never fear, people make you waste hours and months ... they use you as a wall to bounce their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/whenever-they-get-a-chance-never-fear-people-make-you-waste-hours-and/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [I've never been to a dinner that's laid on anywhere. I don't want to waste what few hours I've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-skinner/i-ve-never-been-to-a-dinner-that-s-laid-on-anywhere-i-don-t-want-to/) [Dennis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-skinner/) > [It is necessary to get a lot of men together, for the show of the thing, otherwise the world will not believe. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/it-is-necessary-to-get-a-lot-of-men-together-for-the-show-of-the/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) ## More by Milton Berle > [A man falls down a flight of stairs and somebody rushes over to him and asks, Did you miss a step? No, he answers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/a-man-falls-down-a-flight-of-stairs-and-somebody-rushes-over-to-him/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Anytime a person goes into a delicatessen and orders a pastrami on white bread, somewhere a Jew dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/anytime-a-person-goes-into-a-delicatessen-and-orders-a-pastrami-on/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Like every comedian, if I heard a joke that I thought would work, I used it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/like-every-comedian-if-i-heard-a-joke-that-i-thought-would-work-i/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [My sister-in-law found a real surprise in her stockings - my brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/my-sister-in-law-found-a-real-surprise-in-her-stockings-my-brother/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [When I was in school, one of my teachers was crazy about me. I once heard her tell another teacher, "I wish he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/when-i-was-in-school-one-of-my-teachers-was-crazy-about-me-i-once/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-d-rather-be-a-could-be-if-i-cannot-be-an-are-because-a-could-be-is/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Every year my boss used to give me a bottle of expensive brandy because I'd told him that my doctor suggested a drink once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/every-year-my-boss-used-to-give-me-a-bottle-of-expensive-brandy/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [The problem with life is, by the time you can read women like a book, your library card has expired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/the-problem-with-life-is-by-the-time-you-can-read-women-like-a-book/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [If you hire relatives, you'll have a payroll that won't quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/if-you-hire-relatives-you-ll-have-a-payroll-that-won-t-quit/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [It's amazing how fast later comes when you buy now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/it-s-amazing-how-fast-later-comes-when-you-buy-now/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [I don't mind personal insults, but when you insult the jokes that I tell you're insulting Fred Allen, Bob Hope, Burns and Allen, Trevor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-don-t-mind-personal-insults-but-when-you-insult-the-jokes-that-i/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [I like to think of myself as the middleman between Fred Allen and Henny Youngman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-like-to-think-of-myself-as-the-middleman-between-fred-allen-and/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [What an orchestra! They just sit there, but their minds are thousands of miles away with their bookies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/what-an-orchestra-they-just-sit-there-but-their-minds-are-thousands/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [My son gave me a nice bottle of cologne - Eau de Owe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/my-son-gave-me-a-nice-bottle-of-cologne-eau-de-owe/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [I was in a department store and I saw a weird-looking gadget. I asked the young saleslady what it was. She answered, "It doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-was-in-a-department-store-and-i-saw-a-weird-looking-gadget-i-asked/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) [Explore all 135 Milton Berle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) ## More Committee quotes > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [What is interesting in Washington, D.C., is I've never missed a vote. The veterans' committee keeps track of hearings, and I've never missed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/what-is-interesting-in-washington-d-c-is-i-ve-never-missed-a-vote-the/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [You never meet the writer when you're making a TV movie in America - they're too ashamed to show up and see how their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-don-baker/you-never-meet-the-writer-when-you-re-making-a-tv-movie-in-america/) [Joe Don Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-don-baker/) > [It is necessary to get a lot of men together, for the show of the thing, otherwise the world will not believe. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/it-is-necessary-to-get-a-lot-of-men-together-for-the-show-of-the/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [Government likes committees... a lot. Committees kill all the really good ideas and generally all the really bad ideas. They produce middle-ground mush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-devos/government-likes-committees-a-lot-committees-kill-all-the-really-good/) [Betsy DeVos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-devos/) > [If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ervin/if-the-many-allegations-made-to-this-date-are-true-then-the-burglars/) [Sam Ervin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ervin/) > [One of the great joys this year and the year before has been how all of the people in this body, men and women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hayes/one-of-the-great-joys-this-year-and-the-year-before-has-been-how-all/) [Robin Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hayes/) > [I was sent there by the Free Congress Committee, headed by Paul Weyrich. Fred Smith and I were sent down as observers, with reporters'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dixie-lee-ray/i-was-sent-there-by-the-free-congress-committee-headed-by-paul/) [Dixie Lee Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dixie-lee-ray/) > [Some people advocate public nomination and a three-track system - allowing voters and political parties to make nominations along with the committee. These people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-lam/some-people-advocate-public-nomination-and-a-three-track-system/) [Carrie Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-lam/) > [As you know in this committee, we have all of HUD, and HUD is responsible for so many programs that determine the quality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/as-you-know-in-this-committee-we-have-all-of-hud-and-hud-is/) [Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/) > [I believe in a running back by committee. Always have. Always been taught that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorsey/i-believe-in-a-running-back-by-committee-always-have-always-been/) [John Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorsey/) > [As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee - the chief tax-writing body in Congress - I understand that true comprehensive tax reform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brady/as-chairman-of-the-house-ways-and-means-committee-the-chief-tax/) [Kevin Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brady/) > [Committees are to get everybody together and homogenize their thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-linkletter/committees-are-to-get-everybody-together-and-homogenize-their-thinking/) [Art Linkletter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-linkletter/) > [I'm chairing a UNESCO committee on how to improve global Internet communications for science; help third-world people get onto the Net so they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-lederberg/i-m-chairing-a-unesco-committee-on-how-to-improve-global-internet/) [Joshua Lederberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-lederberg/) > [Committees are consumers and sometimes sterilizers of ideas, rarely creators of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/committees-are-consumers-and-sometimes-sterilizers-of-ideas-rarely/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) Browse all 337 Committee quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Committee - a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Milton Berle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minutes-and-waste-hours/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Committee" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minutes-and-waste-hours/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/milton-berle-3246_committee_committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minute_2719598.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/milton-berle-3246_committee_committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minute_2719598.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/milton-berle-3246_committee_committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minute_2719598.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Committee - a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours.” — Milton Berle", "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": "Milton Berle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Committee - a group of men...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minutes-and-waste-hours/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/committee-a-group-of-men-who-keep-minutes-and-waste-hours/#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 } } ] } ```