Business Quote by Owen D. Young
“It is not the crook in modern business that we fear, but the honest man who doesn't know what he is doing.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: "The Future of Business", 1935
The real danger is an honest person lacking competence, not a dishonest one.
In simple terms: Incompetence in honest people is more dangerous.
Key Takeaway
Invest in competence and ethics.
Themes
ethics
competence
leadership
risk
Mood
cautionary
analytical
Type
business
motivational
When to use this quote
- business training
- management hiring
- risk assessment
Key Concepts
skill development
integrity
organizational health
Questions to Reflect On
- How can organizations assess true capability?
- What safeguards protect against unqualified honesty?
A Different Perspective
Overconfidence can mask incompetence.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)