--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Useful men, who do useful things, don't…" description: "\"Useful men, who do useful things, don't mind being treated as useless. But the useless always judge themselves as being important and hide all their in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/paulo-coelho-10_authority_useful-men-who-do-useful-things-don-t-mi_2803773.jpg" --- # Useful men, who do useful things, don't mind being treated… ![“Useful men, who do useful things, don't mind being treated as useless. But the useless always judge themselves as being important and hide all their incompetence behind authority.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/paulo-coelho-10_authority_useful-men-who-do-useful-things-don-t-mi_2803773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/paulo-coelho-10_authority_useful-men-who-do-useful-things-don-t-mi_2803773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/paulo-coelho-10_authority_useful-men-who-do-useful-things-don-t-mi_2803773.jpg) > “Useful men, who do useful things, don't mind being treated as useless. But the useless always judge themselves as being important and hide all their incompetence behind authority.” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Useful people accept being undervalued, while the useless overestimate themselves and hide incompetence behind authority. **In simple terms:** Self‑awareness prevents false importance. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility and competence. Themes humility competence authority self‑perception Mood thoughtful critical Type analysis philosophical When to use this quote - career development - team dynamics - personal growth Key Concepts psychology leadership social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess true usefulness? - When does authority mask incompetence? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Hide Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide-incompetence-766526/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetence/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Useful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-useful-574234/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated/) [Useful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useful/) [Useful Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useful-men-859717/) [Useful things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useful-things/) [Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useless/) ## Related quotes > [“Don’t overate your experience to hide incompetence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/don-t-overate-your-experience-to-hide-incompetence/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [The problem is with men. 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Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [“The role of useless ideas is to help us see the useful ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/the-role-of-useless-ideas-is-to-help-us-see-the-useful-ones/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) > [I am a maker of useful things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-zeisel/i-am-a-maker-of-useful-things/) [Eva Zeisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-zeisel/) > [If, then, I were asked for the most important advice I could give, that which I considered to be the most useful to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-then-i-were-asked-for-the-most-important-advice-i-could-give-that/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [What science can there be more noble, more excellent, more useful for men, more admirably high and demonstrative, than this of mathematics?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/what-science-can-there-be-more-noble-more-excellent-more-useful-for/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [The grace and beauty of life will be clean gone when we all become useful men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/the-grace-and-beauty-of-life-will-be-clean-gone-when-we-all-become/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [When it is useful to them, men can believe a theory of which they know nothing more than its name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilfredo-pareto/when-it-is-useful-to-them-men-can-believe-a-theory-of-which-they-know/) [Vilfredo Pareto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilfredo-pareto/) > [History deals mainly with captains and kings, gods and prophets, exploiters and despoilers, not with useful men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-deals-mainly-with-captains-and-kings-gods-and-prophets/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Labour is the human element which makes the fruitful seasons of the earth useful to men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/labour-is-the-human-element-which-makes-the-fruitful-seasons-of-the/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [The poorest of men are the most useful to those seeking power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/the-poorest-of-men-are-the-most-useful-to-those-seeking-power/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [What art was to the ancient world, Science is to the modern; the distinctive faculty. In the minds of men, the useful has succeeded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/what-art-was-to-the-ancient-world-science-is-to-the-modern-the/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. 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