--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ultimately, what you need in the people…" description: "\"“Ultimately, what you need in the people you work with are excellent character and excellent capabilities, which is why it’s so hard to find great peop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fb/ray-dalio-299_great-people_ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-y_600298.jpg" --- # Ultimately, what you need in the people you work with are… ![“Ultimately, what you need in the people you work with are excellent character and excellent capabilities, which is why it’s so hard to find great people.” quote by Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fb/ray-dalio-299_great-people_ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-y_600298.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fb/ray-dalio-299_great-people_ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-y_600298.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fb/ray-dalio-299_great-people_ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-y_600298.jpg) > ““Ultimately, what you need in the people you work with are excellent character and excellent capabilities, which is why it’s so hard to find great people.”” [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great collaborators must possess both strong moral character and high competence, making them rare and valuable. **In simple terms:** Good people need character and skill. Key Takeaway Seek both traits when hiring. Themes leadership teamwork talent acquisition Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advice business. When to use this quote - hiring - team building - leadership development - performance management Key Concepts character capability human capital Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess character in interviews? - What balance of skill vs. character is optimal for your team? A Different Perspective Even with strong traits, cultural fit and alignment can still be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-people/) ## Related quotes > [The best of people are those with the most excellent character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-of-people-are-those-with-the-most-excellent-character/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There never will exist anything permanently noble and excellent in the character which is a stranger to resolute self-denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/there-never-will-exist-anything-permanently-noble-and-excellent-in/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [I've observed a few things about the few really great people I've had a chance to meet and cover...They need to be around people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-ve-observed-a-few-things-about-the-few-really-great-people-i-ve-had/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [“Great people are hard to find so make sure you think about how to keep them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/great-people-are-hard-to-find-so-make-sure-you-think-about-how-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [People who didn't need people needed people around to know that they were the kind of people who didn't need people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/people-who-didn-t-need-people-needed-people-around-to-know-that-they/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [We should be helping people who actually need it, people working hard while their paychecks aren't increasing as much as they should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-lamb/we-should-be-helping-people-who-actually-need-it-people-working-hard/) [Conor Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-lamb/) > [Who are you without your girls? I truly believe that. Who are you without the people who help you make sense of the misogyny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/who-are-you-without-your-girls-i-truly-believe-that-who-are-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“At what point do you no longer need other people to support the decisions you’ve made about your own reality?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ginsberg/at-what-point-do-you-no-longer-need-other-people-to-support-the/) [Scott Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-ginsberg/) > [It's so necessary in this industry. You need people around you, I couldn't do it on my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-anne-pinnock/it-s-so-necessary-in-this-industry-you-need-people-around-you-i/) [Leigh-Anne Pinnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-anne-pinnock/) > [I'm not good at dressing myself; I need people to help me do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-agdal/i-m-not-good-at-dressing-myself-i-need-people-to-help-me-do-that/) [Nina Agdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-agdal/) > [Be with people who know your worth sincerely, you don't need too many people to be happy. Just a few who appreciate you for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-with-people-who-know-your-worth-sincerely-you-don-t-need-too-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The HoneyLine' is my web site and TV segments that were birthed out of the stark reality that we all need a few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/the-honeyline-is-my-web-site-and-tv-segments-that-were-birthed-out-of/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) > [Study and keep your attention on whatever it is you're going into. Build a good team. The team needs to know what it's doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamerion-wimbley/study-and-keep-your-attention-on-whatever-it-is-you-re-going-into/) [Kamerion Wimbley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamerion-wimbley/) > [The people I don't like to work with are people like me. I need people who can complement my skill set, people who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/the-people-i-don-t-like-to-work-with-are-people-like-me-i-need-people/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Whether that's in communications or marketing or strategy, you need people to come in with a fresh perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-easterbrook/whether-that-s-in-communications-or-marketing-or-strategy-you-need/) [Steve Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-easterbrook/) ## More by Ray Dalio > [“Slow down your thinking so you can note the criteria you are using to make your decision. 2. Write the criteria down as a principle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/slow-down-your-thinking-so-you-can-note-the-criteria-you-are-using-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Having a process that ensures problems are brought to the surface, and their root causes diagnosed, assures that continual improvements occur.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/having-a-process-that-ensures-problems-are-brought-to-the-surface-and/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“If you can’t successfully do something, don’t think you can tell others how it should be done”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/if-you-can-t-successfully-do-something-don-t-think-you-can-tell/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Remember that a good plan should resemble a movie script.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/remember-that-a-good-plan-should-resemble-a-movie-script/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“I believe that the key to success lies in knowing how to both strive for a lot and fail well. By failing well, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-believe-that-the-key-to-success-lies-in-knowing-how-to-both-strive/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I'm scared of one man, one vote because it suggests that everybody has an equal ability at making decisions, and I think that's dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-m-scared-of-one-man-one-vote-because-it-suggests-that-everybody-has/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“A manager’s ability to recognize when outcomes are inconsistent with goals and then modify designs and assemble people to rectify them makes all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/a-manager-s-ability-to-recognize-when-outcomes-are-inconsistent-with/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“So I learned to be radically open-minded to allow others to point out what I might be missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/so-i-learned-to-be-radically-open-minded-to-allow-others-to-point-out/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“During those terrible days after 9/11, when the whole country was being whipsawed by emotion, or the weeks between September 19 and October 10,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/during-those-terrible-days-after-9-11-when-the-whole-country-was/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“is more effective to train that subconscious, emotional you the same way you would teach a child to behave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/is-more-effective-to-train-that-subconscious-emotional-you-the-same/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I think that the first thing is you should have a strategic asset allocation mix that assumes that you don't know what the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-think-that-the-first-thing-is-you-should-have-a-strategic-asset/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Life is like a game where you seek to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goals. You get better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/life-is-like-a-game-where-you-seek-to-overcome-the-obstacles-that/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“when we look down on ourselves through the eyes of nature we are of absolutely no significance. It is a reality that each one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/when-we-look-down-on-ourselves-through-the-eyes-of-nature-we-are-of/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Great questions are a much better indicator of future success than great answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/great-questions-are-a-much-better-indicator-of-future-success-than/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Georgi Plekhanov’s classic On the Role of the Individual in History.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/georgi-plekhanov-s-classic-on-the-role-of-the-individual-in-history/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) [Explore all 716 Ray Dalio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## More Great people quotes > [I have been lucky enough to travel a lot, meet great people in many lands. I have liked almost everyone I met along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/i-have-been-lucky-enough-to-travel-a-lot-meet-great-people-in-many/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/) [Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/) > [If you want to hire great people and have them stay, you have to be run by ideas, not hierarchy. The best ideas have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-you-want-to-hire-great-people-and-have-them-stay-you-have-to-be/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [And I'm working with all these great people at Sony Publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-i-m-working-with-all-these-great-people-at-sony-publishing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I admire all the great people who have dedicated their free time to helping humanity move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/i-admire-all-the-great-people-who-have-dedicated-their-free-time-to/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [Well, at least I definitely know the military likes Trump, right? That's great, it's - you're amazing people, are great people and I very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/well-at-least-i-definitely-know-the-military-likes-trump-right-that-s/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [For creative tasks, the best approach is often just to hire great people and get out of their way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/for-creative-tasks-the-best-approach-is-often-just-to-hire-great/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [In Jamaica, them always have throwback riddims, recycled old beats, and the hardcore reggae scene is always present. You have faster stuff like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-marley/in-jamaica-them-always-have-throwback-riddims-recycled-old-beats-and/) [Damian Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-marley/) > [I've been fortunate to have a lot of great people around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gardner-minshew/i-ve-been-fortunate-to-have-a-lot-of-great-people-around-me/) [Gardner Minshew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gardner-minshew/) > [My approach to politics is very serious. It must be handled by great people with extraordinary skills and human qualities. I feel I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balachandra-menon/my-approach-to-politics-is-very-serious-it-must-be-handled-by-great/) [Balachandra Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balachandra-menon/) > [Although I am deeply grateful to a great many people, I forgo the temptation of naming them for fear that I might slight any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-bikel/although-i-am-deeply-grateful-to-a-great-many-people-i-forgo-the/) [Theodore Bikel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-bikel/) > [I am the luckiest guy in the world. All my dreams came true. I was in a wonderful business, and I met great people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-johnson/i-am-the-luckiest-guy-in-the-world-all-my-dreams-came-true-i-was-in-a/) Van Johnson > [I have great people, smart people that are around me and we love the challenge. I guess it's like climbing a mountain or building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/i-have-great-people-smart-people-that-are-around-me-and-we-love-the/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) > [Great people create great acts of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/great-people-create-great-acts-of-kindness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) [Browse all 686 Great people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ultimately, what you need in the people you work with are excellent character and excellent capabilities, which is why it’s so hard to find great people.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ray Dalio" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-you-work-with-are-excellent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Great people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-you-work-with-are-excellent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fb/ray-dalio-299_great-people_ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-y_600298.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fb/ray-dalio-299_great-people_ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-y_600298.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fb/ray-dalio-299_great-people_ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-y_600298.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ultimately, what you need in the people you work with are excellent character and excellent capabilities…” — Ray Dalio", "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": "Ray Dalio", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Ultimately, what you need in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-you-work-with-are-excellent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/ultimately-what-you-need-in-the-people-you-work-with-are-excellent/#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 } } ] } ```