--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To get something done, a committee should…" description: "\"“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent.”\" — Robert Copeland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/robert-copeland-102489_quote_to-get-something-done-a-committee-should_1839455.jpg" --- # To get something done, a committee should consist of no… ![“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent.” quote by Robert Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/robert-copeland-102489_quote_to-get-something-done-a-committee-should_1839455.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/robert-copeland-102489_quote_to-get-something-done-a-committee-should_1839455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/robert-copeland-102489_quote_to-get-something-done-a-committee-should_1839455.jpg) > ““To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent.”” [Robert Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-copeland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The humorous observation claims that a committee of three, with two members absent, is effectively a single person, highlighting inefficiency in group decision-making. **In simple terms:** Small committees can be ineffective if members are absent. Key Takeaway Ensure full participation. Themes organization efficiency leadership team dynamics Mood witty critical Type observation humor When to use this quote - business - nonprofit - government bodies Key Concepts meeting management project planning governance Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure accountability? - What structures prevent absenteeism? A Different Perspective Absenteeism may be systemic, not just numerical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absent/) [Committee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committee/) [Committee Consist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committee-consist-1025442/) [Consist People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consist-people-1818970/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Absent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-absent-2338138/) ## Related quotes > [“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three men, two of whom are absent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-copeland/to-get-something-done-a-committee-should-consist-of-no-more-than/) [Robert Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-copeland/) > [A committee should consist of three men, two of whom are absent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-beerbohm-tree/a-committee-should-consist-of-three-men-two-of-whom-are-absent/) [Herbert Beerbohm Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-beerbohm-tree/) > [The people who are absent are the ideal; those who are present seem to be quite commonplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-people-who-are-absent-are-the-ideal-those-who-are-present-seem-to/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [There is a notion that creative people are absent-minded, reckless, heedless of social customs and obligations. It is, hopefully, true for they are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/there-is-a-notion-that-creative-people-are-absent-minded-reckless/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [I ask you sir, who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/i-ask-you-sir-who-are-the-militia-they-consist-now-of-the-whole-people/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [When I stopped doing ALL the work, some people became absent in my life! It's a good thing because it makes me appreciate those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/when-i-stopped-doing-all-the-work-some-people-became-absent-in-my/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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 Robert Copeland > [“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three men, two of whom are absent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-copeland/to-get-something-done-a-committee-should-consist-of-no-more-than/) [Robert Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-copeland/) [Explore all 2 Robert Copeland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-copeland/) ## More Absent quotes > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. 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Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“You may not appreciate the presence of good health, but you will definitely regret the absence of good health, because health is happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-may-not-appreciate-the-presence-of-good-health-but-you-will/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [... if we are ashamed to imitate our Lord's sufferings, which He endured for us, and to suffer as He suffered, it is obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/symeon-the-new-theologian/if-we-are-ashamed-to-imitate-our-lord-s-sufferings-which-he-endured/) [Symeon the New Theologian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/symeon-the-new-theologian/) > [It's Simon, he's missing." Ahh." said Magnus delicately "Missing what exactly?" Missing!" Jace repeated "As in gone, absent, notable for his lack of presence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/it-s-simon-he-s-missing-ahh-said-magnus-delicately-missing-what/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Anger clearly has its proper place at work, which is neither wholly absent nor ever present. The manager who is an emotional blank is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/anger-clearly-has-its-proper-place-at-work-which-is-neither-wholly/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [They were not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, they were absent in the Constitution and they were invisible in the new political democracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/they-were-not-mentioned-in-the-declaration-of-independence-they-were/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Religion has always been a matter of community building; a matter of building precisely those relations of compassion, fellow feeling and - I dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/religion-has-always-been-a-matter-of-community-building-a-matter-of/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [A FRIEND IS A PERSON . . . With whom you can be sincere. . . . 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And the touch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalia-crane/the-very-serpents-bite-their-tails-the-bees-forget-to-sting-for-a/) [Nathalia Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalia-crane/) [Browse all 490 Absent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Copeland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-copeland/to-get-something-done-a-committee-should-consist-of-no-more-than-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-copeland/to-get-something-done-a-committee-should-consist-of-no-more-than-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/robert-copeland-102489_quote_to-get-something-done-a-committee-should_1839455.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/robert-copeland-102489_quote_to-get-something-done-a-committee-should_1839455.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/robert-copeland-102489_quote_to-get-something-done-a-committee-should_1839455.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent.” — Robert Copeland", "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": "Robert Copeland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-copeland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To get something done, a committee...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-copeland/to-get-something-done-a-committee-should-consist-of-no-more-than-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-copeland/to-get-something-done-a-committee-should-consist-of-no-more-than-2/#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 } } ] } ```