--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The world is divided into two classes of…" description: "\"The world is divided into two classes of people: the few people who make good on their promises (even if they don't promise as much), and the many who ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/robert-townsend-22339_class_the-world-is-divided-into-two-classes-of_611843.jpg" --- # The world is divided into two classes of people: the few… ![“The world is divided into two classes of people: the few people who make good on their promises (even if they don't promise as much), and the many who don't. Get in Column A and stay there. You'll be very valuable wherever you are.” quote by Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/robert-townsend-22339_class_the-world-is-divided-into-two-classes-of_611843.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/robert-townsend-22339_class_the-world-is-divided-into-two-classes-of_611843.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/robert-townsend-22339_class_the-world-is-divided-into-two-classes-of_611843.jpg) > “The world is divided into two classes of people: the few people who make good on their promises (even if they don't promise as much), and the many who don't. Get in Column A and stay there. You'll be very valuable wherever you are.” [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People who keep promises are reliable and valuable; those who don't are less trustworthy. **In simple terms:** Reliability creates value. Key Takeaway Be reliable, stay valuable. Themes trust reliability value social dynamics Mood respectful pragmatic Type advice observational When to use this quote - business - teamwork - leadership - personal reputation Key Concepts promise-keeping integrity social capital Questions to Reflect On - How do you demonstrate reliability? - What value does trust bring? A Different Perspective Reliability alone may not guarantee success without competence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Columns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/columns/) [Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided/) [Good Promises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-promises-1199250/) [Ll Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ll-valuable-4966891/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Threats, Prophet? After all we've been through." "Promises. And I'm really goddamned good at promises.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-jakes/threats-prophet-after-all-we-ve-been-through-promises-and-i-m-really/) [S.E. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-jakes/) > [I knew I would read all kinds of books and try to get at what it is that makes good writers good. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/i-knew-i-would-read-all-kinds-of-books-and-try-to-get-at-what-it-is/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“She will assume it was me, assume that I have come to make good on my promises. One of us should.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-fonseca/she-will-assume-it-was-me-assume-that-i-have-come-to-make-good-on-my/) [Christine Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-fonseca/) > [I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. 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He rolled the stock themes of fantasy over in his mind: cars and stockbrokers and commuters, housewives and police, agony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-young-man-shivered-he-rolled-the-stock-themes-of-fantasy-over-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Now I'm instantly nervous about the demands of doing a weekly column.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-bremner/now-i-m-instantly-nervous-about-the-demands-of-doing-a-weekly-column/) [Rory Bremner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-bremner/) > [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/) [Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/) > [I think the most important way to understand play is that it's this property that's in things. Like there's play in a mechanism. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/i-think-the-most-important-way-to-understand-play-is-that-it-s-this/) [Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/) ## More by Robert Townsend > [True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/true-leadership-must-be-for-the-benefit-of-the-followers-not-the/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [Is what I'm doing or about to do getting us closer to our objective?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/is-what-i-m-doing-or-about-to-do-getting-us-closer-to-our-objective/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [If you don't do it excellently, don't do it at all. Because if it's not excellent, it won't be profitable or fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/if-you-don-t-do-it-excellently-don-t-do-it-at-all-because-if-it-s-not/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [Make every decision as if you owned the company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/make-every-decision-as-if-you-owned-the-company/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [When you get right down to it, one of the most important tasks of a leader is to eliminate his people's excuse for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/when-you-get-right-down-to-it-one-of-the-most-important-tasks-of-a/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [Consultants are people who borrow your watch and tell you what time it is, and then walk off with the watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/consultants-are-people-who-borrow-your-watch-and-tell-you-what-time/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [Managers must have the discipline not to keep pulling up the flowers to see if their roots are healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/managers-must-have-the-discipline-not-to-keep-pulling-up-the-flowers/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [A good leader needs to have a compass in his head and a bar of steel in his heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/a-good-leader-needs-to-have-a-compass-in-his-head-and-a-bar-of-steel/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [If you have to have a policy manual, publish the 'Ten Commandments.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/if-you-have-to-have-a-policy-manual-publish-the-ten-commandments/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [It's a poor bureaucrat who can't stall a good idea until even its sponsor is relieved to see it dead and officially buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/it-s-a-poor-bureaucrat-who-can-t-stall-a-good-idea-until-even-its/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > ["Top" management is supposed to be a tree full of owls-hooting when management heads into the wrong part of the forest. I'm still unpersuaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/top-management-is-supposed-to-be-a-tree-full-of-owls-hooting-when/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [One of the most important tasks of a manager is to eliminate his people's excuses for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/one-of-the-most-important-tasks-of-a-manager-is-to-eliminate-his/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [Due to budget cutbacks, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/due-to-budget-cutbacks-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-has-been/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [If people are coming to work excited. . . if they're making mistakes freely and fearlessly. . . if they're having fun. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/if-people-are-coming-to-work-excited-if-they-re-making-mistakes/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [To keep an organization young and fit, don't hire anyone until everybody's so overworked they'll be glad to see the newcomer no matter where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/to-keep-an-organization-young-and-fit-don-t-hire-anyone-until/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) [Explore all 27 Robert Townsend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) ## More Class quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. 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Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. 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We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) [Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The world is divided into two classes of people: the few people who make good on their promises (even if they don't promise as much), and the many who don't. Get in Column A and stay there. 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