--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The oldest rule in the book is that you…" description: "\"“The oldest rule in the book is that you can delegate authority, but never responsibility—not even to higher authority.”\" — Taylor Anderson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/taylor-anderson-55452_books_the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you_2180254.jpg" --- # The oldest rule in the book is that you can delegate… ![“The oldest rule in the book is that you can delegate authority, but never responsibility—not even to higher authority.” quote by Taylor Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/taylor-anderson-55452_books_the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you_2180254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/taylor-anderson-55452_books_the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you_2180254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/taylor-anderson-55452_books_the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you_2180254.jpg) > ““The oldest rule in the book is that you can delegate authority, but never responsibility—not even to higher authority.”” [Taylor Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-anderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authority can be delegated, but responsibility must stay with the original holder, even to superiors. **In simple terms:** Delegate tasks, keep responsibility. Key Takeaway Share work, retain accountability. Themes leadership delegation accountability Mood practical thoughtful Type leadership management When to use this quote - team projects - corporate hierarchy - decision making Key Concepts ethical management organizational behavior Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure responsibility isn’t lost? - What systems enforce accountability? A Different Perspective Higher-ups may avoid responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [You can delegate authority, but not responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-w-comiskey/you-can-delegate-authority-but-not-responsibility/) Stephen W Comiskey > [“Someone asked me once at a talk why I so stress the positive with my students yet am such an unstinting critic of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/someone-asked-me-once-at-a-talk-why-i-so-stress-the-positive-with-my/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [Nobody wants a job where they don't have authority to go along with the responsibility. Quite the contrary. The more authority you give people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/nobody-wants-a-job-where-they-don-t-have-authority-to-go-along-with/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [But the very fact that this world is so challenging is exactly why you sometimes must reach out of its jurisdiction for help, appealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/but-the-very-fact-that-this-world-is-so-challenging-is-exactly-why/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Both for practical reasons and for mathematically verifiable moral reasons, authority and responsibility must be equal - else a balancing takes place as surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/both-for-practical-reasons-and-for-mathematically-verifiable-moral/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [The attorney general of New York state has a special authority and responsibility to preserve the integrity of businesses and nonprofits in New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/the-attorney-general-of-new-york-state-has-a-special-authority-and/) [Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/) > [There is no power or authority without responsibility, and he who accepts the one cannot escape or evade the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-selassie/there-is-no-power-or-authority-without-responsibility-and-he-who/) [Haile Selassie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-selassie/) > [Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/surround-yourself-with-great-people-delegate-authority-get-out-of-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“If you delegate tasks, you create followers, if you delegate authority , you create leaders”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/if-you-delegate-tasks-you-create-followers-if-you-delegate-authority/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [I had to delegate authority to the people on my staff. That means you shave away the hierarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-klinsmann/i-had-to-delegate-authority-to-the-people-on-my-staff-that-means-you/) [Jurgen Klinsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-klinsmann/) > [Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/surround-yourself-with-the-best-people-you-can-find-delegate/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-dorgan/you-can-delegate-authority-but-you-cannot-delegate-responsibility/) [Byron Dorgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-dorgan/) > [One of the things that I want to make sure everybody understands is that when you delegate the authority, you have to set the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rivera/one-of-the-things-that-i-want-to-make-sure-everybody-understands-is/) [Ron Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rivera/) > [When you delegate tasks, you create followers. When you delegate authority, you create leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/when-you-delegate-tasks-you-create-followers-when-you-delegate/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [If you delegate authority, you will build leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/if-you-delegate-authority-you-will-build-leaders/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) ## More by Taylor Anderson > [“If the Good Lord meant men to use percussion caps, he wouldn't have strung flint all over the ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/if-the-good-lord-meant-men-to-use-percussion-caps-he-wouldn-t-have/) [Taylor Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-anderson/) > [“I finally figured out the real difference between irony and satire--irony is when you fry a chicken in batter mixed from its own eggs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/i-finally-figured-out-the-real-difference-between-irony-and-satire/) [Taylor Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-anderson/) > [“The'll have to kill me before I die--Yellowbeard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/the-ll-have-to-kill-me-before-i-die-yellowbeard/) [Taylor Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-anderson/) > [“...playing possum was a skill he'd learned in China once upon a time, and it had come in handy more than once. When, oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/playing-possum-was-a-skill-he-d-learned-in-china-once-upon-a-time-and/) [Taylor Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-anderson/) > [“If history teaches us anything at all, it is that sooner or later, wherever you go or whatever you do, the sad, brutal fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/if-history-teaches-us-anything-at-all-it-is-that-sooner-or-later/) [Taylor Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-anderson/) [Explore all 6 Taylor Anderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-anderson/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The oldest rule in the book is that you can delegate authority, but never responsibility—not even to higher authority.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Taylor Anderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you-can-delegate-authority-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authority" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you-can-delegate-authority-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/taylor-anderson-55452_books_the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you_2180254.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/taylor-anderson-55452_books_the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you_2180254.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/taylor-anderson-55452_books_the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you_2180254.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The oldest rule in the book is that you can delegate authority, but never responsibility—not even to higher…” — Taylor Anderson", "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": "Taylor Anderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-anderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The oldest rule in the book...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you-can-delegate-authority-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-anderson/the-oldest-rule-in-the-book-is-that-you-can-delegate-authority-but/#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 } } ] } ```