--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most obvious and condescending…" description: "\"The most obvious and condescending tell-tale sign that manipulation is taking place is that no one takes responsibility for the actions of the administ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/teresa-stover-60816_authority_the-most-obvious-and-condescending-tell_1526173.jpg" --- # The most obvious and condescending tell-tale sign that… ![“The most obvious and condescending tell-tale sign that manipulation is taking place is that no one takes responsibility for the actions of the administration, its always some other department who is to blame and never the people who have authority, its always some nameless foot-soldiers, a few bad…” quote by Teresa Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/teresa-stover-60816_authority_the-most-obvious-and-condescending-tell_1526173.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/teresa-stover-60816_authority_the-most-obvious-and-condescending-tell_1526173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/teresa-stover-60816_authority_the-most-obvious-and-condescending-tell_1526173.jpg) > “The most obvious and condescending tell-tale sign that manipulation is taking place is that no one takes responsibility for the actions of the administration, its always some other department who is to blame and never the people who have authority, its always some nameless foot-soldiers, a few bad apples, when we all know that such excuses dont hold water, we know who gave the order for soldiers to engage in the abhorrent techniques of torture, we know who told subordinates in the corporation(s) to fudge the numbers and be creative, we know full well who makes these decisions. President Truman said, The buck stops here, now the buck effectively floats over many people never stopping anywhere, so theres no one to blame.” [Teresa Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-stover/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Responsibility is diffused in hierarchies, allowing blame to shift away from decision‑makers, obscuring true accountability. **In simple terms:** People hide behind others to avoid blame. Key Takeaway Identify who truly decides and hold them accountable. Themes accountability leadership ethics Mood critical concerned Type analytical political When to use this quote - corporate scandals - government misconduct - military orders - public policy - organizational culture Key Concepts diffusion of responsibility blame shifting Questions to Reflect On - Who in your organization avoids blame? - How can transparency reduce scapegoating? A Different Perspective Even with clear directives, systemic pressure can still dilute personal responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Blame People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame-people/) [Manipulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation/) [Manipulation Taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation-taking-5652159/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [President truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-truman/) [Theres Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theres-blame-4249425/) [Told Subordinates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-subordinates-5369590/) ## Related quotes > [I regret what I did to you, theres no one but myself to blame, but now I know I'll never make those same mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-saunderson/i-regret-what-i-did-to-you-theres-no-one-but-myself-to-blame-but-now/) [Carrie Saunderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-saunderson/) > [I have always told my subordinates that when they commit any mistakes, the blame must be laid on the superior officers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiang-kai-shek/i-have-always-told-my-subordinates-that-when-they-commit-any-mistakes/) [Chiang Kai-shek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiang-kai-shek/) > [“September 24, 1947, when President Truman signed a memo to the Secretary of Defense James Forrestal, authorizing the creation of “Operation Majestic Twelve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-e-salla/september-24-1947-when-president-truman-signed-a-memo-to-the/) [Michael E. Salla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-e-salla/) > [President Truman made his name by looking into contracting. 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We refer to Jesus Christ as true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/mr-truman-was-jubilant-president-truman-true-man-what-a-strange-name/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I would like to say that no man ever was given finer cooperation than that given me by President Truman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/i-would-like-to-say-that-no-man-ever-was-given-finer-cooperation-than/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [The biggest blunder in the history of this country was when President Truman pulled General MacArthur out of China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiny-tim/the-biggest-blunder-in-the-history-of-this-country-was-when-president/) [Tiny Tim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiny-tim/) > [“PROMISE TO BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS ISRAEL                   In Genesis 12:2-3 God delivers a promise to Israel that He has never repealed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/promise-to-bless-those-who-bless-israel-in-genesis-12-2-3-god/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [“Founded by President Truman at 12:01 A.M. on November 4, 1952, the NSA had been the most clandestine intelligence agency in the world for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/founded-by-president-truman-at-12-01-a-m-on-november-4-1952-the-nsa/) [dan brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [We support President Truman's civil rights program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenie-anderson/we-support-president-truman-s-civil-rights-program/) [Eugenie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenie-anderson/) > [“By the beginning of 1946, there were plenty of indications that Stalin was not going to cooperate with the Anglo-Americans, however, and not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-taylor/by-the-beginning-of-1946-there-were-plenty-of-indications-that-stalin/) [Frederick Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-taylor/) ## More by Teresa Stover > [Manipulators rarely advise you to seek new and diverse information or to learn and research for yourself, it tends to be safer for exploitative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-stover/manipulators-rarely-advise-you-to-seek-new-and-diverse-information-or/) [Teresa Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-stover/) > [The current state of the news media is partially to blame for the publics general lack of information vital for responsible citizenship in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-stover/the-current-state-of-the-news-media-is-partially-to-blame-for-the/) [Teresa Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-stover/) > [Understand that all battles are waged on an unconscious level before they are begun on the conscious one, and this battle is no different.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-stover/understand-that-all-battles-are-waged-on-an-unconscious-level-before/) [Teresa Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-stover/) > [Responsive leaders prefer knowledge and information to be spread as widely as possible among the population, because an informed public is necessary to govern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-stover/responsive-leaders-prefer-knowledge-and-information-to-be-spread-as/) [Teresa Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-stover/) [Explore all 5 Teresa Stover quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-stover/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. 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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 most obvious and condescending tell-tale sign that manipulation is taking place is that no one takes responsibility for the actions of the administration, its always some other department who is to blame and never the people who have authority, its always some nameless foot-soldiers, a few bad apples, when we all know that such excuses dont hold water, we know who gave the order for soldiers to engage in the abhorrent techniques of torture, we know who told subordinates in the corporation(s) to fudge the numbers and be creative, we know full well who makes these decisions. 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