---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Auditors fluttered anxiously. And, as…"
description: "\"The Auditors fluttered anxiously. And, as always happens in their species when something goes radically wrong and needs fixing instantly, they settled ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/terry-pratchett-19_auditors_the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as_2481288.jpg"
---

#  The Auditors fluttered anxiously. And, as always happens…

![“The Auditors fluttered anxiously. And, as always happens in their species when something goes radically wrong and needs fixing instantly, they settled down to try to work how who was to blame.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/terry-pratchett-19_auditors_the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as_2481288.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/terry-pratchett-19_auditors_the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as_2481288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/terry-pratchett-19_auditors_the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as_2481288.jpg)

> “The Auditors fluttered anxiously. And, as always happens in their species when something goes radically wrong and needs fixing instantly, they settled down to try to work how who was to blame.”

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The auditors, a bureaucratic race, panic when chaos appears and immediately start blaming each other instead of fixing the problem.

**In simple terms:** Bureaucrats blame each other when things go wrong.

Key Takeaway

Focus on solving, not assigning blame.

Themes

bureaucracy panic responsibility

Mood

anxious critical

Type

cautionary satirical

When to use this quote

- workplace crises
- government agencies
- team projects
- emergency response

Key Concepts

accountability organizational behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- How can teams shift from blame to problem‑solving?
- What structures prevent panic in organizations?

A Different Perspective

Blaming can delay effective action and worsen the situation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Auditors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditors/)

## Related quotes

> [“There is a plain under a dim sky. It is covered with gentle rolling curves that might remind you of something else if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-plain-under-a-dim-sky-it-is-covered-with-gentle-rolling/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The Auditors avoided death by never going so far as to get a life. They strove to be as indistinguishable as hydrogen atoms, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-auditors-avoided-death-by-never-going-so-far-as-to-get-a-life/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [We all hate waiting anxiously for a text, then realizing you forgot to click SEND.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-all-hate-waiting-anxiously-for-a-text-then-realizing-you-forgot-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Waiting anxiously for you, Unable to sleep, but falling into a doze— Are those words of love Floating to my pillow, Or is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-downer/waiting-anxiously-for-you-unable-to-sleep-but-falling-into-a-doze-are/)

[Lesley Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-downer/)

> [“how anxiously I yearned for those I had forsaken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/how-anxiously-i-yearned-for-those-i-had-forsaken/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [“Relieved, I wait anxiously for her to kick-start the next round of stimulating conversation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alretha-thomas/relieved-i-wait-anxiously-for-her-to-kick-start-the-next-round-of/)

[Alretha Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alretha-thomas/)

> [There's Pam watching anxiously. She doesn't look anxious though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hadley/there-s-pam-watching-anxiously-she-doesn-t-look-anxious-though/)

[Stephen Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hadley/)

> [Of all the ills of man which can be successfully processed by Scientology, arthritis ranks near the top. In skilled hands, this ailment, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/of-all-the-ills-of-man-which-can-be-successfully-processed-by/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [Obviously the more transparency we have as auditors, the more we can get, but the main goal is to understand important characteristics about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/obviously-the-more-transparency-we-have-as-auditors-the-more-we-can/)

[Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/)

> [Suppose that throughout your childhood you were good with numbers. Other kids used to copy your homework. You figured store discounts faster than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/suppose-that-throughout-your-childhood-you-were-good-with-numbers/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [According to government auditors, the stimulus money is being held up because there aren't enough government workers to oversee the spending. So follow me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/according-to-government-auditors-the-stimulus-money-is-being-held-up/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Governments lie; bankers lie; even auditors sometimes lie: gold tells the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rees-mogg/governments-lie-bankers-lie-even-auditors-sometimes-lie-gold-tells/)

[William Rees-Mogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-rees-mogg/)

> [Men of great conversational powers almost universally practise a sort of lively sophistry and exaggeration which deceives for the moment both themselves and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/men-of-great-conversational-powers-almost-universally-practise-a-sort/)

[Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/)

> [You can get a much better fee - I tell you as auditors quite frankly - it's much easier to get a great deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/you-can-get-a-much-better-fee-i-tell-you-as-auditors-quite-frankly-it/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [I think my mother was like a small company which, because things are not ship-shape, keeps two sets of books, one for the auditors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lindsay-hogg/i-think-my-mother-was-like-a-small-company-which-because-things-are/)

[Michael Lindsay-Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lindsay-hogg/)

## More by Terry Pratchett

> [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

[Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## More Auditors quotes

> [I think my mother was like a small company which, because things are not ship-shape, keeps two sets of books, one for the auditors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lindsay-hogg/i-think-my-mother-was-like-a-small-company-which-because-things-are/)

[Michael Lindsay-Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lindsay-hogg/)

> [“There is a plain under a dim sky. It is covered with gentle rolling curves that might remind you of something else if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-plain-under-a-dim-sky-it-is-covered-with-gentle-rolling/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [You can get a much better fee - I tell you as auditors quite frankly - it's much easier to get a great deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/you-can-get-a-much-better-fee-i-tell-you-as-auditors-quite-frankly-it/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [Men of great conversational powers almost universally practise a sort of lively sophistry and exaggeration which deceives for the moment both themselves and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/men-of-great-conversational-powers-almost-universally-practise-a-sort/)

[Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/)

> [Governments lie; bankers lie; even auditors sometimes lie: gold tells the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rees-mogg/governments-lie-bankers-lie-even-auditors-sometimes-lie-gold-tells/)

[William Rees-Mogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-rees-mogg/)

> [According to government auditors, the stimulus money is being held up because there aren't enough government workers to oversee the spending. So follow me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/according-to-government-auditors-the-stimulus-money-is-being-held-up/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Suppose that throughout your childhood you were good with numbers. Other kids used to copy your homework. You figured store discounts faster than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/suppose-that-throughout-your-childhood-you-were-good-with-numbers/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [Obviously the more transparency we have as auditors, the more we can get, but the main goal is to understand important characteristics about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/obviously-the-more-transparency-we-have-as-auditors-the-more-we-can/)

[Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/)

> [Of all the ills of man which can be successfully processed by Scientology, arthritis ranks near the top. In skilled hands, this ailment, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/of-all-the-ills-of-man-which-can-be-successfully-processed-by/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [When orators and auditors have the same prejudices, those prejudices run a great risk of being made to stand for incontestable truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philibert-joseph-roux/when-orators-and-auditors-have-the-same-prejudices-those-prejudices/)

[Philibert Joseph Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philibert-joseph-roux/)

> [I admit that I myself am far from having a complete command of every topic I touch on, but my knowledge of my subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-vigny/i-admit-that-i-myself-am-far-from-having-a-complete-command-of-every/)

[Alfred de Vigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-vigny/)

> [“Lately, I have been thinking about the importance of a great network as envisioned by the Almighty. The question in my mind is whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-santo/lately-i-have-been-thinking-about-the-importance-of-a-great-network/)

[DON SANTO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-santo/)

> [Look, in particular, at the people who, like you, are making average incomes for doing average jobs- bank vice presidents, insurance salesmen, auditors, secretaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/look-in-particular-at-the-people-who-like-you-are-making-average/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [The Auditor-General has been complaining year in and year out that the municipalities have not paid auditing fees. It is not because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/the-auditor-general-has-been-complaining-year-in-and-year-out-that/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

> [Two-thirds of the Earth's surface is covered with water. The other third is covered with auditors from headquarters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/two-thirds-of-the-earth-s-surface-is-covered-with-water-the-other/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

[Browse all 27 Auditors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditors/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Auditors fluttered anxiously. And, as always happens in their species when something goes radically wrong and needs fixing instantly, they settled down to try to work how who was to blame.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Pratchett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as-always-happens-in-their/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Auditors"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as-always-happens-in-their/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/terry-pratchett-19_auditors_the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as_2481288.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/terry-pratchett-19_auditors_the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as_2481288.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/terry-pratchett-19_auditors_the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as_2481288.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Auditors fluttered anxiously. And, as always happens in their species when something goes radically…” — Terry Pratchett",
                "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": "Terry Pratchett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Auditors fluttered anxiously. And, as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as-always-happens-in-their/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-auditors-fluttered-anxiously-and-as-always-happens-in-their/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
