--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His first—and worst—mistake was blindly…" description: "\"“His first—and worst—mistake was blindly doing what he was told to do. Without questioning their methods or their motives, he allowed politicians to ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/tom-robbins-169_politics_his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly_2757087.jpg" --- # His first—and worst—mistake was blindly doing what he was… ![“His first—and worst—mistake was blindly doing what he was told to do. Without questioning their methods or their motives, he allowed politicians to make the decisions that led to his early demise.” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/tom-robbins-169_politics_his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly_2757087.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/tom-robbins-169_politics_his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly_2757087.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/tom-robbins-169_politics_his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly_2757087.jpg) > ““His first—and worst—mistake was blindly doing what he was told to do. Without questioning their methods or their motives, he allowed politicians to make the decisions that led to his early demise.”” [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blind obedience leads to disastrous outcomes; questioning authority is vital. **In simple terms:** Blindly following orders can be fatal. Key Takeaway Question authority regularly. Themes ethics leadership critical thinking Mood cautious provocative Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - political systems - personal autonomy Key Concepts moral responsibility decision making Questions to Reflect On - When should you obey? - What are the costs of dissent? A Different Perspective Risk of being labeled rebellious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blindly Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blindly-doing-3143353/) [Decisions Led](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions-led-2890360/) [Early Demise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-demise-3143354/) [Mistake Blindly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake-blindly-3143352/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Worst Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-mistake/) ## Related quotes > [If we are not happy with where our past decisions have led us, then the place to start is with our current thinking process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-we-are-not-happy-with-where-our-past-decisions-have-led-us-then/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [I was Born Perfect, My Decisions Led Me To Me, Not Perfect but Im Proud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniyal-butt/i-was-born-perfect-my-decisions-led-me-to-me-not-perfect-but-im-proud/) [Daniyal Butt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniyal-butt/) > [Sometimes you get players who think it is not important to work, and this is their worst mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-mancini/sometimes-you-get-players-who-think-it-is-not-important-to-work-and/) [Roberto Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-mancini/) > [“The worst mistake I ever made has become the best thing I ever did. - Darius Wainwright”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-fresina/the-worst-mistake-i-ever-made-has-become-the-best-thing-i-ever-did/) [Jayne Fresina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-fresina/) > [The worst mistake is not to make any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/the-worst-mistake-is-not-to-make-any/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) > [I'm a father. If my son jumped on a boy in a backyard, it would have been the worst mistake he made that day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrus/i-m-a-father-if-my-son-jumped-on-a-boy-in-a-backyard-it-would-have/) [Tyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrus/) > [The worst mistake you can make is walking away from someone who actually stood there and waited for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda/the-worst-mistake-you-can-make-is-walking-away-from-someone-who/) [Amanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda/) > [You were my worst mistake. Looking into your eyes made me realize you were fake.~~~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-were-my-worst-mistake-looking-into-your-eyes-made-me-realize-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Since we're being brutally honest here you were the worst mistake I've ever had the pleasure of making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-we-re-being-brutally-honest-here-you-were-the-worst-mistake-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The worst mistake is to not make ANY!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-worst-mistake-is-to-not-make-any/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“In my experience, a castaway’s worst mistake is to hope too much and to do too little.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/in-my-experience-a-castaway-s-worst-mistake-is-to-hope-too-much-and/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [The worst mistake a woman can make is to emulate a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-kills/the-worst-mistake-a-woman-can-make-is-to-emulate-a-man/) [Natalia Kills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-kills/) > [One of the worst mistake you'll make is walking away from the person that stood there and waited for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-worst-mistake-you-ll-make-is-walking-away-from-the-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The worst mistake you can ever make is holding on to something not worth holding on to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-worst-mistake-you-can-ever-make-is-holding-on-to-something-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The worst mistake anyone can make is being too afraid to make one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-worst-mistake-anyone-can-make-is-being-too-afraid-to-make-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Tom Robbins > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-believe-in-everything-nothing-is-sacred-i-believe-in-nothing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the-2/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More Politics quotes > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“Only careful political manoeuvring will be able to manage the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davan-yahya-khalil/only-careful-political-manoeuvring-will-be-able-to-manage-the/) [Davan Yahya Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davan-yahya-khalil/) > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [“Jim Reston: Walking through the crowds of air-kissing politicians, actors and high fliers, it was tough to tell where the politics stopped and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/jim-reston-walking-through-the-crowds-of-air-kissing-politicians/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [A man who kills on his own is a murderer. A man who kills at his government's request is a national hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramman-kenoun/a-man-who-kills-on-his-own-is-a-murderer-a-man-who-kills-at-his/) [Ramman Kenoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramman-kenoun/) > [Politics in Philadelphia is a contact sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/politics-in-philadelphia-is-a-contact-sport/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) [Browse all 44,914 Politics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“His first—and worst—mistake was blindly doing what he was told to do. Without questioning their methods or their motives, he allowed politicians to make the decisions that led to his early demise.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Robbins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly-doing-what-he-was-told-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Politics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly-doing-what-he-was-told-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/tom-robbins-169_politics_his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly_2757087.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/tom-robbins-169_politics_his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly_2757087.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/tom-robbins-169_politics_his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly_2757087.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His first—and worst—mistake was blindly doing what he was told to do. Without questioning their methods or…” — Tom Robbins", "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": "Tom Robbins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“His first—and worst—mistake was blindly doing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly-doing-what-he-was-told-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/his-first-and-worst-mistake-was-blindly-doing-what-he-was-told-to-do/#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 } } ] } ```