--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As bureaucracies accumulate power, they…" description: "\"“As bureaucracies accumulate power, they become immune to their own mistakes.”\" — Yuval Noah Harari" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/yuval-noah-harari-100_bureaucracies_as-bureaucracies-accumulate-power-they-b_243567.jpg" --- # As bureaucracies accumulate power, they become immune to… ![“As bureaucracies accumulate power, they become immune to their own mistakes.” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/yuval-noah-harari-100_bureaucracies_as-bureaucracies-accumulate-power-they-b_243567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/yuval-noah-harari-100_bureaucracies_as-bureaucracies-accumulate-power-they-b_243567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/yuval-noah-harari-100_bureaucracies_as-bureaucracies-accumulate-power-they-b_243567.jpg) > ““As bureaucracies accumulate power, they become immune to their own mistakes.”” [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bureaucracies grow resistant to their own errors as they accumulate power. **In simple terms:** Power can blind institutions. Key Takeaway Implement checks on institutional power. Themes bureaucracy power error resistance Mood cautionary reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - government reform - corporate governance - NGO oversight - personal accountability Key Concepts Systems theory institutional inertia Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can keep bureaucracies accountable? - How does power alter decision‑making? A Different Perspective Complex systems may self-correct. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bureaucracies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracies/) [Bureaucracies Accumulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracies-accumulate-2437746/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power Immune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-immune-2437747/) ## Related quotes > [The right raw materials can...double or triple the protective power of the immune system,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/the-right-raw-materials-can-double-or-triple-the-protective-power-of/) [Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/) > [“Right from the first, the little people who formed the governments which promised to equalize the social burdens found themselves suddenly in the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/right-from-the-first-the-little-people-who-formed-the-governments/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [One of the greatest struggles of bureaucracies is they get built and created, but they design themselves in such a way that they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-barnett/one-of-the-greatest-struggles-of-bureaucracies-is-they-get-built-and/) [Josh Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-barnett/) > [The bureaucracy is not great. 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And if you rehearse nonsense, you may one day find yourself the victim of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-gonzales/bureaucracies-force-us-to-practice-nonsense-and-if-you-rehearse/) [Laurence Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-gonzales/) > [We'll always have bureaucracies, but bureaucracies led by bureaucrats might be too much of a bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sununu/we-ll-always-have-bureaucracies-but-bureaucracies-led-by-bureaucrats/) [John Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sununu/) > [“One of the key characteristics of an elite corps is its susceptibility to those more powerful than itself. 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We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/we-need-to-ensure-that-the-government-agencies-that-are-supposed-to/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [Today we know that centralization and big bureaucracies have not, as promised, been the answer for promoting better opportunities for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-salinas-de-gortari/today-we-know-that-centralization-and-big-bureaucracies-have-not-as/) [Carlos Salinas de Gortari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-salinas-de-gortari/) ## More by Yuval Noah Harari > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. 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