57 Quotes by Hyman Rickover

In Greek mythology, Antaeus was a giant who was strong as long as he had contact with the earth. When he was lifted from the earth he lost strength. So it is with engineers. They must not become isolated from the real world.

We bury the men who do the nation's creative work under layers of administrators and mountains of memoranda. We shrivel creativity by endless frustrations.

A child is being properly educated only when he is learning to become independent of his parents.

Any one detail, followed through to its source, will usually reveal the general state of readiness of the whole organization.

The man in charge must concern himself with details. If he does not consider them important, neither will his subordinates.

When doing a job — any job — one must feel that he owns it, and act as though he will remain in that job forever.

When the men in Russia foul up, they are dismisses, sometimes losing their necks. But we protect those who fail and press them to the government bosom.

Be ever questioning. Ignorance is not bliss. It is oblivion. You don't go to heaven if you die dumb. Become better informed. Lean from others' mistakes. You could not live long enough to make them all yourself.

All new ideas begin in a non-conforming mind that questions some tenet of the conventional wisdom.