Are you laboring under the impression that I read these memoranda of yours? I can't even lift them.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- FDR humorously deflects by saying he cannot even lift the memoranda, implying they are too bulky or burdensome.
- In plain terms
- He jokes that the documents are too heavy for him to read.
- What can you take from it?
- Humor can dismiss bureaucracy or excessive detail.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you handle information overload?
- When is humor appropriate for work?
Another view
It could signal disengagement from details staff consider important.
More from Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Be sincere, be brief, be seated.
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