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About this quote

What does it mean?
Monsters and lawyers are predictable threats, whereas arrogant bureaucrats are often more annoying and harder to deal with.
In plain terms
People prefer obvious enemies over annoying officials.
What can you take from it?
Predictable threats are easier to handle than petty authority.

Where it applies

  • dealing with bureaucracy
  • working in systems
  • frustration with rules

Putting it to work

  • challenge inefficiency
  • avoid arrogance

Questions to consider

  • Who is the real enemy?
  • Why do we tolerate bureaucracy?

Another view

Bureaucrats are not always more frustrating than monsters.

More from Orson Scott Card

  1. [He] had never been beaten up. He had, however, seen the Rodney king tape.

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  2. Whenever I hear you saying, rise and shine, rise and shine, it makes me think how lucky dead people are!

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  3. Once you duct-tape a Ziploc bag to a man's chest, there's no going back.

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