A field marshal who issued orders to the armed forces but had no idea of the results they would have in practice.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A blunt self-description of issuing commands without understanding their real-world impact.
- In plain terms
- I gave orders without knowing how they would work in practice.
- What can you take from it?
- Ensure you understand outcomes before making decisions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you verify orders work?
- What defines responsible leadership?
Another view
It admits negligence without offering a path to improvement.
More from Wilhelm Keitel
If you want my own plain opinion about Keitel's orders, I will tell you. They were the orders of a stupid follower of Hitler. I myself paid very little attenti…
Permalink to quote #11 Keitel, the weak and willing tool, delivered the armed forces, the instrument of aggression, over to the party and directed them in executing its felonious des…
Permalink to quote #13 I often had the sharpest and harshest clashes with Hitler. But had I taken my own life, it wouldn't have improved things, because this demon went ahead with wh…
Permalink to quote #10
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