Why did the generals who have been so ready to term me a complaisant and incompetent yes-man fail to secure my removal? Was that all that difficult? No, that wasn't it; the truth was that nobody would have been ready to replace me, because each one knew that he would end up just as much a wreck as I.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker admits he was a yes-man and notes others did not replace him because they feared becoming equally compromised.
- In plain terms
- Others kept me in place because they feared taking my spot would ruin them too.
- What can you take from it?
- Fear of personal compromise can maintain bad systems.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do bad leaders stay in power?
- How do you resist becoming like the system?
Another view
He blames others for not removing him.
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