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Ralph waved the conch. 'Shut up! Wait! Listen!' He went on in the silence, borne on in his triumph. 'There's another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.' 'A fire! Make a fire!' At once half the boys were on their feet. Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten. 'Come on! Follow me!' The space under the palm trees was full of noise and movement. Ralph was on his feet too, shouting for quiet, but no one heard him. All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone- following Jack. Even the tiny children went and did their best among the leaves and broken branches. Ralph was left, holding the conch, with no one but Piggy.

William Golding#12

LeadershipOrderChaosDistraction

About this quote

What does it mean?
Ralph tries to organize the boys around building a signal fire, but they are distracted by Jack's excitement.
In plain terms
Leadership struggles as the group prefers action over planning.
What can you take from it?
Charisma can overpower structured leadership.

Where it applies

  • group decision making
  • crisis management

Putting it to work

  • maintaining focus
  • prioritizing goals

Questions to consider

  • How do you keep focus?
  • When does excitement override sense?

Another view

Demagoguery often trumps logic in crowds.

More from William Golding

  1. Either the wandering breezes or perhaps the decline of the sun allowed a little coolness to lie under the trees. The boys felt it and stirred restlessly. 'You …

    Permalink to quote #11
  2. 'How can you expect to be rescued if you don't put first things first and act proper?'

    Permalink to quote #13
  3. 'This is our island. It's a good island. Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we'll have fun.'

    Permalink to quote #10

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