I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.
Wernher Von BraunRead
Crash programs fail because they are based on theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby in a month.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that complex problems cannot be solved simply by increasing resources or manpower.
Wernher Von Braun's quote critiques the misconception that adding more people or resources to a complex task will accelerate its completion, much like the idea that nine pregnant women can produce a baby in a month. Instead, it highlights the importance of understanding the nature of tasks and the realities of project management, where certain processes cannot be expedited by simply multiplying efforts.
Themes
Project ManagementEfficiencyComplexityResourcesTheory
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a business meeting to emphasize the importance of planning over haste.
More from Wernher Von Braun
All quotes →Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing.
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I have learned to use the word 'impossible' with the greatest caution.
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It will free man from the remaining chains, the chains of gravity which still tie him to this planet.
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We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
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Development of the space station is as inevitable as the rising of the sun; man has already poked his nose into space and he is not likely to pull it back . . . . There can be no thought of finishing, for aiming at the stars-both literally and figuratively-is the work of generations, and no matter how much progress one makes, there is always the thrill of just beginning.
Wernher Von BraunRead
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