About this quote

Democracy sounds great on paper because it promises equal opportunity for power. But we often forget that open doors let everyone in, including the completely unqualified. We confuse accessibility with competence. When we lower the bar of expectation to zero, we shouldn't be surprised by the chaos that follows. It forces you to look at leadership with a critical, unsentimental eye instead of blindly trusting the system.

When to use it

• When your company holds an open-mic town hall and the most chaotic employee spends ten minutes complaining about the office microwave temperature.
• Your local recreational soccer league decides to let anyone referee without training, and the first game degenerates into a shouting match within five minutes.
• Talking with your neighbor about the chaotic HOA meeting where an unqualified volunteer just got elected president because nobody else wanted the job.