“Despite all evidence to the contrary I do not believe humans innately cruel, but they fear change of any kind.”

Source: Royal Wedding

The Rickover Effect (1992)
Context: It is a human inclination to hope things will work out, despite evidence or doubt to the contrary. A successful manager must resist this temptation. This is particularly hard if one has invested much time and energy on a project and thus has come to feel possessive about it. Although it is not easy to admit what a person once thought correct now appears to be wrong, one must discipline himself to face the facts objectively and make the necessary changes — regardless of the consequences to himself. The man in charge must personally set the example in this respect. He must be able, in effect, to "kill his own child" if necessary and must require his subordinates to do likewise.

Source: The Other Side Of The Coin (2008), Chapter 7, Straight Versus Crooked, p. 228

Flying Saucers Have Landed

Source: Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America (2009), p. 368

Source: Before Galileo, The Birth of Modern Science in Medieval Europe (2012), p. 286

Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department (1969), Principles