“The making of decisions, as everyone knows from personal experience, is a burdensome task. Offsetting the exhilaration that may result from correct and successful decision and the relief that follows the termination of a struggle to determine issues is the depression that comes from failure, or error of decision, and the frustration which ensues from uncertainty.”
Source: The Functions of the Executive (1938), p. 189
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Chester Barnard 24
American businessman 1886–1961Related quotes

“Every decision a person makes stems from the person's values and goals.”
1990s, Copyleft: Pragmatic Idealism (1998)
Context: Every decision a person makes stems from the person's values and goals. People can have many different goals and values; fame, profit, love, survival, fun, and freedom, are just some of the goals that a good person might have. When the goal is to help others as well as oneself, we call that idealism.
My work on free software is motivated by an idealistic goal: spreading freedom and cooperation. I want to encourage free software to spread, replacing proprietary software that forbids cooperation, and thus make our society better.

Plaid Cymru calls for regional development agencies https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-37318652 BBC News (12 September 2016)
2016

Source: Soul Curry for You and Me: An Empowering Philosophy that Can Enrich Your Life, P. 27.

Source: 1980s–1990s, Knowledge and Decisions (1980; 1996), Ch. 1 : The Role of Knowledge

Source: The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success

“Once muddying subjectivities are removed from the issue, the decision becomes clear.”
Source: Desolation Road (1988), Chapter 49 (p. 247).
Forester (2000) "Perspectives on the modelling process" in: Modeling for Learning Organizations. John Douglas William Morecroft, John Sterman eds. 2000. p. 66