Best Counterproductive Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“Part of the problem is that everyone knows there's a problem. That's a problem because the solutions of a significant number of dupes are wildly counterproductive to solving what everyone agrees is the problem.”

Problem Humor Funny Solutions Problem Solving Funny But True Counterproductive Solving Problems Foolish People Lack Of Wisdom

Author:Criss Jami

“I know that the writers I read and admire all have an influence on my work, but trying to determine to what degree any particular piece of input changes the way I think about writing seems counterproductive.”

Thinking Knows Way Writing Trying Seems Pieces Influence Particular Degrees Determine Admire Input Counterproductive

Author:Kevin Powers

“Many years spent listening to the tribulations of man have persuaded me that the satisfaction of all desires is completely counterproductive to happiness. Instant and unrestrained gratification is the shortest and most direct route to unhappiness.”

Men Years Desire Listening Direct Satisfaction Instant Unhappiness Routes Gratification Tribulation Counterproductive

Author:James E. Faust

“I've found that if I tell somebody 'Eat this and don't do that,' it's not only not helpful, it's counterproductive because even more than being healthy, we want to feel free and in control, and as soon as somebody tells us to do something, there's a tendency to do just the opposite.”

Ifs Want Feels Found Healthy Opposites Tendencies Helpful Counterproductive

Author:Dean Ornish

“Unbounded morality ultimately becomes counterproductive even in terms of the same moral principles being sought. The law of diminishing returns applies to morality.”

Law Term Moral Principles Return Morality Moral Principles Counterproductive Diminishing Returns

Book:Knowledge And Decisions

Source: Knowledge And Decisions

“Absolutely. Regret is counterproductive. It's looking back on a past that you can't change. Questioning things as they occur can prevent regret in the future. I questioned a lot about my relationship with your father. People make spontaneous decisions based off of their hearts all the time. There's so much more to relationships than just love.”

People Heart Past Father Decision Regret Questioning Looking Back Spontaneous Can't Change Counterproductive

Book:Slammed

Source: Slammed

“In the hyper-sensitised reality of the region in which any criticism of Israel is swiftly and often unfairly branded as anti-Semitic, it can become counterproductive to inflame rather than explain and this means to hear the narratives of both sides, to articulate the suffering on both sides, not just the Palestinians.”

Mean Reality Suffering Sides Criticism Israel Narrative Regions Palestinian Both Sides Hyper Branded Counterproductive Anti Semitic

Author:Jane Fonda

“This modern mania for interfering in other's lives, usually under the guise of health and safety concerns, is highly irritating and counterproductive. Down with the nanny state.”

States Modern Concern Safety Interfere Irritating Guise Mania Nannies Counterproductive Health And Safety

Author:Felix Dennis

“It is not just that it is profoundly offensive to the leaders and people of a democratic Germany to paint Hitler on the wall (or on the remnants of the Wall). It is also consummately counterproductive. Such sauce does not make the meat of substantive criticism more interesting. It means that the whole dish is pushed away. It does not mean that Britain's voice is listened to more attentively in the councils of Europe. It means that it is listened to even less.”

People Mean Doe Whole Voice Interesting Leader Wall Europe Criticism Democratic Paint Meat Germany Britain Dishes Offensive Council Sauce Remnants Counterproductive Pushed Away

Author:Timothy Garton Ash

“Flaky devotionalism, bowing and scraping and sucking up to the teacher is very phony. It is counterproductive to enlightenment and spiritual development. What is necessary is mutual respect.”

Spiritual Teacher Buddhism Development Enlightenment Buddhist Mutual Etiquette Phony Spiritual Development Mutual Respect Counterproductive Scraping

Author:Frederick Lenz

“The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion. However valuable-even necessary-that may have been in enforcing good behavior on primitive peoples, their association is now counterproductive. Yet at the very moment when they should be decoupled, sanctimonious nitwits are calling for a return to morals based on superstition.”

“guilt politics ... I regard as conveniently paralyzing, ripe for backlash defensiveness, counterproductive, and boring.”

Politics Regard Guilt Boring Ripe Backlash Counterproductive Defensiveness

Book:Saturday's Child: A Memoir

Source: Saturday's Child: A Memoir

“Myth, legend, and ritual ... function to maintain a status quo. That makes them singularly bad in coping with change, indeed counterproductive, for change is the enemy of myth.”

Change Enemy Function Myth Ritual Legends Status Quo Coping Counterproductive

Book:Powers of the weak

Source: Powers of the weak

“We should clearly understand that only the voluntary and conscientious acceptance by a people of its guilt can ensure the healing of a nation. Unremitting reproaches from outside are counterproductive.”

People Should Nations Healing Acceptance Guilt Reproach Counterproductive

Author:Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“What makes it possible for politicians to do so many things that are economically counterproductive is that neither the public nor the media know enough of the basics to understand what's wrong with what they're saying.”

Knows Enough Media Politician Basics Counterproductive

Author:Thomas Sowell

“Never say anything about a person you wouldn't say to them directly, and don't try people without accusing them to their face. Badmouthing people behind their backs shows a serious lack of integrity and is counterproductive. It doesn't yield any beneficial change, and it subverts both the people you are badmouthing and the environment as a whole.”

People Life Trying Persons Whole Shows Faces Growth Behinds Environment Serious Integrity Personal Growth Investing Yield Say Anything Beneficial Accusing Counterproductive Lack Of Integrity

Author:Ray Dalio

“I write from seven to about noon. I used to try to write longer, but I read and I found that I was always getting myself tired by working in the afternoon and then I was just throwing out what I wrote in the afternoon, so writing then was counterproductive.”

Writing Trying Used Found Tired Seven Throwing Afternoon Noon Counterproductive

Author:Robert Caro

“In any walk of life, a positive, upbeat outlook trumps any adversarial act. Revenge is counterproductive. Unproductive emotions limit one's ability to move forward, to focus, to think positively, to act creatively.”

Thinking Moving Ability Walks Emotion Kindness Focus Trump Limits Revenge Moving Forward Outlook Positively Walks Of Life Counterproductive Upbeat Think Positively Unproductive

Author:Jon Huntsman, Jr.

“Life teaches us that human thought almost never walks hand in hand with logic, and it is usually counterproductive to raise the point.”

Humans Hands Walks Teach Logic Raises Hand In Hand Human Thought Counterproductive Life Teaches

Book:Dexter's Final Cut: Dexter Morgan (7)

Source: Dexter's Final Cut: Dexter Morgan (7)

“Any debate among politicians about monetary policy is counterproductive.”

Policy Politician Debate Monetary Counterproductive Monetary Policy

Author:Gerhard Schroder

“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.”

People Ifs Way Feels Important Whole Helping Consequence Claims Activism Useless Fabric Counterproductive

Book:Ever Wonder Why? and Other Controversial Essays

Source: Ever Wonder Why? and Other Controversial Essays

“One of the unwritten rules in a presidential news conference is that he'll answer questions. If he chooses not to, there's not much you can do about it other than make yourself look like an idiot screaming, which to me is counterproductive.”

Ifs Looks Can Do Answers News Idiot Presidential Conferences Unwritten Counterproductive Unwritten Rules

Author:Gwen Ifill

“I would like to see more control and more criticism coming from Europe. The constant expressions of friendship for former President Eduard Shevardnadze, who made some contribution to German unity, were counterproductive for our country.”

Made Country President Expression Europe Criticism Constant Unity Our Country Former Contribution Counterproductive

Author:Irakli Okruashvili

“We are born for synergy, just like the feet, just like the hands, just like the eyes, just like the rows of upper and lower teeth. Working against each other is unnatural, and being annoyed and turning one's back is counterproductive.”

Hands Eye Born Feet Teeth Unnatural Annoyed Synergy Counterproductive Being Annoyed

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“When your victimhood is your empowerment, recovery is the enemy, and working on 'individual change' becomes counterproductive, even dangerous to your identity.”

Individual Enemy Dangerous Identity Empowerment Recovery Victimhood Counterproductive

Author:Tammy Bruce

“The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white - who find in that paranoid vision an excuse for counterproductive and ultimately self-destructive attitudes and behavior.”

Self Left Black White Attitude Vision Worst Behavior Bottom Excuse Envy Destructive Resentment Paranoid Tolls Self Destructive Black Or White Counterproductive

Author:Thomas Sowell

“When President Nixon declared war on drugs on June 17, 1971, about 110 people per 100,000 in the population were incarcerated. Today, we have 2-3 million prisoners: 743 people per 100,000 in the population. The U.S. has 5% of the world's population, but 25% of its prisoners. As Senator Jim Webb once put it, Either we are home to the most evil people on earth or we are doing something different and vastly counterproductive.”

People World Different War Home Today Earth Evil President Millions Drug Population Prisoner Senators June War On Drugs Evil People Counterproductive President Nixon

Author:Maia Szalavitz

“I'm not going to shoot seven days a week. I think it's counterproductive. I think you're going to have people stumbling around after a couple of weeks.”

People Thinking Week Couple Seven Stumbling Seven Days Counterproductive

Author:Roger Corman

“The resources you happen to accumulate, what do you do with them? You can spend the money and buy some houses or whatever, and people do some of that and that's fine. You can give the money to other people, your family, but usually when you do that you screw them up and it ends up counterproductive. Or, you take those resources and reinvest them in things that you believe in, and that could be reinvesting in a philanthropic cause.”

People Giving Believe Ends Happens House Causes Fine Resources Our Family Screws Philanthropic Counterproductive

Author:Steve Case

“I want to compliment the fraternity and sorority organizations for taking the time to meet with us and then removing their support from the legislation that would have been so counterproductive for a goal that I think we all share - and that is making campuses safer and the successful prosecution of people who commit serious crimes. So, good on them that they backed off, and we don't have to fight them.”

People Thinking Want Has Beens Fighting Goal Support Successful Share Crime Serious Organization Commit Compliment Legislation Campus Fraternity Prosecution Counterproductive Sorority

Author:Claire McCaskill

“Every passing year brings us more past futures. Here in Europe they had a Dark Age so extensive, radical and obliterative that everyone forgot how to speak Latin. It's counterproductive to blither on about "the" future. It's always somebody's future, and we're not who we used to be.”

Years Age Past Used Speak Dark Europe Passing Passings Used To Be Radical Latin Dark Ages Counterproductive Past Future

Author:Bruce Sterling

“Poets should speak out against what we see as the assault against our Constitution and the warmongering that's going on. I'm perfectly willing to lay down my life for my Constitution, but I am not willing to take a life for it or any other reason because I think killing people is counterproductive.”

People Thinking Should Reason Speak Willing Poet Constitution Lays Killing Assault Speaks Out Counterproductive

Author:Sam Hamill

“The new Rwanda is about building an economy that delivers prosperity and opportunity for our citizens based on a robust private sector. Foreign adventures would be costly and counterproductive distractions from these challenging objectives.”

Would Be Opportunity Challenges Economy Building Adventure Citizens Prosperity Objectives Distraction Private Sector Robust Rwanda Counterproductive

Author:Paul Kagame

“The efficiency of a President at the beginning of his term depends on their capacity to get everything under control. That was my case. But once the institutions have been put in place, and the responsibilities delegated, the leader becomes a reference, a referee, a symbol and unifying figure for the nation. The issue is how and when to recognize the moment when staying in power becomes counterproductive.”

Has Beens Moments Nations President Term Responsibility Leader Cases Issues Figures Depends Capacity Institutions Symbols Staying Efficiency Referee Unifying Counterproductive

Author:Paul Kagame

“It's counterproductive to blither on about "the" future. It's always somebody's future, and we're not who we used to be.”

Used Used To Be Counterproductive

Author:Bruce Sterling

“I do not oppose violence simply because it is counterproductive. I oppose it because it betrays animal rights philosophy. Those who resort to such tactics really have not understood that animal rights is about the extension of moral concern to all sentient beings--humans obviously included.”

Humans Philosophy Animal Moral Rights Violence Understood Concern Animal Rights Betray Extensions Tactics Resorts Sentient Beings Counterproductive

Author:Andrew Linzey

“In effect, Gore is unwittingly characterizing a large segment of the US population as the next 'Willie Horton.' This is unfortunate and counterproductive to any dialogue between those who 'believe' and those who don't.”

Believe Next Effects Population Scary Dialogue Unfortunate Gore Counterproductive

Author:Ron Barrier

“What I do know is that drones are a modern weapon. When used effectively, when taking out ISIS or terrorist leaders, that's pretty impressive. When bombing wedding parties of innocent people and killing dozens of them, that is, needless to say, not effective and enormously counterproductive. So whatever the mechanism, whoever is in control of that policy, it has to be refined so that we are killing the people we want to kill and not innocent collateral damage.”

“Everything that the administration has done has been counterproductive.”

Has Beens Done Administration Counterproductive

Author:Bill McKibben

“With respect to some of the specific legislation or initiatives that I've made, it's true that Republicans often opposed these things. Sometimes they opposed them because I proposed them. Now that they are responsible for governing, I think they'll find that reversing them would be counterproductive.”

Thinking Made Sometimes Would Be Republican Responsible Made It Initiative Legislation Governing Counterproductive

Author:Barack Obama

“I think the core problem is much closer to recognizing where force is of value, where it is useful, and to distinguish that from situations in which war is not useful or is indeed counterproductive.”

Thinking War Problem Values Force Situation Core Recognizing Counterproductive

Author:James Mattis

“I think, broadly speaking, the US military's role - US military activism in various parts of the Islamic world over the past several decades has been counterproductive.”

Thinking World Has Beens Past Roles Military Various Decades Activism Islamic Over The Past Counterproductive Us Military

Author:James Mattis

“States began to realize how much money they were spending on incarceration and how much money they were spending fighting this ludicrous war on drugs that was actually counterproductive.”

War States Fighting Realizing Drug Spending War On Drugs Incarceration Counterproductive

Author:Ayelet Waldman

“I believe that the boycott that we have against Cuba is counterproductive, and it also makes the twelve million or so Cuban people suffer unnecessarily just because of a foolish policy of the United States.”

People Believe States Suffering I Believe United Millions United States Policy Foolish Twelve Cuba Cuban Boycott Counterproductive

Author:Jimmy Carter

“My father was a forest entomologist, which means he was aware that spraying forests for spruce budworm was counterproductive in that it didn't really work, and it killed everything else in the forests, and it wasn't good for the people who were exposed to it, either. So he was an early proponent of not doing that, but, of course, nobody listened.”

People Mean Courses Father Forests Exposed Counterproductive

Author:Margaret Atwood

“The habit of going to your congressman's town hall and asking questions, that's powerful in a way that shouting slogans or getting arrested is not, that is completely counterproductive.”

Way Powerful Habit Towns Asking Halls Slogans Arrested Shouting Asking Questions Congressman Counterproductive

Author:David Frum

“Lobbying, protesting, letter-writing, American media, civil disobedience, and preaching pacifism ad nauseum, along with EDUCATION is the most effective way to enlighten the masses. Welfare concessions/campaigns, are counterproductive and simply ineffective in this day and age.”

“I never really got into any records purely thinking of them as a breakup record. I mean, honestly, for me, listening to a breakup record whilst dealing with one seems counterproductive!”

Thinking Mean Seems Records Listening Honestly Breakup Counterproductive

Author:Michael Benjamin Lerner

“You know, very often, if you look at the kinds of communications that they're getting in an ISIS recruiting video, the videos that, you know, that one hears of as radicalizing them, these are like action movies. And so in the sense, it's that by closing off the idea that young Muslims and particularly young Muslim men can be American heroes, it increases the chance that they'll try to be some other kind of hero. And that, I think, is entirely counterproductive.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Men Trying Looks Kind Ideas Action Young Chance Communication Hero Increase Video Closing Isis Action Movie Counterproductive American Hero Closing Off

Author:Mohsin Hamid

“To think that we are disconnected in some way serves the occupation whether it's through indifference or a distancing. It is a colonial approach of making you a subject and them the spectators. That is disturbing and counterproductive. And then suddenly they are surprised or find it alienating that the microcosmic effects of Palestine are happening in the U.S., France, and England, whether it's from the Islamic movements or immigration factors. Keeping a false purity of their countries will harm them eventually.”

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Counterproductive Quotes