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Hyman Rickover Biography

Admiral Hyman G. Rickover (January 27, 1900 – July 8, 1986), U.S. Navy, directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of Naval Reactors. In addition, he oversaw the development of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station, the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor used for generating electricity.

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Hyman Rickover Quotes

I have a son. I love my son. I want everything that I do to be so safe that I would be happy to have my son operating it. That's my fundamental rule.

Everything, Fundamental, Fundamentals, Happy, Son, Would Be

We bury the men who do the nation's creative work under layers of administrators and mountains of memoranda. We shrivel creativity by endless frustrations.

Administrators, Creativity, Endless, Frustration, Memoranda, Men

The man in charge must concern himself with details. If he does not consider them important, neither will his subordinates.

Charge, Concern, Details, Important, Man, Men

The devil is in the details, and everything we do in the military is a detail.

Detail, Details, Devil, Everything, Military

Those involved with practical reactors, humbled by their experiences, speak less and worry more.

Humbled, Practical, Practicals, Speak, Speak Less, Worry

I suggest that this is a good time to think soberly about our responsibilities to our descendents - those who will ring out the Fossil Fuel Age. Our greatest responsibility, as parents and as citizens, is to give America's youngsters the best possible education. We need the best teachers and enough of them to prepare our young people for a future immeasurably more complex than the present, and calling for ever larger numbers of competent and highly trained men and women.

Teacher, Responsibility, Men, Soberly, Present, Time

All new ideas begin in a non-conforming mind that questions some tenet of the conventional wisdom.

Conventional, Creativity, Ideas, Mind, Wisdom

Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous impatience. Once implemented they can be easily overturned or subverted through apathy or lack of follow-up, so a continuous effort is required.

Automatically, Ideas, Leadership, Practice, Required, Subverted

As a guide to engineering ethics, I should like to commend to you a liberal adaptation of the injunction contained in the oath of Hippocrates that the professional man do nothing that will harm his client.

Clients, Commend, Engineering, Harm, Liberal, Men

More than ambition, more than ability, it is rules that limit contribution; rules are the lowest common denominator of human behavior. They are a substitute for rational thought.

Ambition, Limits, Common, Substitute, Contribution, Thought

Knowing more about the public effects his work will have, the engineer ought to consider himself an "officer of the court" and keep the general interest always in mind.

Court, General, Knowing, Mind

Act as if you are going to live for ever and cast your plans way ahead. You must feel responsible without time limitations, and the consideration of whether you may or may not be around to see the results should never enter your thoughts.

Act, Cast, Life, Responsibility, Science, See

When the men in Russia foul up, they are dismisses, sometimes losing their necks. But we protect those who fail and press them to the government bosom.

Men, Russia, Necks, Press, Fail, Bosom

All men are by nature conservative but conservatism in the military profession is a source of danger to the country. One must be ready to change his line sharply and suddenly, with no concern for the prejudices and memories of what was yesterday. To rest upon formula is a slumber that, prolonged, means death.

Country, Line, Memories, Military, Ready, Sharply

The tools of the academic designer are a piece of paper and a pencil with an eraser. If a mistake is made, it can always be erased and changed. If the practical-reactor designer errs, he wears the mistake around his neck; it cannot be erased. Everyone sees it.

Designer, Everyone, Mistake, Pieces, Sees, Tools

To doubt one's own first principles is the mark of a civilized man. Don't defend past actions; what is right today may be wrong tomorrow. Don't be consistent; consistency is the refuge of fools.

Consistency, Mark, Men, Past, Tomorrow

Nothing so sharpens the thought process as writing down one's arguments. Weaknesses overlooked in oral discussion become painfully obvious on the written page.

Oral, Pages, Painfully, Weakness, Writing

I do not have regrets. I believe I helped preserve the peace for this country. Why should I regret that? What I accomplished was approved by Congress - which represents our people. All of you live in safety from domestic enemies because of security from the police. Likewise, you live in safety from foreign enemies because our military keeps them from attacking us.

Country, Domestic, Enemies, Likewise, Military, Regret

Above all, we should bear in mind that our liberty is not an end in itself; it is a means to win respect for human dignity for all classes of our society.

Class, Classes, Liberty, Mean, Mind, Winning

I have the charisma of the chipmunk. I never have thought I was smart. I thought the people I dealt with were dumb.

Dumb, People, Smart, Thought

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