He was an odd, singular character and I think the quote describes his own philosophy - not necessarily what he thought others "should" do.
One of his points was that if he got a sweet Pentagon consulting gig after his military career, then he would be reluctant to bite the hand that fed him. He could not be objective: if a lousy idea came down the pipe from on high, he might have to rubber stamp it in order to keep cashing paychecks.
This form of integrity cost him a lot - prestige, financial success, family harmony and wellness. I don't know if most people would be able to make those decisions.
To my mind, he's sort of like rms - an extreme outlier who defines success in a very different way from most people, and yet is objectively successful by various measures.
One of his points was that if he got a sweet Pentagon consulting gig after his military career, then he would be reluctant to bite the hand that fed him. He could not be objective: if a lousy idea came down the pipe from on high, he might have to rubber stamp it in order to keep cashing paychecks.
This form of integrity cost him a lot - prestige, financial success, family harmony and wellness. I don't know if most people would be able to make those decisions.
To my mind, he's sort of like rms - an extreme outlier who defines success in a very different way from most people, and yet is objectively successful by various measures.