The man who will follow precedent, but never create one, is merely an obvious example of the routineer. You find him desperately numerous in the civil service, in the official bureaus. To him government is something given as unconditionally, as absolutely as ocean or hill. He goes on winding the tape that he finds. His imagination has rarely extricated itself from under the administrative machine to gain any sense of what a human, temporary contraption the whole affair is. What he thinks is the heavens above him is nothing but the roof.

Summary

This quote by American philosopher and poet, John Haynes Holmes, criticizes individuals who mindlessly follow established rules and conventions without questioning or seeking to create change. The "routineer" described in the quote represents a bureaucrat or civil servant who blindly adheres to precedents and administrative processes, without engaging their imagination or recognizing the malleable nature of government. The quote highlights the need for individuals to challenge and critically assess the systems and structures they encounter, rather than accepting them as unchangeable and natural.

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