It's pretty hard to be efficient without being obnoxious.

In this wry aphorism, Hubbard points to a social tension built into “efficiency.” Getting things done quickly and decisively often requires enforcing standards, correcting others, or cutting through niceties—behaviors that can read as pushy, tactless, or domineering. The line satirizes the way modern life prizes productivity while penalizing the interpersonal friction that productivity can create. It also hints at a moral question: is efficiency worth the cost in goodwill? Hubbard’s humor doesn’t fully condemn efficiency; instead, it suggests that truly admirable competence would pair effectiveness with tact—an ideal that is harder to achieve than either trait alone.