If You Want Something Done Right, Do it Yourself: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
A [[Stock Phrase]].
▲A [[Stock Phrase]]. Some characters will occasionally utter this phrase. They're usually people who decide to do something their subordinates failed to do on their behalf. Never send an amateur to do a job you need an expert for, namely, the guy in charge.
The hero, anti-hero, or sidekick
Whatever the case, someone - possibly a [[Non-Action Guy]], [[Non-Action Big Bad]], [[Retired Badass]], or someone who otherwise avoids getting involved is sick of having to relay the important tasks to incompetent underlings [[Surrounded by Idiots| who keep messing up]]. [[You Have Failed Me...|
If [[Authority Equals Asskicking]], then this is a character's chance to prove it
▲Whatever the case, someone - possibly a [[Non-Action Guy]], [[Non-Action Big Bad]], [[Retired Badass]], or someone who otherwise avoids getting involved is sick of having to relay the important tasks to incompetent underlings [[Surrounded by Idiots| who keep messing up]]. [[You Have Failed Me| Punishing or berating them]] doesn't help, [[We Have Reserves| and the replacements are just as bad]]. Whatever his reasons are for avoiding it, he can't any longer. [[Orcus on His Throne| Time for Orcus to get off his throne.]]
▲If [[Authority Equals Asskicking]], then this is a character's chance to prove it; otherwise, he may prove to be a [[Paper Tiger]]. In short, this may lead to a rather potent and epic confrontation, or it may lead to whoever it is remembering just ''why'' he doesn't do it more often. One way or another, however, it's going to end differently.
Compare [[Risking the King]].
{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* Throughout most of their appearances in ''[[One Piece]]'', the Five Celestial Dragons seem to be [[Non-Action Big Bad]] types, doing little but discuss their plans, give orders to the Marines (and in Smoker's case, a promotion), {{spoiler|and ''take'' orders from Imu, their mysterious superior}}. In the Egghead Arc, however, one of them, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn (the first to be named, given his role in the Arc) decides to personally accompany Admiral Kizaru on the mission to eliminate Dr. Vegapunk. As of February 2023 (chapter 1075) the outcome of this decision has yet to be seen.
== Film ==
* ''[[The Fifth Element]]'': Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg mutters "If you want something done, do it yourself" as he marches up the stairs, holding a ray gun and a crate.
== Live-Action TV ==
* ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]'': After so many monsters failed to defeat the Rangers, King Mondo decided to destroy them
== Video Games ==
* In ''[[Overwatch]]'', one of Torbjörn's kill quips in gameplay was this. It made sense, since he sees himself as responsible if his inventions fell into the wrong hands
== Western Animation ==
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* Baron Otto Matic twisted the trope in a [[George of the Jungle|''Tom Slick'']] episode where he entered his lackey Clutcher in a blimp race. As the Baron explained, if you want something right to go wrong, do it yourself.
* ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'':
** Episode "The Pizza Patrol" featured a pizza parlor that featured the [[Thirty Minutes or It's Free]] policy. After Garfield
** In another episode, local mailman [[Meaningful Name|Herman Post]]
* In ''[[Steven Universe]]'', Holly Blue Agate uttered this line
* In the ''[[Samurai Jack]]'' episode "Jack vs Aku", after the robot assassins that Aku sends after Jack fail even worse than they usually do, he slumps in his throne and mutters, "Guess it's true what they say, if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself..." Then [[Eureka Moment|he gets an idea]] on a way he can do just that, leading to [[Title Drop|
* In the ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'' episode "Operation: T.R.A.I.N.I.N.G.", [[Big Bad|Father]] invokes this Trope after yelling at [[Surrounded by Idiots| his moronic henchman]] who didn't know the vault at the Arctic Base was locked, and starts burning it open on his own.
* From the ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' short, "Water, Water, Every Hare", the Evil Scientist sends his [[Laughably Evil]] trained monster Rudolph after Bugs Bunny, but Bugs manages to avoid and outsmart him, eventually using "reducing oil" to shrink Rudolph to the size of a mouse. Unfortunately, Bugs then has to deal with [[Vile Villain, Saccharine Show|the far-less-laughable Scientist]] himself. "Never send a monster to do the work of an [[Card-Carrying Villain|''Evil'' Scientist]]," quips the villain.
== Real Life ==
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Stock Phrases]]
[[Category:Authority Tropes]]
[[Category:Cynicism Tropes]]
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