Found on the 37Signals Blog: a great quote from C. Northcote Parkinson:
The man who is denied the opportunity of taking decisions of importance begins to regard as important the decisions he is allowed to take.
I grew up in Ottawa and can smell bureaucracy from quite a distance. This is almost as good as the anonymous quote I found somewhere of which I've been reminded every time I've had to deal with the French:
There is no love greater than that of a functionary for his function.