The idea was that you wouldn't want to be the one with the [object] on your desk ALL the time for obvious reasons, but you also wouldn't to NEVER have [object] on (around? over?) your desk either because it meant you weren't moving quickly enough or taking enough risks.

I swear I read this somewhere but I am clearly forgetting enough key details of this anecdote that it is impossible to search and verify. It is driving me crazy and any help would be greatly appreciated.