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Power

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“[T]he two most singular prerogatives of an English king [are] the power of creating new peers and the power of dissolving the Commons.”
Walter Bagehot (1826–1877) said by 1877 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The power to tax is not the power to destroy while this Court sits.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935) first seen 1928 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Panhandle Oil Co. v. Mississippi ex rel. Knox, 277 U.S. 233 (1928).
“There's a lot of noise right now about our strikes against the energy infrastructure of the neighbouring country. Yes, we are doing it, but who started it? Who struck the Crimean bridge? Who blew up the power lines to the Kursk Nuclear Power Station? Who is not providing water to Donetsk? Not providing water to a city with 1 million population is an act of genocide.”
Vladimir Putin (born 1952) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: New Video Sparks Speculation About 'Drunk' Putin", Newsweek, 8 December 2022
“Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars.”
George C. Marshall (1880–1959) said by 1959 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in A Toolbox for Humanity: More Than 9000 Years of Thought (2004) by Lloyd Albert Johnson
“A free person uses his tremendous power of choice to make a comfortable life for himself. The power of choice. You have it. But you forfeit it when you imagine thet you can choose for others. You can't.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You can't limit government's coercion to just those transfers you believe are fair, because you can't give government the power to force good on the country without also giving it the power to force enormous evil on the country — in fact, to do anything it wants.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Militant feminists are pro-choice because it's their ultimate avenue of power over men. And believe me, to them it is a question of power. It is their attempt to impose their will on the rest of society, particularly on men.”
Rush Limbaugh (1951–2021) said by 2021 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The theme song states "YOU GOT THE POWER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE... YOU GOT THE POWER TO MAKE A CHANGE." Wow, thank you MTV, for making me feel empowered and independent, like only a multinational media conglomerate can.”
Maddox (born 1978) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Man is free, but his freedom ceases when he has no faith in it; and the greater power he ascribes to faith, the more he deprives himself of that power which God has given to him when He endowed him with the gift of reason. Reason is a particle of the Creator's divinity. When we use it with a spirit of humility and justice we are certain to please the Giver of that precious gift.”
Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798) said by 1798 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“However, in that autobiography Hobson did confess that he now thought that the emphasis on economic causation in Imperialism: A Study was overdone and that more emphasis should have been placed on the 'lust for power' with economic gains seen as a means of exercising power rather an end in themselves.”
Peter Cain (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely.”
Christopher Reeve (1952–2004) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Celebrities in Hell (2002) by Warren Allen Smith, p. 98
“The United States has the power to destroy the world, but not the power to save it alone.”
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) first seen 1977 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Quotations for Our Time (1977), by Laurence J. Peter, p. 509
“The war has made us a nation of great power and intelligence. We have but little to do to preserve peace, happiness and prosperity at home, and the respect of other nations. Our experience ought to teach us the necessity of the first; our power secures the latter.”
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) said by 1885 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life is a beautiful, magnificent thing, even to a jellyfish. … The trouble is you won't fight. You've given up. But there's something just as inevitable as death. And that's life. Think of the power of the universe — turning the Earth, growing the trees. That's the same power within you — if you'll only have the courage and the will to use it.”
Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) first seen 1952 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Calvero's answer to Terry's question: "What is there to fight for?" in Limelight (1952)
“From the union of power and money, from the union of power and secrecy, from the union of government and science, from the union of government and art, from the union of science and money, from the union of ambition and ignorance, from the union of genius and war, from the union of outer space and inner vacuity, the Mad Farmer walks quietly away.”
Wendell Berry (1934–2026) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Mad Farmer, Flying the Flag of Rough Branch, Secedes from the Union" in Entries (1997)
“Learning and wisdom are superfluities, the surface glitter merely, but it is the heart that is the seat of all power. It is not in the brain but in the heart that the Atman, possessed of knowledge, power, and activity, has its seat.”
Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) said by 1902 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The power of purity—it is a definite power.”
Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) said by 1902 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Never, ever go near power. Don't become friends with anyone who has real power. It's dangerous.”
Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in "After Stanley Kubrick" (18 August 2010), an interview of his wife Christiane Kubrick in The Guardian
“The power to destroy the world by the use of nuclear weapons is a power that cannot be used - we cannot accept the idea of such monstrous immorality.The time has now come for morality to take its proper place in the conduct of world affairs; the time has now come for the nations of the world to submit to the just regulation of their conduct by international law.”
Linus Pauling (1901–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Responsibility and leadership in the 21st century demand more. In an era when our destiny is shared, power is no longer a zero sum game. No one nation can or should try to dominate another nation. No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed. No balance of power among nations will hold.”
Barack Obama (born 1961) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech on global challenges at the United Nations (27 September 2009)
“Now, I mentioned yesterday at the town hall -- like America’s first President, George Washington, he understood that democracy can only endure when it’s bigger than just one person. So his willingness to leave power was as profound as his ability to claim power.”
Barack Obama (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What’s our excuse today for not voting? How do we so casually discard the right for which so many fought? How do we so fully give away our power, our voice, in shaping America’s future? Why are we pointing to somebody else when we could take the time just to go to the polling places? We give away our power.”
Barack Obama (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No man is above the law, not even those in power. Those in power are in fact trustees and their duty is to promote the public good, not self-enrichment.”
Mahathir Mohamad (born 1925) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When people hear music that is spiritual it gets through. Music that is Godlike and loving gets through. I don’t have any power in this world, but I have spiritual power. I think God gave me my music and my talent. I’m trying to get across a feeling of spirituality; I think I have a spiritual influence on people.”
Brian Wilson (1942–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use — of how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public.”
Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I Remember, I Believe," The Pursuit of Justice (1964)
“In ceasing to subordinate creative power to any supreme value, modern art has brought home to us the presence of that creative power throughout the whole history of art.”
André Malraux (1901–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The class which has the power to rob upon a large scale has also the power to control the government and legalize their robbery.”
Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926) said by 1926 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: in Debs (1971), p. 75
“[T]he class which has the power to rob upon a large scale has also the power to control the government and legalize their robbery.”
Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926) said by 1926 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The problem in this world is to avoid concentration of power - we must have a dispersion of power.”
Milton Friedman (1912–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium. A wizard's power of Changing and Summoning can shake the balance of the world. It is dangerous, that power. It is most perilous. It must follow knowledge, and serve need. To light a candle is to cast a shadow.”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But we, insofar as we have power over the world and over one another, we must learn to do what the leaf and the whale and the wind do of their own nature. We must learn to keep the balance. Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance. Having choice, we must not act without responsibility. Who am I—though I have the power to do it—to punish and reward, playing with men’s destinies?”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Maybe that’s what the Masters are afraid of. Maybe celibacy isn’t as necessary as the Rule of Roke teaches. Maybe it’s not a way of keeping the power pure, but of keeping the power to themselves.”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The preservation of life seems to be rather a slogan than a genuine goal of the anti-abortion forces; what they want is control. Control over behavior: power over women. Women in the anti-choice movement want to share in male power over women, and do so by denying their own womanhood, their own rights and responsibilities.”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) first seen 1982 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Princess" (1982)
“In the modern corporation the decisive power, that of the managers, is derived from no one but the managers themselves controlled by nobody and nothing and responsible to no one. It is in the most literal sense unfounded, unjustified, uncontrolled and irresponsible power.”
Peter Drucker (1909–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom rests on ethical decisions. But the political sphere deals with power. ...Individually, power may well be the goal of personal ambition. But socially it is a servant; its organization is only a means to a social end. ...[P]ower distributes rank and determines relations within society; it is a means of internal organization. But the end of society is always an ethical purpose.”
Peter Drucker (1909–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Bush's war in Iraq has done untold damage to the United States. It has impaired our military power and undermined the morale of our armed forces. Our troops were trained to project overwhelming power. They were not trained for occupation duties.”
George Soros (born 1930) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Everyone is helping each other out. That's what we do . . . . You know what happens? Infrastructure might not come through -- but people do come through. We all try to do our best. I know we just got power back in one of our restaurants, and I know there are a lot of people without power. So, we invited a thousand people with children to come over and have a hot lunch on us.”
Gloria Estefan (born 1957) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: comment in aftermath of Hurricane Wilma (CNN's Showbiz Tonight-October 27, 2005)
“We need a media that covers power, not covers for power.”
Amy Goodman (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every morning I shall concern myself anew about the boundary Between the love-deed-Yes and the power-deed-No And pressing forward honor reality.We cannot avoid Using power, Cannot escape the compulsion To afflict the world, So let us, cautious in diction And mighty in contradiction, Love powerfully.”
Martin Buber (1878–1965) first seen 1926 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Power and Love" (1926)
“Greatness by nature includes a power, but not a will to power.”
Martin Buber (1878–1965) said by 1965 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Intellectuals may like to think of themselves as people who "speak truth to power" but too often they are people who speak lies to gain power.”
Thomas Sowell (born 1930) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Random Thoughts, Feb 25, 2004
“From the pain come the dream. From the dream come the vision. From the vision come the people. From the people come the power. From this power come the change.”
Peter Gabriel (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“From their French masters, [the slaves] had known rape, torture, degradation, and, at the slightest provocation, death. They returned in kind. For two centuries the higher civilization had shown them that power was used for wreaking your will on those whom you controlled. Now that they held power they did as they had been taught.”
C. L. R. James (1901–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Russia's leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the world's oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of re-assembling the Russian empire.”
John McCain (1936–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Laughter and tears are meant to turn the wheels of the same machinery of sensibility; one is wind-power, and the other water-power; that is all.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809–1894) said by 1894 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.”
Anthony Robbins (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Each person designs his own life, freedom gives him the power to carry out his own designs, and power gives the freedom to interfere with the designs of others.”
Eric Berne (1910–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: What Do You Say After You Say Hello? (1973)
“If the power of government be very extensive, and the subjects of it have, consequently, little power over their own actions, that government is tyrannical, and oppressive; whether, with respect to its form, it be a monarchy, an aristocracy, or even a republic.”
Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) said by 1804 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nietzsche's "will to power" and "will to seem" embrace many of our views, which again resemble in some respects the views of Féré and the older writers, according to whom the sensation of pleasure originates in a feeling of power, that of pain in a feeling of feebleness.”
Alfred Adler (1870–1937) first seen 1912 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Neurotic Constitution (1912)
“If there is a single power the West underestimates, it is the power of collective hatred.”
Ralph Peters (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source