--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can have power over people as long as…" description: "\"You can have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in you p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_power_you-can-have-power-over-people-as-long-a_1718975.jpg" --- # You can have power over people as long as you don't take… ![“You can have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in you power.” quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_power_you-can-have-power-over-people-as-long-a_1718975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_power_you-can-have-power-over-people-as-long-a_1718975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_power_you-can-have-power-over-people-as-long-a_1718975.jpg) > “You can have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in you power.” [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power is lost when you strip people of all agency; true control respects some autonomy. **In simple terms:** Control fails when you take everything away. Key Takeaway Preserve autonomy to maintain influence. Themes power control autonomy freedom human dignity Mood serious reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - management - politics - education - social work - personal relationships Key Concepts Totalitarianism psychology of oppression ethical leadership Questions to Reflect On - How much control is ethical? - What limits should be set on authority? A Different Perspective Complete domination can provoke rebellion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [You only have power over people so long as you don't take everything away from them. 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I immediatly whirled around and looked in my bedroom to make sure no one stole my Harry Potter books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-benway/we-ve-been-robbed-i-immediatly-whirled-around-and-looked-in-my/) [Robin Benway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-benway/) > [I'm a magnet, I'm too passive, I've been robbed, but I'm not stupid. fucked by family fucked by friends your souls are empty in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/passive-play/i-m-a-magnet-i-m-too-passive-i-ve-been-robbed-but-i-m-not-stupid/) Passive Play > [“It isn't always the value of what is taken that makes us hate. Sometimes it's just the fact that we've been robbed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-perry/it-isn-t-always-the-value-of-what-is-taken-that-makes-us-hate/) [Anne Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-perry/) > [This is one of my favorite pick up strategies: I'm constantly giving women my keys. So far, none of them have shown up. Matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/this-is-one-of-my-favorite-pick-up-strategies-i-m-constantly-giving/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [I've never been robbed in person, but I've gotten my car broken into a couple of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiro-murai/i-ve-never-been-robbed-in-person-but-i-ve-gotten-my-car-broken-into-a/) [Hiro Murai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiro-murai/) > [“Does it sting like this because I've been robbed or because it was never mine to steal? ... Maybe an idea, like love, cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristopher-jansma/does-it-sting-like-this-because-i-ve-been-robbed-or-because-it-was/) [Kristopher Jansma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristopher-jansma/) > [The power of Open Source is the power of the people. The people rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-kahn/the-power-of-open-source-is-the-power-of-the-people-the-people-rule/) [Philippe Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-kahn/) > [I really believe you've gotta put the power in the people. They're the ones who are gonna make the experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-really-believe-you-ve-gotta-put-the-power-in-the-people-they-re-the/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [The citizens of Love Canal provided an example of how a blue-collar community with few resources can win against great odds (a multi-billion-dollar international…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-gibbs/the-citizens-of-love-canal-provided-an-example-of-how-a-blue-collar/) [Lois Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-gibbs/) > [I'm sure strength-and-power people have been using kettlebells for years, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will work in a general training program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirsch/i-m-sure-strength-and-power-people-have-been-using-kettlebells-for/) [David Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirsch/) > [“Power to the people then and now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadair-desmar/power-to-the-people-then-and-now/) [Nadair Desmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadair-desmar/) > [I am interested in power, too, but power for you, the people, not power for bureaucrats and politicians and officeholders and all the like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-am-interested-in-power-too-but-power-for-you-the-people-not-power/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) ## More by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“...you are strong only as long as you don't deprive people of everything . For a person you've taken everything from is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/you-are-strong-only-as-long-as-you-don-t-deprive-people-of-everything/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/woe-to-that-nation-whose-literature-is-cut-short-by-the-intrusion-of/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Literature becomes the living memory of a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-becomes-the-living-memory-of-a-nation/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [If there were no executioners, there would be no executions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-there-were-no-executioners-there-would-be-no-executions/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/not-everything-has-a-name-some-things-lead-us-into-a-realm-beyond/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-is-almost-always-impossible-to-evaluate-at-the-time-events-which/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Human nature is full of riddles; . . . one of those riddles is: how is it that people who have been crushed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/human-nature-is-full-of-riddles-one-of-those-riddles-is-how-is-it/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was astonishing that the pseudo wreckers, who knew perfectly well that they weren't wreckers, believed that military men and priests were being shaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-astonishing-that-the-pseudo-wreckers-who-knew-perfectly-well/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [When the whole discussion of "developing a national idea" hastily began in post-Soviet Russia, I tried to pour cold water on it with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-the-whole-discussion-of-developing-a-national-idea-hastily-began/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-granted-me-to-carry-away-from-my-prison-years-on-my-bent-back/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Call no day happy 'til it is done; call no man happy til he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/call-no-day-happy-til-it-is-done-call-no-man-happy-til-he-is-dead/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes a person's noblest impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/whenever-the-tissue-of-life-is-woven-of-legalistic-relationships-this/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Surrender one hair, and you'll end up beardless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/surrender-one-hair-and-you-ll-end-up-beardless/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) [Explore all 412 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## More Power quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason is terror and force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-one-means-that-wins-the-easiest-victory-over-reason-is-terror-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/decide-v-i-to-succumb-to-the-preponderance-of-one-set-of-influences/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [With every product, the delta between the brand and the reality determines its power over the minds of consumers, and with Trump, that delta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/with-every-product-the-delta-between-the-brand-and-the-reality/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) [Browse all 17,893 Power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. 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