--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to disabuse people of the idea…" description: "\"I want to disabuse people of the idea that knowledge is power. Knowing how to get to Detroit is not the same thing as having the bus fare.\" — Andrew Va..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/andrew-vachss-8127_bus_i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-th_453916.png" --- # I want to disabuse people of the idea that knowledge is… ![“I want to disabuse people of the idea that knowledge is power. Knowing how to get to Detroit is not the same thing as having the bus fare.” quote by Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/andrew-vachss-8127_bus_i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-th_453916.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/andrew-vachss-8127_bus_i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-th_453916.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/andrew-vachss-8127_bus_i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-th_453916.png) > “I want to disabuse people of the idea that knowledge is power. Knowing how to get to Detroit is not the same thing as having the bus fare.” [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He challenges the notion that knowledge equals power, emphasizing that having information (like directions) is useless without resources (like money). **In simple terms:** Knowing something isn’t enough without means to act on it. Key Takeaway Access to resources is essential for empowerment. Themes knowledge power resource disparity Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical social critique When to use this quote - education - public policy - community aid Key Concepts economic inequality information access social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can societies bridge the gap between information and resources? - What policies can ensure knowledge translates to opportunity? A Different Perspective Even with knowledge, systemic barriers can prevent action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Knowledge is power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-is-power/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [As a teenager I had never been able to accept the fact of having to go to the back of a bus or sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/as-a-teenager-i-had-never-been-able-to-accept-the-fact-of-having-to/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The more extensive a man's knowledge of what has been done, the greater will be his power of knowing what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-more-extensive-a-man-s-knowledge-of-what-has-been-done-the/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Power is knowing your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/power-is-knowing-your-past/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [“The power of faith can be a strong force, but the power of knowing is even stronger. ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/the-power-of-faith-can-be-a-strong-force-but-the-power-of-knowing-is/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [“Among all these stupid pretty women she had such a sense of power, of knowing almost everything better than they did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/among-all-these-stupid-pretty-women-she-had-such-a-sense-of-power-of/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“There is power in knowing what you want. Once you know, you can go get it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-nicole-mason/there-is-power-in-knowing-what-you-want-once-you-know-you-can-go-get/) [C. Nicole Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-nicole-mason/) > [“To live life on your own terms, you've got to understand that you're going to get it wrong sometimes, but you'll have power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-aitchison/to-live-life-on-your-own-terms-you-ve-got-to-understand-that-you-re/) [Steven Aitchison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-aitchison/) > [I think in the NFL knowledge is power, and you try to get the knowledge by whatever means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-sabol/i-think-in-the-nfl-knowledge-is-power-and-you-try-to-get-the/) [Steve Sabol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-sabol/) > [It is a common sentence that knowledge is power; but who hath duly considered or set forth the power of ignorance? Knowledge slowly builds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/it-is-a-common-sentence-that-knowledge-is-power-but-who-hath-duly/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Most people aren't unsuccessful in life because they don't know what to do. They are unsuccessful because they don't DO what they know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-duncan/most-people-aren-t-unsuccessful-in-life-because-they-don-t-know-what/) [Al Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-duncan/) > [Knowledge is power and enthusiasm pulls the switch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-droke/knowledge-is-power-and-enthusiasm-pulls-the-switch/) Steve Droke > [“People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it’s the other way around. Stories exist independently of their players. If you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/people-think-that-stories-are-shaped-by-people-in-fact-it-s-the-other/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Purity culture often functions by shaming us for seeking knowledge about our own bodies. Studying even the scientific elements of sexual intercourse can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-anderson/purity-culture-often-functions-by-shaming-us-for-seeking-knowledge/) [Dianna Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-anderson/) > [Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-boyce/knowledge-is-power-knowledge-shared-is-power-multiplied/) Robert Boyce ## More by Andrew Vachss > [Max Allan Collins blends fact and fiction like no other writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/max-allan-collins-blends-fact-and-fiction-like-no-other-writer/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [People are pushing against the fabric of society all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/people-are-pushing-against-the-fabric-of-society-all-the-time/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [“He had the radio turned to some Spanish-language station at a volume that reminded me of the holding tank at Riker's Island - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/he-had-the-radio-turned-to-some-spanish-language-station-at-a-volume/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [Stealing to eat ain’t criminal—stealing to be rich is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/stealing-to-eat-ain-t-criminal-stealing-to-be-rich-is/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [I believe my publisher has shown a great deal of faith in me over a lot of years but I'm not prepared to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/i-believe-my-publisher-has-shown-a-great-deal-of-faith-in-me-over-a/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [When you hunt predators, the best camouflage is weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/when-you-hunt-predators-the-best-camouflage-is-weakness/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [The idea that you're not a writer until you're published is a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/the-idea-that-you-re-not-a-writer-until-you-re-published-is-a-lie/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [A free press doesn't mean it's not a tame press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/a-free-press-doesn-t-mean-it-s-not-a-tame-press/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [“the ferret, hunting, eyes on the ground, never hears footsteps of the hawk”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/the-ferret-hunting-eyes-on-the-ground-never-hears-footsteps-of-the/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [My stuff isn't for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/my-stuff-isn-t-for-everyone/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [He said when the Lord made people He made them all the same for starters. But life marks people. If you know the way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/he-said-when-the-lord-made-people-he-made-them-all-the-same-for/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [The third person narrator, instead of being omniscient, is like a constantly running surveillance tape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/the-third-person-narrator-instead-of-being-omniscient-is-like-a/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [Journalism is the protection between people and any sort of totalitarian rule. That's why my hero, admittedly a flawed one, is a journalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/journalism-is-the-protection-between-people-and-any-sort-of/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [Victimizers of children are the enemies of any so-called society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/victimizers-of-children-are-the-enemies-of-any-so-called-society/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [Ask any experienced defense lawyer: the real risks are for an accused person who is innocent. A guilty defendant has many more options available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/ask-any-experienced-defense-lawyer-the-real-risks-are-for-an-accused/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) [Explore all 84 Andrew Vachss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) ## More Bus quotes > [“You go into extinction by being obsessed about becoming something else and then travelling in the wrong car while your real self keeps waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-go-into-extinction-by-being-obsessed-about-becoming-something/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [I only started driving lessons because of comedy - before that, there's be no need. There was a bus from where I lived to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-millican/i-only-started-driving-lessons-because-of-comedy-before-that-there-s/) [Sarah Millican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-millican/) > [I've been so lucky with the people I've worked with, but I'm such a fan girl. When I moved to London at 16, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheridan-smith/i-ve-been-so-lucky-with-the-people-i-ve-worked-with-but-i-m-such-a/) [Sheridan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheridan-smith/) > [When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-came-back-after-all-those-stories-about-hitler-and-his-snub-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [No-deal Brexit could be Boris Johnson's biggest deception yet - worse than the Boris bus or the lies that had him sacked as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/no-deal-brexit-could-be-boris-johnson-s-biggest-deception-yet-worse/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [I'm very proud of being Italian-American, but people don't realize that the mafia is just this aberration. The real community is built on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/i-m-very-proud-of-being-italian-american-but-people-don-t-realize/) [Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/) > [The idea of photography as evidence is pure bullshit. A photo is no more proof of any reality than what you may hear being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-riboud/the-idea-of-photography-as-evidence-is-pure-bullshit-a-photo-is-no/) [Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-riboud/) > [I don't think anything happens without the press, one way or the other. I think it's all done for it. You saw it start,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-don-t-think-anything-happens-without-the-press-one-way-or-the-other/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Our bodies penetrate the sofas upon which we sit and the sofas penetrate our bodies. The motorbus rushes into the houses which it passes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-boccioni/our-bodies-penetrate-the-sofas-upon-which-we-sit-and-the-sofas/) [Umberto Boccioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-boccioni/) > [Back in the day, when we'd get into a town, I would go in the phone book and look up record stores. Then I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-schneider/back-in-the-day-when-we-d-get-into-a-town-i-would-go-in-the-phone/) [Fred Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-schneider/) > [I quietly work with my computer on the tour bus, and then I wait to make my more natural rhythms when I get home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jain/i-quietly-work-with-my-computer-on-the-tour-bus-and-then-i-wait-to/) [Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jain/) > [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Perhaps we've time to have a look at the Number Thirty-One bus queue before we turn in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-trillin/perhaps-we-ve-time-to-have-a-look-at-the-number-thirty-one-bus-queue/) [Calvin Trillin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-trillin/) Browse all 1,135 Bus quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I want to disabuse people of the idea that knowledge is power. Knowing how to get to Detroit is not the same thing as having the bus fare.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Vachss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-that-knowledge-is-power-knowing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-that-knowledge-is-power-knowing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/andrew-vachss-8127_bus_i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-th_453916.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/andrew-vachss-8127_bus_i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-th_453916.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/andrew-vachss-8127_bus_i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-th_453916.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I want to disabuse people of the idea that knowledge is power. Knowing how to get to Detroit is not the same…” — Andrew Vachss", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andrew Vachss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I want to disabuse people of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-that-knowledge-is-power-knowing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/i-want-to-disabuse-people-of-the-idea-that-knowledge-is-power-knowing/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```