--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If men should read these words, let them…" description: "\"If men should read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. Seek not to be bound by its chains.\" — Brandon Sanderson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/brandon-sanderson-112_burden_if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them_1501060.jpg" --- # If men should read these words, let them know that power… ![“If men should read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. Seek not to be bound by its chains.” quote by Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/brandon-sanderson-112_burden_if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them_1501060.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/brandon-sanderson-112_burden_if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them_1501060.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/brandon-sanderson-112_burden_if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them_1501060.jpg) > “If men should read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. Seek not to be bound by its chains.” [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power carries heavy responsibilities and can become oppressive if not managed wisely. **In simple terms:** Power is a burden. Key Takeaway Use power responsibly. Themes responsibility power burden Mood reflective serious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - politics - corporate leadership - personal influence Key Concepts ethics leadership Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities come with your influence? - How can you avoid being bound by power? A Different Perspective Power can be misused despite good intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Burden Seek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden-seek-5503100/) [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Heavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavy/) [Heavy burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavy-burden/) [Heavy burdens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavy-burdens/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-read-559641/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) ## Related quotes > [A heavy burden lifted from my soul, I heard that love was out of my control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/a-heavy-burden-lifted-from-my-soul-i-heard-that-love-was-out-of-my/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Humor makes our heavy burdens light and smoothes the rough spots in our pathways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ervin/humor-makes-our-heavy-burdens-light-and-smoothes-the-rough-spots-in/) [Sam Ervin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ervin/) > [The human mind is utterly stupid when it carries, quite willingly, the heavy burden of resentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/the-human-mind-is-utterly-stupid-when-it-carries-quite-willingly-the/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Love carries through many difficulties easily and makes heavy burdens light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cotton/love-carries-through-many-difficulties-easily-and-makes-heavy-burdens/) [John Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cotton/) > [A heart's a heavy burden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-wynne-jones/a-heart-s-a-heavy-burden/) [Diana Wynne Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-wynne-jones/) > [If politicians were serious about day care for children, instead of just sloganizing about it, nothing they could do would improve the quality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-politicians-were-serious-about-day-care-for-children-instead-of/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [I will light candles this Christmas, Candles of joy, despite all sadness, Candles of hope where despair keeps watch. Candles of courage where fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/i-will-light-candles-this-christmas-candles-of-joy-despite-all/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [You will find out that Charity is a heavy burden to carry, heavier than the kettle of soup and the full basket. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-find-out-that-charity-is-a-heavy-burden-to-carry-heavier/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How many weak shoulders have craved heavy burdens!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/how-many-weak-shoulders-have-craved-heavy-burdens/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [The chess world is obligated to organize a match between the champion of the world and the winner of this Carlsbad tournament - indeed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aron-nimzowitsch/the-chess-world-is-obligated-to-organize-a-match-between-the-champion/) [Aron Nimzowitsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aron-nimzowitsch/) > [I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-edward-viii/i-have-found-it-impossible-to-carry-the-heavy-burden-of-responsibility/) [King Edward VIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-edward-viii/) > [Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day's supply of food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/sufficient-for-the-day-is-all-that-we-can-enjoy-we-cannot-eat-or/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [As you know Cuba has progressed a lot regarding all the indicators of social development and those rates can be compared favorably with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/as-you-know-cuba-has-progressed-a-lot-regarding-all-the-indicators-of/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [I don't think I could tell the whole truth about anything. That's a pretty heavy burden, because we all just view the world through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-melvoin/i-don-t-think-i-could-tell-the-whole-truth-about-anything-that-s-a/) [Jeff Melvoin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-melvoin/) > [Sometimes the only way to carry a heavy burden is to share it with another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/sometimes-the-only-way-to-carry-a-heavy-burden-is-to-share-it-with/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) ## More by Brandon Sanderson > [“I’ll admit, Jasnah, that I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-ll-admit-jasnah-that-i-empathize-with-your-skepticism-but-i-don-t/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Why, Elend! That’s almost romantic—in a twisted ‘I’m going to make my wife want to kill me’ sort of way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/why-elend-that-s-almost-romantic-in-a-twisted-i-m-going-to-make-my/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“And...how much are we getting paid for achieving the impossible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/and-how-much-are-we-getting-paid-for-achieving-the-impossible/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elantris-was-the-one-place-where-she-could-remember-feeling/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elend smiled. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elend-smiled-oh-come-on-you-have-to-admit-that-you-re-unusual-vin-you/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“That is always how it is, though, isn't it?” Shuden asked. “Those who can least afford extravagance seem to be the ones most determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-is-always-how-it-is-though-isn-t-it-shuden-asked-those-who-can/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“He says he’s letting the Stormfather judge you,” Moash added. “Jezerezeh, king of Heralds. He says that if you deserve to live, you will….”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-says-he-s-letting-the-stormfather-judge-you-moash-added-jezerezeh/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“The stories say the Nightwatcher might be capable of that. . . . Powerful spren. Vast spren.’ ‘Is he calling me vast?’ Syl said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-stories-say-the-nightwatcher-might-be-capable-of-that-powerful/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“But the mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-the-mark-of-a-great-man-is-one-who-knows-when-to-set-aside-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-you-re-always-on-time-it-implies-that-you-never-have-anything/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [You are inexperienced. So was I, once. So is every man. The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-are-inexperienced-so-was-i-once-so-is-every-man-the-measure-of-a/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“So I should not hate Adolin Kholin for wielding a corpse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-i-should-not-hate-adolin-kholin-for-wielding-a-corpse/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) [Explore all 1,238 Brandon Sanderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More Burden quotes > [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/) [Simone Abou Samra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-abou-samra/) > [Trump's enduring appeal is a resource to be harnessed by the Republican Party, not a burden to be jettisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/trump-s-enduring-appeal-is-a-resource-to-be-harnessed-by-the/) [Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/) > [We want to free our citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office. We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“What a burden it must be to know all the terrible things you've done and support it with arms unfit to carry it all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-weikel/what-a-burden-it-must-be-to-know-all-the-terrible-things-you-ve-done/) [K. Weikel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-weikel/) > [And that, in a way, was the burden of being a philosopher: one knew what one had to do, but it was so often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/and-that-in-a-way-was-the-burden-of-being-a-philosopher-one-knew-what/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [It's a burden trying to keep a secret. It's hard. It probably takes more out of you trying to hold it and keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/it-s-a-burden-trying-to-keep-a-secret-it-s-hard-it-probably-takes/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) > [I've always liked artists like Chris Burden, who would take performances, put them in galleries, and then do things that were on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/i-ve-always-liked-artists-like-chris-burden-who-would-take/) [David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/) > [Our office...subjects us to great burdens and labors, dangers and temptations, with little reward or gratitude from the world. But Christ himself will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/our-office-subjects-us-to-great-burdens-and-labors-dangers-and/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burthensome, still paying, still to owe; Forgetful what from him I still receivd, And understood not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/the-debt-immense-of-endless-gratitude-so-burthensome-still-paying/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) [Browse all 2,567 Burden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If men should read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. Seek not to be bound by its chains.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brandon Sanderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them-know-that-power-is-a-heavy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Burden" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them-know-that-power-is-a-heavy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/brandon-sanderson-112_burden_if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them_1501060.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/brandon-sanderson-112_burden_if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them_1501060.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/brandon-sanderson-112_burden_if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them_1501060.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If men should read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. Seek not to be bound by its…” — Brandon Sanderson", "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": "Brandon Sanderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If men should read these words,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them-know-that-power-is-a-heavy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-men-should-read-these-words-let-them-know-that-power-is-a-heavy/#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 } } ] } ```