--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A dagger is the noble weapon of Brutus…" description: "\"A dagger is the noble weapon of Brutus. Everyone understands that tyrants fall to daggers. A bomb is a sordid modern device with many complex working p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/bruce-sterling-3596_bombs_a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-e_438428.jpg" --- # A dagger is the noble weapon of Brutus. Everyone… ![“A dagger is the noble weapon of Brutus. Everyone understands that tyrants fall to daggers. A bomb is a sordid modern device with many complex working parts. Only engineers understand bombs” quote by Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/bruce-sterling-3596_bombs_a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-e_438428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/bruce-sterling-3596_bombs_a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-e_438428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/bruce-sterling-3596_bombs_a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-e_438428.jpg) > “A dagger is the noble weapon of Brutus. Everyone understands that tyrants fall to daggers. A bomb is a sordid modern device with many complex working parts. Only engineers understand bombs” [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts ancient personal weapons with modern complex bombs, implying only specialists grasp today's destructive tech. **In simple terms:** Old weapons are simple; modern bombs are complex and understood by engineers. Key Takeaway Recognize expertise needed for modern threats. Themes technology war expertise complexity Mood cautious analytical Type critical informative When to use this quote - military planning - policy making - public safety education - risk assessment Key Concepts engineering weaponry specialization Questions to Reflect On - How does specialization affect accountability? - Do we rely too much on experts? A Different Perspective Complex systems still require human judgment beyond technical knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Dagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dagger/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Tyrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrants/) [Weapon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapon/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) ## Related quotes > [Think about it. He drinks poison. What kind of man drinks poison? She is the one who stabs herself with his dagger. The manly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fortier/think-about-it-he-drinks-poison-what-kind-of-man-drinks-poison-she-is/) [Anne Fortier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fortier/) > [His dagger was out, poised at her throat. “Sing, little bird. Sing for your little life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/his-dagger-was-out-poised-at-her-throat-sing-little-bird-sing-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you saw me with a dagger in hand - as if to throw at you - you didn't call for your guards. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/when-you-saw-me-with-a-dagger-in-hand-as-if-to-throw-at-you-you-didn/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [The dagger plunged in the name of freedom is plunged into the breast of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/the-dagger-plunged-in-the-name-of-freedom-is-plunged-into-the-breast/) [Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/) > [The truth is not in the commercial media because the truth is a dagger pointed at its heart, which is its pocketbook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-seldes/the-truth-is-not-in-the-commercial-media-because-the-truth-is-a/) [George Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-seldes/) > [When fate throws a dagger at you, there are ways to catch it. If you catch it by the blade, you can harm yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/when-fate-throws-a-dagger-at-you-there-are-ways-to-catch-it-if-you/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [You have, let us say, a promising politician, a rising artist that you wish to destroy. Dagger or bomb are archaic, clumsy and unreliable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/you-have-let-us-say-a-promising-politician-a-rising-artist-that-you/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [“Along the way, he followed his own advice and snagged a pair of mismatched daggers from the corpses of fallen archers. They weren’t as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-hayes/along-the-way-he-followed-his-own-advice-and-snagged-a-pair-of/) [Drew Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-hayes/) > [Time is but a phantom dagger That motion lifts to slay itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-bodenheim/time-is-but-a-phantom-dagger-that-motion-lifts-to-slay-itself/) [Maxwell Bodenheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-bodenheim/) > [Glad you're back to normal. The makeup and the dress were a lot more intimidating than the dagger." "Get going, Sparky, before I skewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/glad-you-re-back-to-normal-the-makeup-and-the-dress-were-a-lot-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-this-a-dagger-which-i-see-before-me-the-handle-toward-my-hand-come-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-this-a-dagger-which-i-see-before-me-the-handle-toward-my-hand/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In Narnia a girl might ring a bell in a deserted temple and feel the chime in her eyes, pure as the freeze that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/in-narnia-a-girl-might-ring-a-bell-in-a-deserted-temple-and-feel-the/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [The hand that held the dagger has struck it into the back of its neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/the-hand-that-held-the-dagger-has-struck-it-into-the-back-of-its/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [The samurais lived with death constantly. They wore a short dagger to take their own life if need be. At any moment they might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-samurais-lived-with-death-constantly-they-wore-a-short-dagger-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Bruce Sterling > [They used to be seen as insane or unthinkable acts of madmen. But if they take place they'll be called 'war' too. And there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/they-used-to-be-seen-as-insane-or-unthinkable-acts-of-madmen-but-if/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [“You give a guy a license to steal, you've got to expect him to use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/you-give-a-guy-a-license-to-steal-you-ve-got-to-expect-him-to-use-it/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [“America hadn't really been suited for its long and tiresome role as the Last Superpower, the World's Policeman. As a patriotic American, Oscar was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/america-hadn-t-really-been-suited-for-its-long-and-tiresome-role-as/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [“But the economy's out of control. Money just doesn't need human beings anymore. Most of us only get in the way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/but-the-economy-s-out-of-control-money-just-doesn-t-need-human-beings/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [It's going to be really interesting to see what the heroin market does in the next two years or so. One thing you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/it-s-going-to-be-really-interesting-to-see-what-the-heroin-market/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Information wants you to give me a dollar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/information-wants-you-to-give-me-a-dollar/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Architects thrive after massive urban disasters. The abject collapse of East Berlin gave us the only city in Europe with a mighty host of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/architects-thrive-after-massive-urban-disasters-the-abject-collapse/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Information wants to be free. Believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/information-wants-to-be-free-believe-it/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [The internet brought many laudable things, but prosperity, stability, accountability and honest politics were not four of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/the-internet-brought-many-laudable-things-but-prosperity-stability/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [I was once a student in a punk T-Shirt hooked on screwed-up scenarios. That's how I became the esteemed cultural figure that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/i-was-once-a-student-in-a-punk-t-shirt-hooked-on-screwed-up-scenarios/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [ “If America suffers from drugs, perhaps you should ask what America is lacking, \[“What an asshole,”\] Eric King commented suddenly. They ignored him.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/if-america-suffers-from-drugs-perhaps-you-should-ask-what-america-is/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [“Forget trying to pass for normal. Follow your geekdom. Embrace nerditude. In the immortal words of Lafcadio Hearn, a geek of incredible obscurity whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/forget-trying-to-pass-for-normal-follow-your-geekdom-embrace/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [I like to get paid for doing basic research, so it's pleasant to write some nonfiction about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/i-like-to-get-paid-for-doing-basic-research-so-it-s-pleasant-to-write/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [Find a client and get a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/find-a-client-and-get-a-job/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [I wouldn't describe that "position" as "parasitic." I'd describe that experience as "edifying." I don't merely write from a critical intellectual distance. I actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/i-wouldn-t-describe-that-position-as-parasitic-i-d-describe-that/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) [Explore all 126 Bruce Sterling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) ## More Bombs quotes > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I had a very well-respected writer ask me point blank to my face whether it actually mattered to me. Now, without wanting to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-furyk/i-had-a-very-well-respected-writer-ask-me-point-blank-to-my-face/) [Jim Furyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-furyk/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There are cameras nowadays that have been developed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-are-cameras-nowadays-that-have-been-developed-to-tell-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) [Browse all 1,253 Bombs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A dagger is the noble weapon of Brutus. Everyone understands that tyrants fall to daggers. A bomb is a sordid modern device with many complex working parts. Only engineers understand bombs", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Sterling" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-everyone-understands-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bombs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-everyone-understands-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/bruce-sterling-3596_bombs_a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-e_438428.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/bruce-sterling-3596_bombs_a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-e_438428.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/bruce-sterling-3596_bombs_a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-e_438428.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A dagger is the noble weapon of Brutus. Everyone understands that tyrants fall to daggers. A bomb is a…” — Bruce Sterling", "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": "Bruce Sterling", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A dagger is the noble weapon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-everyone-understands-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-everyone-understands-that/#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 } } ] } ```