--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people who must never have power are…" description: "\"The people who must never have power are the humorless. To impossible certainties of rectitude they ally tedium and uniformity\" — Christopher Hitchens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/christopher-hitchens-117_allies_the-people-who-must-never-have-power-are_2239065.jpg" --- # The people who must never have power are the humorless. To… ![“The people who must never have power are the humorless. To impossible certainties of rectitude they ally tedium and uniformity” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/christopher-hitchens-117_allies_the-people-who-must-never-have-power-are_2239065.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/christopher-hitchens-117_allies_the-people-who-must-never-have-power-are_2239065.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/christopher-hitchens-117_allies_the-people-who-must-never-have-power-are_2239065.jpg) > “The people who must never have power are the humorless. To impossible certainties of rectitude they ally tedium and uniformity” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Those lacking humor cannot hold power; they cling to rigid certainty and monotony. **In simple terms:** Humorless people misuse power. Key Takeaway Value humor in leadership. Themes power humor uniformity Mood analytical provocative Type political philosophical When to use this quote - corporate leadership - government - media - education Key Concepts Political critique psychology of authority Questions to Reflect On - How does humor influence authority? - Can strict certainty coexist with creativity? A Different Perspective Humor can be weaponized for manipulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allies/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humorless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorless-299618/) [Humorless Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorless-impossible-5067996/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-power/) [Power Humorless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-humorless-5067995/) [Rectitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rectitude/) [Tedium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tedium/) [Tedium Uniformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tedium-uniformity-5067997/) ## Related quotes > [It is only the dogmatic, and the humorless, that don't succumb to my charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vermin-supreme/it-is-only-the-dogmatic-and-the-humorless-that-don-t-succumb-to-my/) [Vermin Supreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vermin-supreme/) > [My logisticians are a humorless lot ... they know if my campaign fails, they are the first ones I will slay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/my-logisticians-are-a-humorless-lot-they-know-if-my-campaign-fails/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [Folks are astounded that 'judge' isn't a synonym for 'humorless Luddite.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-willett/folks-are-astounded-that-judge-isn-t-a-synonym-for-humorless-luddite/) [Don Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-willett/) > [“The humorless puzzle of inequality and hate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-humorless-puzzle-of-inequality-and-hate/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“This guy was a humorless bag of nothing but.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/this-guy-was-a-humorless-bag-of-nothing-but/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [Exercise, to qualify at all, must be lonely, painfu, humorless, and boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-holland/exercise-to-qualify-at-all-must-be-lonely-painfu-humorless-and-boring/) [Barbara Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-holland/) > [Defining and analyzing humor is a pastime of humorless people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/defining-and-analyzing-humor-is-a-pastime-of-humorless-people/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [I find that I'm extremely unattracted to anything that's humorless. There is writing that is entirely serious, and it doesn't ring true to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-king/i-find-that-i-m-extremely-unattracted-to-anything-that-s-humorless/) [Owen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-king/) > [I find it strange that - at least in my take on it - the people who are the most alarmed about the dire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-find-it-strange-that-at-least-in-my-take-on-it-the-people-who-are/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“Kaz's laugh was low and humorless. "Who'd deny a poor cripple his cane?" "If the cripple is you, then any man with sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/kaz-s-laugh-was-low-and-humorless-who-d-deny-a-poor-cripple-his-cane/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [“No one really gives a ‘who who’ over who says who or whom, except for a few humorless ‘whomorists’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-thirteen/no-one-really-gives-a-who-who-over-who-says-who-or-whom-except-for-a/) [Terence Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-thirteen/) > [The majority of philosophers are totally humorless. That's part of their trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/the-majority-of-philosophers-are-totally-humorless-that-s-part-of/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [“There seems to be no lengths to which humorless people will not go to analyze humor. It seems to worry them." Robert Benchley (1889-1945)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/there-seems-to-be-no-lengths-to-which-humorless-people-will-not-go-to/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [Fight any instinct to be humorless, for humorlessness is the worst of all absurdities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/fight-any-instinct-to-be-humorless-for-humorlessness-is-the-worst-of/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [“A sense of humor is a serious business; and it isn't funny, not having one. Watch the humorless closely: the cocked and furtive way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/a-sense-of-humor-is-a-serious-business-and-it-isn-t-funny-not-having/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. 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Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-far-as-japan-is-concerned-i-want-to-help-all-of-our-allies-but-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ 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/) > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What would your life be like if your body were your friend and ally?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/what-would-your-life-be-like-if-your-body-were-your-friend-and-ally/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) > [“Bacteria and viruses were the most effective allies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-hughes-galeano/bacteria-and-viruses-were-the-most-effective-allies/) [Eduardo Hughes Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-hughes-galeano/) > [When black women are down with you and in your corner, you have an ally that will move Heaven and Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/when-black-women-are-down-with-you-and-in-your-corner-you-have-an/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [There is an irreplaceable ally. 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