--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For years, we've been bludgeoned with the…" description: "\"For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliche \"information is power.\" But information isn't power. After all, who's got the most information in your..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/clifford-stoll-13747_cliche_for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the_2162235.jpg" --- # For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliche… ![“For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliche "information is power." But information isn't power. After all, who's got the most information in your neighborhood? Librarians. And they're famous for having no power at all. And who has the most power in your community? Politicians. And they're…” quote by Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/clifford-stoll-13747_cliche_for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the_2162235.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/clifford-stoll-13747_cliche_for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the_2162235.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/clifford-stoll-13747_cliche_for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the_2162235.jpg) > “For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliche "information is power." But information isn't power. After all, who's got the most information in your neighborhood? Librarians. And they're famous for having no power at all. And who has the most power in your community? Politicians. And they're notorious for being ill-informed.” [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Information alone does not confer power; authority comes from control and influence, not data possession. **In simple terms:** Data isn’t power; influence is. Key Takeaway Seek influence, not just data. Themes knowledge power authority information society Mood reflective critical analytical Type advice philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - library work - political activism - community organizing - media strategy Key Concepts information asymmetry institutional authority media literacy Questions to Reflect On - How do you turn information into influence? - What barriers prevent data from becoming power? A Different Perspective Power structures can limit the impact of information. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cliche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliche/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information is power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-is-power/) [Information Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-isn-2394029/) [Information Neighborhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-neighborhood-4592595/) [Information Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-power-758953/) [Librarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarian/) [Librarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarians/) [Librarians Famous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/librarians-famous-3215392/) [Neighborhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighborhood/) [Notorious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notorious/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/knowledge-is-power-information-is-power-the-secreting-or-hoarding-of/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [Information is power. Disinformation is abuse of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newton-lee/information-is-power-disinformation-is-abuse-of-power/) [Newton Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newton-lee/) > [Information is power only if you can take action with it. Then, and only then, does it represent knowledge and, consequently, power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burrus/information-is-power-only-if-you-can-take-action-with-it-then-and/) [Daniel Burrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-burrus/) > [Information is power. --Humfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piers-anthony/information-is-power-humfrey/) [Piers Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piers-anthony/) > [Information is power. If you have information about the whole planet you have power over the whole planet. By knowing what people do in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-appelbaum/information-is-power-if-you-have-information-about-the-whole-planet/) [Jacob Appelbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-appelbaum/) > [Let me go back to a fundamental thing we all used to agree on: information is power. That's why we became journalists in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-ressa/let-me-go-back-to-a-fundamental-thing-we-all-used-to-agree-on/) [Maria Ressa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-ressa/) > [If information is power, why are the powerful so ill informed?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-curley/if-information-is-power-why-are-the-powerful-so-ill-informed/) [Arthur Curley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-curley/) > [I am of mixed minds about the issue of privacy. On one hand, I understand that information is power, and power is, well, power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-of-mixed-minds-about-the-issue-of-privacy-on-one-hand-i/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Information is power. You can never know ahead of time which pieces will be worth the most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/information-is-power-you-can-never-know-ahead-of-time-which-pieces/) [Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/) > [We give you the facts. I told you information is power - knowledge is power. We can't be in an ideological battle to redeem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavis-smiley/we-give-you-the-facts-i-told-you-information-is-power-knowledge-is/) [Tavis Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavis-smiley/) > [We have an opportunity for everyone in the world to have access to all the world's information. This has never before been possible. Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/we-have-an-opportunity-for-everyone-in-the-world-to-have-access-to/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [Information is power. Particularly when the competition ignores the opportunity to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/information-is-power-particularly-when-the-competition-ignores-the/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [“Information is power. Information empowers. Information is powerless if not applied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saji-ijiyemi/information-is-power-information-empowers-information-is-powerless-if/) [Saji Ijiyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saji-ijiyemi/) > [Information is Power. Think For Yourself. CAUTION: proper use of the brain is not endorsed by federal governments nor huge corporations involved in serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/information-is-power-think-for-yourself-caution-proper-use-of-the/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/information-is-power-and-the-gain-you-get-from-empowering-your/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) ## More by Clifford Stoll > [Rather than bringing me closer to others, the time that I spend online isolates me from the most important people in my life, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/rather-than-bringing-me-closer-to-others-the-time-that-i-spend-online/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [“VI was predecessor to hundreds of word processing systems. By now, Unix folks see it as a bit stodgy—it hasn’t the versatility of Gnu-Emacs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/vi-was-predecessor-to-hundreds-of-word-processing-systems-by-now-unix/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [It's easier to apologize afterwards than getting something allowed in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/it-s-easier-to-apologize-afterwards-than-getting-something-allowed-in/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [Data isn't information, any more than fifty tons of cement is a skyscraper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/data-isn-t-information-any-more-than-fifty-tons-of-cement-is-a/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/treat-your-password-like-your-toothbrush-don-t-let-anybody-else-use/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [There is a difference between having access to information and having the savvy it takes to interpret it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/there-is-a-difference-between-having-access-to-information-and-having/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [No computer network with pretty graphics can ever replace the salespeople that make our society work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/no-computer-network-with-pretty-graphics-can-ever-replace-the/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [If you don't have an e-mail address, you're in the Netherworld. If you don't have your own World Wide Web page, you're a nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/if-you-don-t-have-an-e-mail-address-you-re-in-the-netherworld-if-you/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [“The astronomer's rule of thumb: if you didn't write it down, it didn't happen”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/the-astronomer-s-rule-of-thumb-if-you-didn-t-write-it-down-it-didn-t/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [We'll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Internet. Uh, sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/we-ll-soon-buy-books-and-newspapers-straight-over-the-internet-uh-sure/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [“Over the past decade Stallman created a powerful editing program called Gnu-Emacs. But Gnu’s much more than just a text editor. It’s easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/over-the-past-decade-stallman-created-a-powerful-editing-program/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [The truth is no online database will replace your daily newspaper, no CD-ROM can take the place of a competent teacher and no computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/the-truth-is-no-online-database-will-replace-your-daily-newspaper-no/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [Spending an evening on the World Wide Web is much like sitting down to a dinner of Cheetos, two hours later your fingers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/spending-an-evening-on-the-world-wide-web-is-much-like-sitting-down/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [The virtual community? The word virtual does not mean "virtue." It means "not." When I go to the store and they say: The shirt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/the-virtual-community-the-word-virtual-does-not-mean-virtue-it-means/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [Call me a troglodyte; I'd rather peruse those photos alongside my sweetheart, catch the newspaper on the way to work, and page thorough a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/call-me-a-troglodyte-i-d-rather-peruse-those-photos-alongside-my/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) [Explore all 48 Clifford Stoll quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) ## More Cliche quotes > [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [It's a bit cliche, but you can't go wrong by writing what you know. Even if you're a horrible writer, your own knowledge and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/it-s-a-bit-cliche-but-you-can-t-go-wrong-by-writing-what-you-know/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [“As an opener, I'd like to state that elves are certainly NOT cliché. It doesn't matter if they all have pointy ears, or they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fanney/as-an-opener-i-d-like-to-state-that-elves-are-certainly-not-clich-it/) [Robert Fanney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fanney/) > [“NormnAl, "Like, Share, Follow and subscribe" - The typical cliche drill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/normnal-like-share-follow-and-subscribe-the-typical-cliche-drill/) [Deyth Banger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deyth-banger/) > [To move past fear is a cliche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/to-move-past-fear-is-a-cliche/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [There are trappings of science fiction which I kind of embrace, but there are also cliches which I run from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/there-are-trappings-of-science-fiction-which-i-kind-of-embrace-but/) [David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/) > [Audiences are hungry for something different. With binge-watching, they're hungry for interesting content they haven't seen before, and they want to be entertained. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-millar/audiences-are-hungry-for-something-different-with-binge-watching-they/) [Miles Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-millar/) > [A popular cliche in philosophy says that science is pure analysis or reductionism, like taking the rainbow to pieces; and art is pure synthesis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-popular-cliche-in-philosophy-says-that-science-is-pure-analysis-or/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [I think the French have a romantic cliche that Englishmen have great style, great music, irony and sense of humour. Well, sometimes cliches are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/i-think-the-french-have-a-romantic-cliche-that-englishmen-have-great/) [Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/) > [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [“The more you know, the less you understand. That's so cliche'. Wanna know the scary version? The more you know, the more fuckups you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/the-more-you-know-the-less-you-understand-that-s-so-cliche-wanna-know/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You can't do anything if a person says no. In such a case, there's nothing you can do - unlike the popular cliche that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-wolf/you-can-t-do-anything-if-a-person-says-no-in-such-a-case-there-s/) [Markus Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-wolf/) > [“Sometimes people overlooked how useful a cliché was. It got everyone thinking about things in the same sort of way, and that could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leese/sometimes-people-overlooked-how-useful-a-clich-was-it-got-everyone/) [Michael Leese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leese/) > [When academics claim a topic is obsolete, they mean merely they are tired of flogging it with their cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/when-academics-claim-a-topic-is-obsolete-they-mean-merely-they-are/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) [Browse all 601 Cliche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliche/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliche \"information is power.\" But information isn't power. After all, who's got the most information in your neighborhood? Librarians. And they're famous for having no power at all. And who has the most power in your community? Politicians. And they're notorious for being ill-informed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clifford Stoll" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the-cliche-information-is-power/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cliche" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the-cliche-information-is-power/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/clifford-stoll-13747_cliche_for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the_2162235.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/clifford-stoll-13747_cliche_for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the_2162235.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/clifford-stoll-13747_cliche_for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the_2162235.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For years, we've been bludgeoned with the cliche \"information is power.\" But information isn't power. After…” — Clifford Stoll", "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": "Clifford Stoll", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For years, we've been bludgeoned with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the-cliche-information-is-power/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/for-years-we-ve-been-bludgeoned-with-the-cliche-information-is-power/#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 } } ] } ```