--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When men in power decide that things need…" description: "\"“When men in power decide that things need to be rebalanced at any cost, the violence is never brief and never really directed solely at the imbalance ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/dean-koontz-118_corruption_when-men-in-power-decide-that-things-nee_1844954.jpg" --- # When men in power decide that things need to be rebalanced… ![“When men in power decide that things need to be rebalanced at any cost, the violence is never brief and never really directed solely at the imbalance that supposedly inspired it. The rule of law becomes the rule of violence. Revenge becomes a synonym for justice. No city is safe from such horror…” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/dean-koontz-118_corruption_when-men-in-power-decide-that-things-nee_1844954.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/dean-koontz-118_corruption_when-men-in-power-decide-that-things-nee_1844954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/dean-koontz-118_corruption_when-men-in-power-decide-that-things-nee_1844954.jpg) > ““When men in power decide that things need to be rebalanced at any cost, the violence is never brief and never really directed solely at the imbalance that supposedly inspired it. The rule of law becomes the rule of violence. Revenge becomes a synonym for justice. No city is safe from such horror, no nation, no time in all of history. Be ready to recognize the moment. Be always ready.”” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful attempts to force balance often unleash unchecked violence, turning law into oppression and revenge into justice. **In simple terms:** Violence follows when power forces rebalancing. Key Takeaway Guard against authoritarian overreach. Themes power justice violence law Mood cautionary critical Type analysis warning When to use this quote - political reforms - civil protests - legal safeguards - media scrutiny Key Concepts authoritarianism moral inversion social upheaval Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a shift toward violence? - How can societies preserve rule of law? A Different Perspective May overgeneralize all power attempts as violent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [Rule of law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-of-law/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [One of the main arguments that I make in my new book, 'The Great Degeneration,' is that the rule of law in the U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/one-of-the-main-arguments-that-i-make-in-my-new-book-the-great/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Let's think about how we can bring economic development, let's see if people could learn a little more of the rule of law, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/let-s-think-about-how-we-can-bring-economic-development-let-s-see-if/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [“the rule of law is not the same as rule by law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-rule-of-law-is-not-the-same-as-rule-by-law/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Working together, we can build a world in which the rule of law — not the rule of force — governs relations between states.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/working-together-we-can-build-a-world-in-which-the-rule-of-law-not/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [The controversy between rule of law and rule of men was never relevant to women because, along with juveniles, imbeciles, and other classes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freda-adler/the-controversy-between-rule-of-law-and-rule-of-men-was-never/) [Freda Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freda-adler/) > [“Americans could once boast proudly that their system set the benchmark for the world; the United States was the rule of law. 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Do whatever you must do to make it stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-lindholm/there-is-only-one-rule-about-violence-do-whatever-you-must-do-to-make/) [Megan Lindholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-lindholm/) > [Overregulation corrupts citizens and weakens the rule of law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/overregulation-corrupts-citizens-and-weakens-the-rule-of-law/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Any new legal measures, or cooperative arrangements between government and companies meant to keep people from organizing violence or criminal actions, must not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/any-new-legal-measures-or-cooperative-arrangements-between-government/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. 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