---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The potential for the disastrous rise of…"
description: "\"The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.\" — Dwight D. Eisenhower"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_acquisition_the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of_1685630.jpg"
---

#  The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power…

![“The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_acquisition_the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of_1685630.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_acquisition_the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of_1685630.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_acquisition_the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of_1685630.jpg)

> “The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Misplaced power can lead to catastrophic outcomes and will continue to be a threat.

**In simple terms:** Power misused causes disaster.

Key Takeaway

Guard against concentration of power.

Themes

power danger politics

Mood

cautious serious

Type

political warning

When to use this quote

- government
- corporate leadership
- social movements

Key Concepts

authoritarianism corruption

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards exist?
- How can citizens act?

A Different Perspective

May be overly pessimistic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Acquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquisition/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Conspiracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy/) [Corporatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporatism/) [Farewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farewell/) [Farewell address](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farewell-address/) [Great military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-military/) [Military industrial complex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-industrial-complex/) [Military power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-power/) [Nwo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nwo/) [Power of speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-speech/) [Take nothing for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/take-nothing-for-granted/) [Ufo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ufo/)

## Related quotes

> [The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-l-eisen/the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of-misplaced-power-exists-and-2/)

[Norman L. Eisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-l-eisen/)

> [In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/in-the-councils-of-government-we-must-guard-against-the-acquisition/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [When we are angry or depressed in our creativity, we have misplaced our power. We have allowed someone else to determine our worth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-margaret-cameron/when-we-are-angry-or-depressed-in-our-creativity-we-have-misplaced/)

[Julia Margaret Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-margaret-cameron/)

> [Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/under-the-clouds-of-war-it-is-humanity-hanging-on-a-cross-of-iron/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [We are a social animal, power only exists in a social sense, we have to work in groups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/we-are-a-social-animal-power-only-exists-in-a-social-sense-we-have-to/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

> [The Wind that Blows, the Water that Flows, the Sun that Glows, are all proof that a Power exists. Believe and Experience the Universal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/the-wind-that-blows-the-water-that-flows-the-sun-that-glows-are-all/)

RVM

> [The power in which we must have faith if we would be well, is the creative and curative power which exists in every living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-harvey-kellogg/the-power-in-which-we-must-have-faith-if-we-would-be-well-is-the/)

[John Harvey Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-harvey-kellogg/)

> [“Extraordinary power exists in a trial of patience. Few endure their trials well enough to discover this.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/extraordinary-power-exists-in-a-trial-of-patience-few-endure-their/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [No one has proof that I know of, that a higher power exists, yet a major portion of the world believes in it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/no-one-has-proof-that-i-know-of-that-a-higher-power-exists-yet-a/)

[Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/)

> [“The power we seek, too, seems to be a continuous loop. I have always been sympathetic with the early notion of a divine power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard-author/the-power-we-seek-too-seems-to-be-a-continuous-loop-i-have-always/)

[Annie Dillard (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard-author/)

> [The idea of abstract power only exists for academics, not in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-idea-of-abstract-power-only-exists-for-academics-not-in-real-life/)

[Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/)

> [Teachers have power. We may cripple them by petty economics; by Government regulations, by the foolish criticism of an uninformed press; but their power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/teachers-have-power-we-may-cripple-them-by-petty-economics-by/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [The only power that exists is inside ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/the-only-power-that-exists-is-inside-ourselves/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [The sun, the moon, the stars, the birds, the animals, the flowers, are all proof that a universal power exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/the-sun-the-moon-the-stars-the-birds-the-animals-the-flowers-are-all/)

RVM

> [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/)

[William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/)

## More by Dwight D. Eisenhower

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/every-gun-that-is-made-every-warship-launched-every-rocket-fired/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [We have won an armistice on a single battlefield, not peace in our world. We may not now relax our guard nor cease our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/we-have-won-an-armistice-on-a-single-battlefield-not-peace-in-our/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Things are more like they are now than they ever were before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/things-are-more-like-they-are-now-than-they-ever-were-before/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/soldiers-sailors-and-airmen-of-the-allied-expeditionary-force-you-are/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/don-t-join-the-book-burners-don-t-think-you-re-going-to-conceal/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Knowledge-full, unfettered knowledge of its own heritage, of freedom's enemies, of the whole world of men and ideas-this knowledge is a free people's surest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/knowledge-full-unfettered-knowledge-of-its-own-heritage-of-freedom-s/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Any nations right to a form of government and economic system of its own choosing is inalienable. Any nations attempt to dictate to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/any-nations-right-to-a-form-of-government-and-economic-system-of-its/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The peace we seek, founded upon decent trust and cooperation among nations, can be fortified not by weapons of war but by wheat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-peace-we-seek-founded-upon-decent-trust-and-cooperation-among/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The only way to win World War III is to prevent it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-only-way-to-win-world-war-iii-is-to-prevent-it/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [I’m going to pass a law that no one can ask me my golf score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-m-going-to-pass-a-law-that-no-one-can-ask-me-my-golf-score/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [For all that we cherish and justly desire - for ourselves or for our children - the securing of peace is the first requisite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/for-all-that-we-cherish-and-justly-desire-for-ourselves-or-for-our/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Never waste a minute thinking about people you don't like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/never-waste-a-minute-thinking-about-people-you-don-t-like/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Do not needlessly endanger your lives until I give you the signal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/do-not-needlessly-endanger-your-lives-until-i-give-you-the-signal/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

[Explore all 515 Dwight D. Eisenhower quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

## More Acquisition quotes

> [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/)

K. Anders Ericsson

> [ No one suffers so much as he \[the genius\] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius-with-the-people-and-therefore/)

[Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/)

> [Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/personal-happiness-lies-in-knowing-that-life-is-not-a-checklist-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We may... affirm that the balance of power in a society accompanies the balance of property in land. The only possible way, then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-may-affirm-that-the-balance-of-power-in-a-society-accompanies-the/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [Learning to play the guitar is a combination of mental and motor skill acquisition. And to develop motor skill, repetition is essential... Whenever musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-roberts/learning-to-play-the-guitar-is-a-combination-of-mental-and-motor/)

[Howard Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-roberts/)

> [All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milarepa/all-worldly-pursuits-have-but-one-unavoidable-and-inevitable-end/)

[Milarepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milarepa/)

> [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [Accounting consequences do not influence our operating or capital-allocation decisions. When acquisition costs are similar, we much prefer to purchase $2 of earnings that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/accounting-consequences-do-not-influence-our-operating-or-capital/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [A sustainable economy represents nothing less than a higher social order one as concerned with future generations as with our own, and more focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/a-sustainable-economy-represents-nothing-less-than-a-higher-social/)

[Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/)

> [One industrial age belief is that GDP or GNP is a measure of progress. I don't care if you're the President of China or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/one-industrial-age-belief-is-that-gdp-or-gnp-is-a-measure-of-progress/)

[Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/)

> [I ended up doing four or five plays in college and being an English major with my thesis in language acquisition, which I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/i-ended-up-doing-four-or-five-plays-in-college-and-being-an-english/)

[Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/)

> [But most automotive dealerships are set up for customer acquisition - which is crazy when you consider the average cost of customer acquisition is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hughes/but-most-automotive-dealerships-are-set-up-for-customer-acquisition/)

Arthur Hughes

> [As priestcraft was always the enemy of knowledge, because priestcraft supports itself by keeping people in delusion and ignorance, it was consistent with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/as-priestcraft-was-always-the-enemy-of-knowledge-because-priestcraft/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [Even as the unborn babe is in the womb of his mother, these five are fixed as his life destiny: his life span, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-as-the-unborn-babe-is-in-the-womb-of-his-mother-these-five-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [What becomes of a man who acquires a beautiful woman, with her "beauty" his sole target? He sabotages himself. He has gained no friend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/what-becomes-of-a-man-who-acquires-a-beautiful-woman-with-her-beauty/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

[Browse all 395 Acquisition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquisition/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dwight D. Eisenhower"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of-misplaced-power-exists-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acquisition"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of-misplaced-power-exists-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_acquisition_the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of_1685630.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_acquisition_the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of_1685630.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_acquisition_the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of_1685630.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower",
                "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": "Dwight D. Eisenhower",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The potential for the disastrous rise...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of-misplaced-power-exists-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-potential-for-the-disastrous-rise-of-misplaced-power-exists-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
