--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the fools do not control the world, it…" description: "\"If the fools do not control the world, it isn't because they are not in the majority.\" — E. W. Howe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b16/e-w-howe-2815_fool_if-the-fools-do-not-control-the-world-it_3215738.png" --- # If the fools do not control the world, it isn't because… ![“If the fools do not control the world, it isn't because they are not in the majority.” quote by E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b16/e-w-howe-2815_fool_if-the-fools-do-not-control-the-world-it_3215738.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b16/e-w-howe-2815_fool_if-the-fools-do-not-control-the-world-it_3215738.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b16/e-w-howe-2815_fool_if-the-fools-do-not-control-the-world-it_3215738.png) > “If the fools do not control the world, it isn't because they are not in the majority.” [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Minorities can wield disproportionate influence, so majority size doesn't guarantee control. **In simple terms:** Small groups can dominate. Key Takeaway Assess how minority voices shape outcomes. Themes politics power dynamics minority influence Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - elections - corporate boards - social movements - media narratives Key Concepts elite theory social leverage Questions to Reflect On - How do institutions prevent minority dominance? - When does minority control benefit society? A Different Perspective The quote may ignore democratic safeguards and collective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Fools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fools/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-majority-is-never-right-never-i-tell-you-that-s-one-of-these-lies/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [Always win fools first. They talk much, and what they have once uttered they will stick to; whereas there is always time, up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/always-win-fools-first-they-talk-much-and-what-they-have-once-uttered/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [O fools, awake! The rites ye sacred hold Are but a cheat contrived by men of old Who lusted after wealth and gained their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ma-arri/o-fools-awake-the-rites-ye-sacred-hold-are-but-a-cheat-contrived-by/) [Al-Maʿarri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ma-arri/) > [Men will cease to be fools only when they cease to be men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/men-will-cease-to-be-fools-only-when-they-cease-to-be-men/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [You're brilliant,"he says."But you're a fool to stay with someone like me." I close my eyes at the touch of his hand."Then we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/you-re-brilliant-he-says-but-you-re-a-fool-to-stay-with-someone-like/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [God looks out for fools and babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meshell-ndegeocello/god-looks-out-for-fools-and-babies/) [Meshell Ndegeocello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meshell-ndegeocello/) > [Only fools use their mouth to speak. A smart man uses his brain, and a wise man uses his heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/only-fools-use-their-mouth-to-speak-a-smart-man-uses-his-brain-and-a/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Controversy equalizes fools and wise men in the same way - and the fools know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/controversy-equalizes-fools-and-wise-men-in-the-same-way-and-the/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [The wise are wise only because they love. The fool are fools only because they think they can understand love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-wise-are-wise-only-because-they-love-the-fool-are-fools-only/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/fools-learn-from-experience-i-prefer-to-learn-from-the-experience-of/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [“What would have been the fate of sages if there were no fools?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/what-would-have-been-the-fate-of-sages-if-there-were-no-fools/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) > [Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prefer-to-be-defeated-in-the-presence-of-the-wise-than-to-excel-among/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [We learn the most from fools ... yet we pay them back with the worst ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-learn-the-most-from-fools-yet-we-pay-them-back-with-the-worst/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## More by E. W. Howe > [There is always a type of man who says he loves his fellow men, and expects to make a living at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/there-is-always-a-type-of-man-who-says-he-loves-his-fellow-men-and/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [I believe in grumbling; it is the politest form of fighting known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/i-believe-in-grumbling-it-is-the-politest-form-of-fighting-known/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [A theory is no more like a fact than a photograph is like a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/a-theory-is-no-more-like-a-fact-than-a-photograph-is-like-a-person/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [Few men progress, except as they are pushed along by events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/few-men-progress-except-as-they-are-pushed-along-by-events/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [Men are a good deal better collectively than they are individually. Many a man will do that privately which he will denounce in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/men-are-a-good-deal-better-collectively-than-they-are-individually/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [The modest person is usually admired, if people ever hear of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/the-modest-person-is-usually-admired-if-people-ever-hear-of-them/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [The greatest thing in the world is for a man to be able to do something well, and say nothing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/the-greatest-thing-in-the-world-is-for-a-man-to-be-able-to-do/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/no-man-would-listen-to-you-talk-if-he-didn-t-know-it-was-his-turn-next/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [People never have confidence in a Big Talker. They know his statements must be cut down, but they can never tell how much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/people-never-have-confidence-in-a-big-talker-they-know-his-statements/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [The only gambling tip which amounts to anything is to keep out of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/the-only-gambling-tip-which-amounts-to-anything-is-to-keep-out-of-the/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [One has fear in front of a goat, in back of a mule, and on every side of a fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/one-has-fear-in-front-of-a-goat-in-back-of-a-mule-and-on-every-side/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [No man's credit is ever as good as his money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/no-man-s-credit-is-ever-as-good-as-his-money/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [Some men storm imaginary Alps all their lives, and die in the foothills cursing difficulties which do not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/some-men-storm-imaginary-alps-all-their-lives-and-die-in-the/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [There is something in the red of a raspberry pie that looks as good to a man as the red in a sheep looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/there-is-something-in-the-red-of-a-raspberry-pie-that-looks-as-good/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [Love affairs have always greatly interested me, but I do not greatly care for them in books or moving pictures. In a love affair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/love-affairs-have-always-greatly-interested-me-but-i-do-not-greatly/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) [Explore all 149 E. W. Howe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) ## More Fool quotes > [Do I look like a fool to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/do-i-look-like-a-fool-to-you/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Not wise, perhaps, to be rude to the Pope's favorite son, but my viper tongue still required a fool now and then on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/not-wise-perhaps-to-be-rude-to-the-pope-s-favorite-son-but-my-viper/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [A fool and his money get a lot of publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-bernstein/a-fool-and-his-money-get-a-lot-of-publicity/) [Al Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-bernstein/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wc-fields/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-try-again-then-quit-no-use-being-a/) [WC Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wc-fields/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I'd be a fool to be in this for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-hinn/i-d-be-a-fool-to-be-in-this-for-the-money/) [Benny Hinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-hinn/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) > [Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prefer-to-be-defeated-in-the-presence-of-the-wise-than-to-excel-among/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) [Browse all 5,535 Fool quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the fools do not control the world, it isn't because they are not in the majority.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E. 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