--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The German Emperor is ageing me; he is…" description: "\"The German Emperor is ageing me; he is like a battleship with steam up and screws going, but with no rudder, and he will run into something some day an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/edward-grey-37260_ageing_the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-li_2275943.jpg" --- # The German Emperor is ageing me; he is like a battleship… ![“The German Emperor is ageing me; he is like a battleship with steam up and screws going, but with no rudder, and he will run into something some day and cause a catastrophe.” quote by Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/edward-grey-37260_ageing_the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-li_2275943.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/edward-grey-37260_ageing_the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-li_2275943.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/edward-grey-37260_ageing_the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-li_2275943.jpg) > “The German Emperor is ageing me; he is like a battleship with steam up and screws going, but with no rudder, and he will run into something some day and cause a catastrophe.” [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The German Emperor is compared to an uncontrolled battleship destined to cause disaster. **In simple terms:** The leader is reckless and will cause trouble. Key Takeaway Beware unchecked power. Themes politics war leadership danger Mood cautious serious Type historical political When to use this quote - military planning - diplomacy - policy making - international relations Key Concepts imperialism strategic risk unstable authority Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent such catastrophes? - How does rhetoric influence public perception? A Different Perspective Predicting outcomes is uncertain; context may change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ageing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageing/) [Ageing Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageing-like-458514/) [Catastrophe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe/) [Cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cause/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Emperor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/) [Emperor Ageing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor-ageing-5293761/) [German](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/german/) [German Emperor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/german-emperor-3189986/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Battleship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-battleship-5293762/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Rudder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rudder/) [Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Steam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steam/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [“Ageing must be like wearing a heavy, itchy suit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cardamone/ageing-must-be-like-wearing-a-heavy-itchy-suit/) [Tom Cardamone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cardamone/) > [In modelling or football, being 30 is very bad. But, for an actress, ageing is like wine. You taste better and better because your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludivine-sagnier/in-modelling-or-football-being-30-is-very-bad-but-for-an-actress/) [Ludivine Sagnier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludivine-sagnier/) > [Germany's greatness makes it impossible for her to do without the ocean, but the ocean also proves that even in the distance, and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-ii/germany-s-greatness-makes-it-impossible-for-her-to-do-without-the/) [Wilhelm II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-ii/) > [“There were a few small slips: after the first lunch on board the Tsar’s yacht Standart, the Kaiser drew Sazonov apart and spoke to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-munro-clark/there-were-a-few-small-slips-after-the-first-lunch-on-board-the-tsar/) [Christopher Munro Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-munro-clark/) > [The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/the-first-hour-of-the-morning-is-the-rudder-of-the-day/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“The person who has some awareness of the past knows how to fashion a rudder and which direction land is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/the-person-who-has-some-awareness-of-the-past-knows-how-to-fashion-a/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [Law is the rudder of the ship of state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/law-is-the-rudder-of-the-ship-of-state/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [As a child, during the war, I drew Spitfires and Messerschmitts. With Spot, I found that I had designed a fuselage! His spot is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hill/as-a-child-during-the-war-i-drew-spitfires-and-messerschmitts-with/) [Eric Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hill/) > [We are never without a pilot. When we know not how to steer, and dare not hoist a sail, we can drift. The current…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-are-never-without-a-pilot-when-we-know-not-how-to-steer-and-dare/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [How can a man learn navigation Where there's no rudder?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/how-can-a-man-learn-navigation-where-there-s-no-rudder/) [Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/) > [After Watergate, America was a ship without a rudder. Vietnam was left to its own devices, drifting along towards its fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nguyen-cao-ky/after-watergate-america-was-a-ship-without-a-rudder-vietnam-was-left/) [Nguyen Cao Ky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nguyen-cao-ky/) > [“I would rather rudder”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-garcia/i-would-rather-rudder/) [Victor J. Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-garcia/) > [Never fly anything that doesn't have the paint worn off the rudder Pedals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-harry/never-fly-anything-that-doesn-t-have-the-paint-worn-off-the-rudder/) [Bill Harry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-harry/) > [“Like the Bismarck, each of us is a miracle of engineering. Our creation, however, was not limited by human genius. Man can devise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson-2/like-the-bismarck-each-of-us-is-a-miracle-of-engineering-our-creation/) [Thomas S Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson-2/) > [If we are strong, and have faith in life and its richness of surprises, and hold the rudder steadily in our hands. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/if-we-are-strong-and-have-faith-in-life-and-its-richness-of-surprises/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) ## More by Edward Grey > [I said to the German Ambassador that, as long as there was only a dispute between Austria and Serbia alone, I did not feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/i-said-to-the-german-ambassador-that-as-long-as-there-was-only-a/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/the-lamps-are-going-out-all-over-europe-we-shall-not-see-them-lit/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [That Germany was so immensely strong and Austria so dependent upon German strength that the word and will of Germany would at the critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/that-germany-was-so-immensely-strong-and-austria-so-dependent-upon/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [Altogether apart from that, it would be a disgrace to us to make this bargain with Germany at the expense of France, a disgrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/altogether-apart-from-that-it-would-be-a-disgrace-to-us-to-make-this/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [After a big war a nation doesn't want another for a generation or more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/after-a-big-war-a-nation-doesn-t-want-another-for-a-generation-or-more/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [Instead of a few hundreds of thousands of men meeting each other in war, millions would now meet, and modern weapons would multiply manifold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/instead-of-a-few-hundreds-of-thousands-of-men-meeting-each-other-in/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [I knew it to be very doubtful whether the Cabinet, Parliament, and the country would take this view on the outbreak of war, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/i-knew-it-to-be-very-doubtful-whether-the-cabinet-parliament-and-the/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [From the material point of view the proposal is unacceptable, for France, without further territory in Europe being taken from her, could be so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/from-the-material-point-of-view-the-proposal-is-unacceptable-for/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [“If you only live to regret your past, you'll never live to love your future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/if-you-only-live-to-regret-your-past-you-ll-never-live-to-love-your/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [In effect, I was asking that if Russia mobilized against Austria, the German Government, who had been supporting the Austrian demand on Serbia, should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/in-effect-i-was-asking-that-if-russia-mobilized-against-austria-the/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) > [“Sinister are the thoughts that help you run from reality and forsake rationality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/sinister-are-the-thoughts-that-help-you-run-from-reality-and-forsake/) [Edward Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) [Explore all 12 Edward Grey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/) ## More Ageing quotes > [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [People's opinions don't interfere with me. Ageing gracefully is supposed to mean trying not to hide time passing and just looking a wreck. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-moreau/people-s-opinions-don-t-interfere-with-me-ageing-gracefully-is/) [Jeanne Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-moreau/) > [“Ageing must be like wearing a heavy, itchy suit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cardamone/ageing-must-be-like-wearing-a-heavy-itchy-suit/) [Tom Cardamone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cardamone/) > [Ageing is, simply and clearly, the accumulation of damage in the body. That's all that ageing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/ageing-is-simply-and-clearly-the-accumulation-of-damage-in-the-body/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [“She has built her whole life on the foundation of beauty: each chiseled plane, each sloping dimple, each soft curve as crucial as keystones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/she-has-built-her-whole-life-on-the-foundation-of-beauty-each/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [“I've been 21 for many years now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/i-ve-been-21-for-many-years-now/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Age doesn't define maturity. Some people will never grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/age-doesn-t-define-maturity-some-people-will-never-grow-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ageing is so many different things, and cells being able to self-renew is part of the picture but not all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-blackburn/ageing-is-so-many-different-things-and-cells-being-able-to-self-renew/) [Elizabeth Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-blackburn/) > [Dying is a matter of slapstick and pratfalls. The ageing process is not gradual or gentle. It rushes up, pushes you over and runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/dying-is-a-matter-of-slapstick-and-pratfalls-the-ageing-process-is/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) > [Anyone who stops learning is old — whether this happens at twenty or at eighty. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/anyone-who-stops-learning-is-old-whether-this-happens-at-twenty-or-at/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [All of my friends are my age and we are all ageing at the same time. We talk about it and moan, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-schiffer/all-of-my-friends-are-my-age-and-we-are-all-ageing-at-the-same-time/) [Claudia Schiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-schiffer/) > [You've got to get your head right about ageing. Taking care of diet and exercise and facing your fears about growing older will lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-garraway/you-ve-got-to-get-your-head-right-about-ageing-taking-care-of-diet/) [Kate Garraway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-garraway/) > [Ageing is very rare. We only see it in humans and laboratory animals and in zoo animals and in our pets. Basically, organisms that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/ageing-is-very-rare-we-only-see-it-in-humans-and-laboratory-animals/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [“Growing age can kill the beauty, not the style.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/growing-age-can-kill-the-beauty-not-the-style/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) [Browse all 311 Ageing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The German Emperor is ageing me; he is like a battleship with steam up and screws going, but with no rudder, and he will run into something some day and cause a catastrophe.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Grey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-like-a-battleship-with-steam-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ageing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-like-a-battleship-with-steam-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/edward-grey-37260_ageing_the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-li_2275943.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/edward-grey-37260_ageing_the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-li_2275943.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/edward-grey-37260_ageing_the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-li_2275943.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The German Emperor is ageing me; he is like a battleship with steam up and screws going, but with no rudder…” — Edward Grey", "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": "Edward Grey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The German Emperor is ageing me;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-like-a-battleship-with-steam-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey/the-german-emperor-is-ageing-me-he-is-like-a-battleship-with-steam-up/#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 } } ] } ```