---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have one weapon,\" Mason said. \"It's a…"
description: "\"“I have one weapon,\" Mason said. \"It's a powerful weapon. But sometimes it's hard to wield it because you don't know just where to grab hold of it.\" \"W..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/erle-stanley-gardner-20055_law_i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powe_1804387.jpg"
---

#  I have one weapon," Mason said. "It's a powerful weapon…

![“I have one weapon,&quot; Mason said. &quot;It's a powerful weapon. But sometimes it's hard to wield it because you don't know just where to grab hold of it.&quot; &quot;What weapon is that?&quot; Della Street asked. &quot;The truth,&quot; Mason said.” quote by Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/erle-stanley-gardner-20055_law_i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powe_1804387.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/erle-stanley-gardner-20055_law_i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powe_1804387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/erle-stanley-gardner-20055_law_i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powe_1804387.jpg)

> ““I have one weapon," Mason said. "It's a powerful weapon. But sometimes it's hard to wield it because you don't know just where to grab hold of it." "What weapon is that?" Della Street asked. "The truth," Mason said.””

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

## About This Quote

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

The truth is portrayed as a powerful but elusive weapon that requires skill and knowledge to wield effectively.

**In simple terms:** Truth is powerful but hard to use without knowing how.

Key Takeaway

Seek knowledge before using truth as a tool.

Themes

truth power knowledge responsibility

Mood

thoughtful serious reflective

Type

philosophical advice dialogue

When to use this quote

- legal negotiations
- journalistic reporting
- personal confrontations
- political debates

Key Concepts

ethical persuasion information control moral ambiguity

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities come with wielding truth?
- How can truth be misapplied?

A Different Perspective

Truth can be weaponized unethically if misused.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Mason Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mason-said-2060588/) [Powerful weapon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-weapon/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Weapon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapon/) [Weapon Della](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapon-della-2060587/) [Weapon Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapon-mason-2060586/)

## Related quotes

> [Your mind is the most powerful weapon you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-mind-is-the-most-powerful-weapon-you-have/)

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

> [Hip Hop can be a very powerful weapon to help expand young people's political and social consciousness. But just as with any weapon, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/hip-hop-can-be-a-very-powerful-weapon-to-help-expand-young-people-s/)

[Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/)

> [“women is the most powerful weapon in the world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hitesh-sharma/women-is-the-most-powerful-weapon-in-the-world/)

[hitesh sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hitesh-sharma/)

> [“Knowledge is the most powerful weapon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetrice-nguyen/knowledge-is-the-most-powerful-weapon/)

[Demetrice Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetrice-nguyen/)

> [“Fear, they had come to realize, not machines, is the most powerful weapon there is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laekan-zea-kemp/fear-they-had-come-to-realize-not-machines-is-the-most-powerful/)

[Laekan Zea Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laekan-zea-kemp/)

> [“Education is the most powerful weapon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabiso-monkoe/education-is-the-most-powerful-weapon/)

[Thabiso Monkoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabiso-monkoe/)

> [The most powerful weapon known is the weapon of blessing. Therefore, a clever person relies on it. He wins with peace, not with war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-most-powerful-weapon-known-is-the-weapon-of-blessing-therefore-a/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [You know, the taxing authority of the United States is our most powerful weapon. You know, the reason we separated from England was because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-gregg/you-know-the-taxing-authority-of-the-united-states-is-our-most/)

[Judd Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-gregg/)

> [Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-lewis-joseph-mandela/education-is-the-most-powerful-weapon-which-can-be-used-to-change-the/)

[Gian Lewis Joseph Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-lewis-joseph-mandela/)

> [An alliance of civilisations can be our most powerful weapon in the fight against terror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federica-mogherini/an-alliance-of-civilisations-can-be-our-most-powerful-weapon-in-the/)

[Federica Mogherini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federica-mogherini/)

> [The most powerful weapon in Chess is to have the next move](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bronstein/the-most-powerful-weapon-in-chess-is-to-have-the-next-move/)

[David Bronstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bronstein/)

> [“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/education-is-the-most-powerful-weapon-we-can-use-to-change-the-world/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [Religion is a powerful weapon that can be used because it persuades people to do things. And thus it can be used for good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religion-is-a-powerful-weapon-that-can-be-used-because-it-persuades/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“In years to come, people may say that the most powerful weapon in this period of the twenty-first century was not sarin gas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fletcher/in-years-to-come-people-may-say-that-the-most-powerful-weapon-in-this/)

[Tom Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fletcher/)

> [I love my life as a missionary, keeping myself on the front lines. The image in my mind is that God, my general, stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-my-life-as-a-missionary-keeping-myself-on-the-front-lines-the/)

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

## More by Erle Stanley Gardner

> [“You might be interested in his economic philosophy, Mr. Mason. He believed men attached too much importance to money as such. He believed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/you-might-be-interested-in-his-economic-philosophy-mr-mason-he/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“I take it," the lawyer remarked musingly, "patience isn't one of your virtues." "I didn't know," she said, "that patience WAS a virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/i-take-it-the-lawyer-remarked-musingly-patience-isn-t-one-of-your/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“of the murder and whether he could possibly have been out there at the country club at the time the murder was committed. “There’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/of-the-murder-and-whether-he-could-possibly-have-been-out-there-at/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [I have never stuck up for any criminal. I have merely asked for the orderly administration of an impartial justice...Due legal process is my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/i-have-never-stuck-up-for-any-criminal-i-have-merely-asked-for-the/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“Every eight years, the people swallow some politician hook, line, and sinker and make him president. They hold him on the political stomach for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/every-eight-years-the-people-swallow-some-politician-hook-line-and/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [I like what I like and not what I'm supposed to like because of mass rating. And I very much dislike the things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/i-like-what-i-like-and-not-what-i-m-supposed-to-like-because-of-mass/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“Dear Editor: It's a damn good story. If you have any comments, write them on the back of a check. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/dear-editor-it-s-a-damn-good-story-if-you-have-any-comments-write/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“reason I am telling you all of this is that, according to Harrod, Fern Driscoll”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/reason-i-am-telling-you-all-of-this-is-that-according-to-harrod-fern/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [The real trouble with the writing game is that no general rule can be worked out for uniform guidance, and this applies to sales…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/the-real-trouble-with-the-writing-game-is-that-no-general-rule-can-be/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“will-have a tendency to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/will-have-a-tendency-to/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“If you ask me, this younger generation is altogether too careless about their morals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/if-you-ask-me-this-younger-generation-is-altogether-too-careless/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“A nurse,” I said, “would be wearing a starched uniform, and she’d have a fever thermometer ready to jab into a patient’s mouth at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/a-nurse-i-said-would-be-wearing-a-starched-uniform-and-she-d-have-a/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“Della Street, Perry Mason’s confidential secretary, said, “A couple of lovebirds have strayed into the office without an appointment. They insist it’s a matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/della-street-perry-mason-s-confidential-secretary-said-a-couple-of/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [“Events are like telephone poles, streaming back past the observation platform of a speeding train.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/events-are-like-telephone-poles-streaming-back-past-the-observation/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

> [It's a damn good story. If you have any comments, write them on the back of a check.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/it-s-a-damn-good-story-if-you-have-any-comments-write-them-on-the/)

[Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

[Explore all 31 Erle Stanley Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/)

## More Law quotes

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/)

[Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/)

> [The law is like apparel, which alters with the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dodderidge/the-law-is-like-apparel-which-alters-with-the-time/)

[John Dodderidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dodderidge/)

> [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/)

[Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/)

> [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/)

[Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/)

> [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Laws undertake to punish only overt acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laws-undertake-to-punish-only-overt-acts/)

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

> [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/)

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

> [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/)

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

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Browse all 16,973 Law quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I have one weapon,\" Mason said. \"It's a powerful weapon. But sometimes it's hard to wield it because you don't know just where to grab hold of it.\" \"What weapon is that?\" Della Street asked. \"The truth,\" Mason said.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Erle Stanley Gardner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powerful-weapon-but-sometimes-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Law"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powerful-weapon-but-sometimes-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/erle-stanley-gardner-20055_law_i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powe_1804387.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/erle-stanley-gardner-20055_law_i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powe_1804387.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/erle-stanley-gardner-20055_law_i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powe_1804387.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have one weapon,\" Mason said. \"It's a powerful weapon. But sometimes it's hard to wield it because you…” — Erle Stanley Gardner",
                "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": "Erle Stanley Gardner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I have one weapon,\" Mason said....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powerful-weapon-but-sometimes-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/i-have-one-weapon-mason-said-it-s-a-powerful-weapon-but-sometimes-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
