--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think of yourselves as helpless…" description: "\"If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/frank-herbert-262_certain_if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-a_135469.jpg" --- # If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it… ![“If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual.” quote by Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/frank-herbert-262_certain_if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-a_135469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/frank-herbert-262_certain_if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-a_135469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/frank-herbert-262_certain_if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-a_135469.jpg) > “If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual.” [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing oneself powerless breeds authoritarian rule; leaders exploit this feeling to maintain control while keeping subjects feeling helpless. **In simple terms:** Feeling helpless invites tyranny. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑efficacy. Themes politics psychology power dynamics Mood critical motivational Type political psychological When to use this quote - government - community groups - education Key Concepts authoritarianism empowerment social control Questions to Reflect On - How does perceived powerlessness affect civic engagement? - What steps restore personal agency? A Different Perspective Overcoming helplessness is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Despotic Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotic-government-378195/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpless/) [Helpless Ineffectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpless-ineffectual-1543722/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Sense Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-helpless-1543724/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Think Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-helpless-444232/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise Despot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-despot-1543723/) ## Related quotes > [“The wise despot...maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-wise-despot-maintains-among-his-subjects-a-popular-sense-that/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [You have the power to heal your life, and you need to know that. We think so often that we are helpless, but we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-the-power-to-heal-your-life-and-you-need-to-know-that-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When clients think they are helpless, that some strange mysterious force is at work overpowering them, and they say that I Corinthians 10:13 does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-e-adams/when-clients-think-they-are-helpless-that-some-strange-mysterious/) [Jay E. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-e-adams/) > [You have the Power to Heal your Life... We think so often that we are helpless... But we are not... We always have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hay/you-have-the-power-to-heal-your-life-we-think-so-often-that-we-are/) [Louis Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-hay/) > [“It has been said that terror is the principle of despotic government. Does your government therefore resemble despotism? Yes, as the sword that gleams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximilien-de-robespierre/it-has-been-said-that-terror-is-the-principle-of-despotic-government-2/) [Maximilien de Robespierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximilien-de-robespierre/) > [These, then, are the four kinds of royalty. First the monarchy of the heroic ages; this was exercised over voluntary subjects, but limited to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/these-then-are-the-four-kinds-of-royalty-first-the-monarchy-of-the/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [In these sentiments, sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/in-these-sentiments-sir-i-agree-to-this-constitution-with-all-its/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such: because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/i-agree-to-this-constitution-with-all-its-faults-if-they-are-such/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Most men appear to think that the art of despotic government is statesmanship, and what men affirm to be unjust and inexpedient in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/most-men-appear-to-think-that-the-art-of-despotic-government-is/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The utopian schemes of leveling and a community of goods, are as visionary and impractical as those which vest all property in the crown.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/the-utopian-schemes-of-leveling-and-a-community-of-goods-are-as/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [The government of freemen is nobler and implies more virtue than despotic government. Neither is a city to be deemed happy or a legislator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-government-of-freemen-is-nobler-and-implies-more-virtue-than/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The trial by jury might safely be introduced into a despotic government, if the jury were to exercise no right of judging of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-trial-by-jury-might-safely-be-introduced-into-a-despotic/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [Even the most despotic government cannot stand except for the consent of the governed… Immediately the subject ceases to fear the despotic force, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/even-the-most-despotic-government-cannot-stand-except-for-the-consent/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [It has been said that terror is the principle of despotic government. Does your government therefore resemble despotism? Yes, as the sword that gleams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximilien-robespierre/it-has-been-said-that-terror-is-the-principle-of-despotic-government/) [Maximilien Robespierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximilien-robespierre/) > [When the savages of Louisiana wish to have fruit, they cut the tree at the bottom and gather the fruit. That is exactly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/when-the-savages-of-louisiana-wish-to-have-fruit-they-cut-the-tree-at/) [Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/) ## More by Frank Herbert > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“A leader, you see, is one of the things that distinguishes a mob from a people. He maintains the level of individuals. Too few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-leader-you-see-is-one-of-the-things-that-distinguishes-a-mob-from-a/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“I will tell you this only once. Homosexuals have been among the best warriors in our history, the berserkers of last resort. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-will-tell-you-this-only-once-homosexuals-have-been-among-the-best/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/between-depriving-a-man-of-one-hour-from-his-life-and-depriving-him/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The surest way to keep a secret is to make someone think they already know the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-surest-way-to-keep-a-secret-is-to-make-someone-think-they-already/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“how inevitable it was that the aristocrat would refuse his final duty—which was to step aside and vanish into history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/how-inevitable-it-was-that-the-aristocrat-would-refuse-his-final-duty/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“What we should have done was test the gift first. We should have probed for dangers. We were too bedazzled by it, though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/what-we-should-have-done-was-test-the-gift-first-we-should-have/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Have you noticed, Stil, how beautiful the young women are this year?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/have-you-noticed-stil-how-beautiful-the-young-women-are-this-year/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Humans are born with a susceptibility to that most persistent and debilitating disease of intellect: self-deception. The best of all possible worlds and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/humans-are-born-with-a-susceptibility-to-that-most-persistent-and/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Face your fears or they will climb over your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/face-your-fears-or-they-will-climb-over-your-back/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Many have marked the speed with which Muad'Dib learned the necessities of Arrakis. The Bene Gesserit, of course, know the basis of this speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/many-have-marked-the-speed-with-which-muad-dib-learned-the/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“The assumption that a whole system can be made to work better through an assault on its conscious elements betrays a dangerous ignorance. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-assumption-that-a-whole-system-can-be-made-to-work-better-through/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-power-to-destroy-a-thing-is-the-absolute-control-over-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Providence and Manifest Destiny are synonyms often invoked to support arguments based on wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/providence-and-manifest-destiny-are-synonyms-often-invoked-to-support/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [If you ask "Should we be in space?" you ask a nonsense question. We are in space. We will be in space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-ask-should-we-be-in-space-you-ask-a-nonsense-question-we-are/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) [Explore all 776 Frank Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) [T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank Herbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-and-ineffectual-it-is-certain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-and-ineffectual-it-is-certain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/frank-herbert-262_certain_if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-a_135469.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/frank-herbert-262_certain_if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-a_135469.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/frank-herbert-262_certain_if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-a_135469.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic…” — Frank Herbert", "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": "Frank Herbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you think of yourselves as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-and-ineffectual-it-is-certain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-think-of-yourselves-as-helpless-and-ineffectual-it-is-certain/#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 } } ] } ```