--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most people abuse power. They use power…" description: "\"Most people abuse power. They use power to dominate others. They use power to destroy others. Ultimately when you do this, you lose it.\" — Frederick Lenz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/frederick-lenz-8_abuse_most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-t_1220984.jpg" --- # Most people abuse power. They use power to dominate… ![“Most people abuse power. They use power to dominate others. They use power to destroy others. Ultimately when you do this, you lose it.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/frederick-lenz-8_abuse_most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-t_1220984.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/frederick-lenz-8_abuse_most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-t_1220984.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/frederick-lenz-8_abuse_most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-t_1220984.jpg) > “Most people abuse power. They use power to dominate others. They use power to destroy others. Ultimately when you do this, you lose it.” [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power is often misused for domination and destruction, leading to its eventual loss. **In simple terms:** Power misused leads to loss. Key Takeaway Use power responsibly, avoid domination. Themes power abuse domination loss ethics Mood critical inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - corporate governance - political leadership - community organizing Key Concepts political theory psychology leadership Questions to Reflect On - What checks prevent power abuse? - How can power be shared ethically? A Different Perspective Power can be reclaimed through collective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [The abuse of power takes happiness away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-abuse-of-power-takes-happiness-away/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Some people abuse their power and the effects of that can be crippling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raye/some-people-abuse-their-power-and-the-effects-of-that-can-be-crippling/) [Raye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raye/) > [Power can be very addictive, and it can be corrosive. And it's important for the media to call to account people who abuse their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/power-can-be-very-addictive-and-it-can-be-corrosive-and-it-s/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [Some people meditate because they are sick and tired of their life, of the world, of the way people abuse each other and abrogate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/some-people-meditate-because-they-are-sick-and-tired-of-their-life-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [People abuse for no reason, because they can do it anonymously. There's a lot of negativity, criticism and hatred as an artist grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuvan-bam/people-abuse-for-no-reason-because-they-can-do-it-anonymously-there-s/) [Bhuvan Bam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuvan-bam/) > [I think people Abuse The Word Love, That Love Starts To Mistreat Them,Thats why Some People Say They are Scared to Love again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itsretrophresh/i-think-people-abuse-the-word-love-that-love-starts-to-mistreat-them/) itsRetrophresh > [I don't need to be on any micro-blogging site, because people don't think about what they say there. At times, people abuse, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allu-arjun/i-don-t-need-to-be-on-any-micro-blogging-site-because-people-don-t/) [Allu Arjun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allu-arjun/) > ['White America' is a syndicate arrayed to protect its exclusive power to dominate and control our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/white-america-is-a-syndicate-arrayed-to-protect-its-exclusive-power/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [Though men now possess the power to dominate and exploit every corner of the natural world, nothing in that fact implies that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/though-men-now-possess-the-power-to-dominate-and-exploit-every-corner/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Politicians are spiritually sick people. The will to power and to dominate arises only in a sick mind. It arises out of an inferiority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/politicians-are-spiritually-sick-people-the-will-to-power-and-to/) [OSHO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [How do you overcome the negative karmas and problems and misery that occur to people who abuse power? You stop abusing power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/how-do-you-overcome-the-negative-karmas-and-problems-and-misery-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The abuse of power that seems to create the most unhappiness is when a person uses personal power to get ahead without regards to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-abuse-of-power-that-seems-to-create-the-most-unhappiness-is-when/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The abuse of power manifests with phony spiritual teachers and phony gurus who tell you how to run your life and what to wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-abuse-of-power-manifests-with-phony-spiritual-teachers-and-phony/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Someone who really wants to discover themselves has to be particularly careful about the use and abuse of power. But even your average human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/someone-who-really-wants-to-discover-themselves-has-to-be/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If you abuse power, you will be burned and then you will learn...if you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-abuse-power-you-will-be-burned-and-then-you-will-learn-if-you/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Frederick Lenz > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Words are free. It does not mean you should abuse them. Be kind with them. They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most people abuse power. They use power to dominate others. They use power to destroy others. Ultimately when you do this, you lose it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frederick Lenz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-to-dominate-others-they-use/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-to-dominate-others-they-use/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/frederick-lenz-8_abuse_most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-t_1220984.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/frederick-lenz-8_abuse_most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-t_1220984.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/frederick-lenz-8_abuse_most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-t_1220984.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most people abuse power. They use power to dominate others. They use power to destroy others. Ultimately…” — Frederick Lenz", "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": "Frederick Lenz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most people abuse power. They use...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-to-dominate-others-they-use/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/most-people-abuse-power-they-use-power-to-dominate-others-they-use/#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 } } ] } ```