--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any person who wants to govern the world…" description: "\"Any person who wants to govern the world is by definition the wrong person to do it.\" — Greg Iles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/greg-iles-4609_definitions_any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world_1877707.png" --- # Any person who wants to govern the world is by definition… ![“Any person who wants to govern the world is by definition the wrong person to do it.” quote by Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/greg-iles-4609_definitions_any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world_1877707.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/greg-iles-4609_definitions_any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world_1877707.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/greg-iles-4609_definitions_any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world_1877707.png) > “Any person who wants to govern the world is by definition the wrong person to do it.” [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting global control reveals inherent flaws; power should be limited to prevent abuse. **In simple terms:** Those who seek world power are unsuitable. Key Takeaway Limit authority to avoid misuse. Themes power governance ethics leadership Mood cautionary thought‑provoking Type philosophical political When to use this quote - Political campaigns - corporate leadership - international policy Key Concepts Political philosophy moral responsibility hubris Questions to Reflect On - What checks prevent power from corrupting? - Can any individual responsibly govern globally? A Different Perspective Idealistic view may ignore pragmatic constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [What the government has to do, if it wants to govern for any length of time, is it must appeal primarily to the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/what-the-government-has-to-do-if-it-wants-to-govern-for-any-length-of/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [A legislator must know how to take advantage of even the defects of those he wants to govern. The art consists in making others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-legislator-must-know-how-to-take-advantage-of-even-the-defects-of/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Pen, wax and parchment govern the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/pen-wax-and-parchment-govern-the-world/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Names govern the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/names-govern-the-world/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [ Goose \[pen\] bee \[wax\] and calf \[parchment\] govern the world. \[Lat., Anser, apie, vitellus, populus et regna gubernant.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/goose-pen-bee-wax-and-calf-parchment-govern-the-world-lat-anser-apie/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [Ideas govern the world, or throw it into chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-comte/ideas-govern-the-world-or-throw-it-into-chaos/) [Auguste Comte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-comte/) > [Syllables govern the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/syllables-govern-the-world/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [God doth not govern the world only by his will as an absolute monarch, but by his wisdom and goodness as a tender father.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-charnock/god-doth-not-govern-the-world-only-by-his-will-as-an-absolute-monarch/) [Stephen Charnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-charnock/) > [It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. Do not ever let anyone claim to be a true American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-impossible-to-rightly-govern-the-world-without-god-and-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“One or two steps alone do not guarantee the evidence of your success unless you have your own peculiar definition for success. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/one-or-two-steps-alone-do-not-guarantee-the-evidence-of-your-success/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“If a doctor has worked through the problem well, there’s a very good chance that one of these possible diagnoses will be right. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-sanders/if-a-doctor-has-worked-through-the-problem-well-there-s-a-very-good/) [Lisa Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-sanders/) > [The administration still wants to govern from the far-left and that's going to produce kind a partisan result here in the Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/the-administration-still-wants-to-govern-from-the-far-left-and-that-s/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [No one ever teaches well who wants to teach, or governs well who wants to govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/no-one-ever-teaches-well-who-wants-to-teach-or-governs-well-who-wants/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And when a woman's will is as strong as the man's who wants to govern her, half her strength must be concealment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/and-when-a-woman-s-will-is-as-strong-as-the-man-s-who-wants-to-govern/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [What discord we should bring into the universe if our prayers were all answered. Then we should govern the world and not God. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/what-discord-we-should-bring-into-the-universe-if-our-prayers-were/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) ## More by Greg Iles > [“path of least resistance, or the walk over hot coals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/path-of-least-resistance-or-the-walk-over-hot-coals/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. But when he moved on to guitar, I realized two things:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/like-my-best-friend-i-asked-for-drums-for-christmas-and-got-them-but/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“We do not just belong to this universe, we are it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/we-do-not-just-belong-to-this-universe-we-are-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“The mills of the gods grind slowly…but they grind to dust. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-mills-of-the-gods-grind-slowly-but-they-grind-to-dust/) [greg iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [...the larger world lay not across oceans but within the human mind and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-larger-world-lay-not-across-oceans-but-within-the-human-mind-and/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Experiences are like hoarded gold. Whenever I dole out a piece of my private suffering, that is when I get letters from all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/experiences-are-like-hoarded-gold-whenever-i-dole-out-a-piece-of-my/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“Because death is the end, and if a man doesn’t speak before it silences him, then the things he holds closest die with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/because-death-is-the-end-and-if-a-man-doesn-t-speak-before-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I deal with the human psychology and evil. They are my twin issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-deal-with-the-human-psychology-and-evil-they-are-my-twin-issues/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“When we reach the intersection with Homochitto Street, I turn right, into town, and soon we’re passing Dunleith, the antebellum mansion that I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/when-we-reach-the-intersection-with-homochitto-street-i-turn-right/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [The South is the home of 'an eye for an eye.' 'Turning the other cheek'? The South can't see that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-south-is-the-home-of-an-eye-for-an-eye-turning-the-other-cheek/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Some things we must pass over in silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/some-things-we-must-pass-over-in-silence/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“Let me tell you a secret, Caitlin. We’re still in the cave. It’s just bigger, and we wear nicer clothes. We make alliances and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/let-me-tell-you-a-secret-caitlin-we-re-still-in-the-cave-it-s-just/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I'll read anything that's good. I have no artificial barriers based on genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ll-read-anything-that-s-good-i-have-no-artificial-barriers-based-on/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [My father has always been the heart of my Penn Cage novels,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/my-father-has-always-been-the-heart-of-my-penn-cage-novels/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I've learned as much about writing from songwriters as I have from other writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ve-learned-as-much-about-writing-from-songwriters-as-i-have-from/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) [Explore all 106 Greg Iles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## More Definitions quotes > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. Even to speculate is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-poet-reminds-men-of-their-uniqueness-and-it-is-not-necessary-to/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [But when you have to deal with notes, and to be able to make a full definition of what a sound is - if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-brown/but-when-you-have-to-deal-with-notes-and-to-be-able-to-make-a-full/) [Dennis Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-brown/) > [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Before I had kids, I thought you should never lie to a kid. But now I've had them, I realize you almost lie to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/before-i-had-kids-i-thought-you-should-never-lie-to-a-kid-but-now-i/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [my definition of the ideal man is 'that particular man with whom a woman happens to be in love at that particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/my-definition-of-the-ideal-man-is-that-particular-man-with-whom-a/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [My briefest ever definition of science fiction is 'Hubris clobbered by Nemesis.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/my-briefest-ever-definition-of-science-fiction-is-hubris-clobbered-by/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-accumulation-of-all-powers-legislative-executive-and-judiciary-in/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“I'm going to use them to track him down and thwart him." "Thwart?" Sarissa asked. "Thwart." I said. "To prevent someone from accomplishing something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-m-going-to-use-them-to-track-him-down-and-thwart-him-thwart-sarissa/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [A design may be called organic when there is an harmonious organization of the parts within the whole, according to structure, material, and purpose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-noyes/a-design-may-be-called-organic-when-there-is-an-harmonious/) Eliot Noyes > [Of Rhetoric various definitions have been given by different writers; who, however, seem not so much to have disagreed in their conceptions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/of-rhetoric-various-definitions-have-been-given-by-different-writers/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) Browse all 2,047 Definitions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Any person who wants to govern the world is by definition the wrong person to do it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greg Iles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world-is-by-definition-the-wrong/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Definitions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world-is-by-definition-the-wrong/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/greg-iles-4609_definitions_any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world_1877707.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/greg-iles-4609_definitions_any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world_1877707.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/greg-iles-4609_definitions_any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world_1877707.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Any person who wants to govern the world is by definition the wrong person to do it.” — Greg Iles", "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": "Greg Iles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Any person who wants to govern...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world-is-by-definition-the-wrong/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/any-person-who-wants-to-govern-the-world-is-by-definition-the-wrong/#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 } } ] } ```