---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing's as dangerous as power with…"
description: "\"Nothing's as dangerous as power with impunity.\" — Isabel Allende"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/isabel-allende-266_dangerous_nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-imp_1614690.jpg"
---

#  Nothing's as dangerous as power with impunity.

![“Nothing's as dangerous as power with impunity.” quote by Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/isabel-allende-266_dangerous_nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-imp_1614690.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/isabel-allende-266_dangerous_nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-imp_1614690.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/isabel-allende-266_dangerous_nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-imp_1614690.jpg)

> “Nothing's as dangerous as power with impunity.”

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

## About This Quote

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

Power without accountability leads to danger; unchecked authority can cause harm.

**In simple terms:** Uncontrolled power is dangerous.

Key Takeaway

Demand accountability for power.

Themes

politics ethics authority justice

Mood

concerned serious

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- political leadership
- corporate management

Key Concepts

abuse of power governance

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies limit unchecked power?
- What safeguards protect against abuse?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Impunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impunity/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/)

## Related quotes

> [What I fear most is power with impunity. I fear abuse of power, and the power to abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/what-i-fear-most-is-power-with-impunity-i-fear-abuse-of-power-and-the/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“Words...have always held the dangerous power to conjure things into being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-creagh/words-have-always-held-the-dangerous-power-to-conjure-things-into/)

[Kelly Creagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-creagh/)

> [The will to power, as the modern age from Hobbes to Nietzsche understood it, far from being a characteristic of the strong, is, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-will-to-power-as-the-modern-age-from-hobbes-to-nietzsche/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be entrusted to man”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crockett/the-power-of-collecting-and-disbursing-money-at-pleasure-is-the-most-2/)

[David Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crockett/)

> [For anyone with the traits - of feeling himself victimized, of seeking to be the strongman who resolves everything, yet sees truth only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/for-anyone-with-the-traits-of-feeling-himself-victimized-of-seeking/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [The accretion of dangerous power does not come in a day. It does come, however slowly, from the generative force of unchecked disregard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/the-accretion-of-dangerous-power-does-not-come-in-a-day-it-does-come/)

[Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/)

> [Some use it as a weapon, others as a shield. Without it, you would most likely die. With it, you are weak. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/some-use-it-as-a-weapon-others-as-a-shield-without-it-you-would-most/)

[Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/)

> [Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/power-is-always-dangerous-power-attracts-the-worst-and-corrupts-the/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [That's what Judith Herman is saying, and she's absolutely right. Power then breeds an intensification of all because the power can never be absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/that-s-what-judith-herman-is-saying-and-she-s-absolutely-right-power/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [All stories have a curious and even dangerous power. They are manifestations of truth -- yours and mine. And truth is all at once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/all-stories-have-a-curious-and-even-dangerous-power-they-are/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [A fool is very dangerous when in power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-fonvizin/a-fool-is-very-dangerous-when-in-power/)

Denis Fonvizin

> [The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be intrusted to man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crockett/the-power-of-collecting-and-disbursing-money-at-pleasure-is-the-most/)

[David Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crockett/)

> [The world is a very unjust, unfair place and we have to live with that. Historically, there is impunity for most crimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-world-is-a-very-unjust-unfair-place-and-we-have-to-live-with-that/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [For women in my lifetime things have changed quite a bit, but not enough. They have only changed for women that have education and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/for-women-in-my-lifetime-things-have-changed-quite-a-bit-but-not/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“Don't let cycles of violent crimes, uncontrollable, rising cases of bloody impunity, evil puppets in a crippled judiciary, marionettes in a corrupted legislative system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/don-t-let-cycles-of-violent-crimes-uncontrollable-rising-cases-of/)

[Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/)

## More by Isabel Allende

> [“I am happier when I love than when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, and my grandchildren, my mother, my dog,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-am-happier-when-i-love-than-when-i-am-loved-i-adore-my-husband-my/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [Having a point to start is important. You know that when you decide to write something it's like a commitment. It's like falling in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/having-a-point-to-start-is-important-you-know-that-when-you-decide-to/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [Music is a wind that blows away the years, memories, and fear, that crouching animal I carry inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/music-is-a-wind-that-blows-away-the-years-memories-and-fear-that/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [Everybody has losses - it's unavoidable in life. Sharing our pain is very healing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/everybody-has-losses-it-s-unavoidable-in-life-sharing-our-pain-is/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“The writer and the dreamer have so much in common: They can't control the plot, they are always part of the story or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-writer-and-the-dreamer-have-so-much-in-common-they-can-t-control/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [People think that they will sit down and produce the great American novel in one sitting. It doesn't work that way. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/people-think-that-they-will-sit-down-and-produce-the-great-american/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“He had a principle: if you lend money and never see the person again, that's money well spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/he-had-a-principle-if-you-lend-money-and-never-see-the-person-again/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“At times I feel as if I had lived all this before and that I have already written these very words, but I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/at-times-i-feel-as-if-i-had-lived-all-this-before-and-that-i-have/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [I have lived with passion and in a hurry, trying to accomplish too many things. I never had time to think about my beliefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-have-lived-with-passion-and-in-a-hurry-trying-to-accomplish-too/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [I'm surrounded by the scene of aging. I myself am in my 70s and not getting any younger. Although I'm very healthy, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-m-surrounded-by-the-scene-of-aging-i-myself-am-in-my-70s-and-not/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [I try to write the kind of books I like to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-try-to-write-the-kind-of-books-i-like-to-read/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“Intimacy needs time to mature—a shared history, tears shed, obstacles overcome, photographs in an album. It’s a slow-growing plant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/intimacy-needs-time-to-mature-a-shared-history-tears-shed-obstacles/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [ The idea of the book \["The Japanese Lover"\] came in a conversation that I had with a friend walking in the streets of New… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-idea-of-the-book-the-japanese-lover-came-in-a-conversation-that-i/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

[Explore all 552 Isabel Allende quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

## More Dangerous quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/)

[Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/)

[Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/)

> [“It is dangerous to lock oneself away and lose track of what is happening outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/it-is-dangerous-to-lock-oneself-away-and-lose-track-of-what-is/)

[Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/)

> [Its extremely dangerous to compare anyone else to Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/its-extremely-dangerous-to-compare-anyone-else-to-shakespeare/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [In my youth-team days, I was always a left-winger who would stay close to the byline and put crosses in the box, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjen-robben/in-my-youth-team-days-i-was-always-a-left-winger-who-would-stay-close/)

[Arjen Robben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjen-robben/)

> [The temptations of God were always more dangerous for mankind than those of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-temptations-of-god-were-always-more-dangerous-for-mankind-than/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/)

[George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/)

> [Die gefährlichste Weltanschauung ist die Weltanschauung derer, die die Welt nie angeschaut haben. (The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-von-humboldt/die-gef-hrlichste-weltanschauung-ist-die-weltanschauung-derer-die-die/)

[Alexander von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-von-humboldt/)

> [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/)

[Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/)

> [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

Browse all 6,450 Dangerous quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nothing's as dangerous as power with impunity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Isabel Allende"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-impunity/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dangerous"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-impunity/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/isabel-allende-266_dangerous_nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-imp_1614690.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/isabel-allende-266_dangerous_nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-imp_1614690.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/isabel-allende-266_dangerous_nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-imp_1614690.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothing's as dangerous as power with impunity.” — Isabel Allende",
                "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": "Isabel Allende",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nothing's as dangerous as power with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-impunity/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/nothing-s-as-dangerous-as-power-with-impunity/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```