--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Power intoxicates men. It is never…" description: "\"Power intoxicates men. It is never voluntarily surrendered. It must be taken from them.\" — James F. Byrnes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/james-f-byrnes-23143_men_power-intoxicates-men-it-is-never-volunt_1984140.png" --- # Power intoxicates men. It is never voluntarily… ![“Power intoxicates men. It is never voluntarily surrendered. It must be taken from them.” quote by James F. Byrnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/james-f-byrnes-23143_men_power-intoxicates-men-it-is-never-volunt_1984140.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/james-f-byrnes-23143_men_power-intoxicates-men-it-is-never-volunt_1984140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/james-f-byrnes-23143_men_power-intoxicates-men-it-is-never-volunt_1984140.png) > “Power intoxicates men. It is never voluntarily surrendered. It must be taken from them.” [James F. Byrnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-byrnes/) ## 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 addictive; it is rarely given up willingly and must be seized. **In simple terms:** Power is hard to relinquish and must be taken. Key Takeaway Beware of power’s allure. Themes politics power control human nature leadership Mood cautious serious analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - corporate takeovers - political coups - organizational leadership - activism Key Concepts political theory psychology of authority Questions to Reflect On - What checks prevent abuse? - How do you define legitimate authority? A Different Perspective Seizing power can lead to ethical compromises. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intoxicates Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intoxicates-men-1576857/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Voluntarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-voluntarily-3404843/) [Power Intoxicates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-intoxicates-1576854/) [Surrendered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrendered/) [Surrendered Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrendered-taken-3404842/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) ## Related quotes > [Power intoxicates men. When a man is intoxicated by alcohol, he can recover, but when intoxicated by power, he seldom recovers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-francis/power-intoxicates-men-when-a-man-is-intoxicated-by-alcohol-he-can/) [James Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-francis/) > [Political power intoxicates the best hearts. No man is wise enough, nor good enough, to be trusted with much political power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/political-power-intoxicates-the-best-hearts-no-man-is-wise-enough-nor/) [Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/) > [“Once I surrendered to it, all I tasted was the sweetness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/once-i-surrendered-to-it-all-i-tasted-was-the-sweetness/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Once you have surrendered completely to God, you experience for the first time absolute freedom from the worries, problems and ills of this world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashok-kushwaha/once-you-have-surrendered-completely-to-god-you-experience-for-the/) [Ashok Kushwaha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashok-kushwaha/) > [“Nations that went down fighting rose again, but those who surrendered tamely were finished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/nations-that-went-down-fighting-rose-again-but-those-who-surrendered/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“Life didn’t go how I had planned, but I couldn’t have planned a better life. 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He appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/he-has-seen-the-bottomless-nonsense-of-our-world-and-has-decided-like/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [If man had his way, the plan of redemption would be an endless and bloody conflict. In reality, salvation was bought not by Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-man-had-his-way-the-plan-of-redemption-would-be-an-endless-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-riddle/i-m-sweetly-broken-wholly-surrendered/) [Jeremy Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-riddle/) ## More by James F. Byrnes > [What we want is a lasting peace. We will oppose soft measures which invite the breaking of the peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-byrnes/what-we-want-is-a-lasting-peace-we-will-oppose-soft-measures-which/) [James F. 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