--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother used to say when we were…" description: "\"My mother used to say when we were children, 'When a boy gets a stick in his hand, his brains run out the other end of it.' Power is a stick in the han..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/jane-jacobs-1991_bigs_my-mother-used-to-say-when-we-were-child_27492.png" --- # My mother used to say when we were children, 'When a boy… ![“My mother used to say when we were children, 'When a boy gets a stick in his hand, his brains run out the other end of it.' Power is a stick in the hand, and I have never heard of anybody who wielded a very big stick of power whose brains did not run out the other end. As a nation, our brains are…” quote by Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/jane-jacobs-1991_bigs_my-mother-used-to-say-when-we-were-child_27492.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/jane-jacobs-1991_bigs_my-mother-used-to-say-when-we-were-child_27492.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/jane-jacobs-1991_bigs_my-mother-used-to-say-when-we-were-child_27492.png) > “My mother used to say when we were children, 'When a boy gets a stick in his hand, his brains run out the other end of it.' Power is a stick in the hand, and I have never heard of anybody who wielded a very big stick of power whose brains did not run out the other end. As a nation, our brains are running out the other end of our power right now.” [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power can overwhelm rational thought, causing leaders to act without wisdom, much like a child with a stick loses control. The quote warns that national power is currently outpacing the nation's collective intelligence. **In simple terms:** Power can dull collective intelligence. Key Takeaway Unchecked power erodes wise decision‑making. Themes Power dynamics Collective intelligence Leadership Responsibility Societal decay Mood Cautious Reflective Skeptical Type Political Philosophical When to use this quote - National policy debates - Corporate decision‑making - Community leadership - Crisis management Key Concepts Authority Cognition Governance Practical Applications - Strategic planning - Public education initiatives Questions to Reflect On - How can societies safeguard rational discourse amid growing power? - What mechanisms can prevent power from eclipsing collective wisdom? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [The Stick you use to beat others when in power, may be your walking stick when not in POWER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haresh-bharathan/the-stick-you-use-to-beat-others-when-in-power-may-be-your-walking/) Haresh Bharathan > [A thick stick in one's hand makes people respectful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/a-thick-stick-in-one-s-hand-makes-people-respectful/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [Omnipotence and omniscience are the end of power and knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/omnipotence-and-omniscience-are-the-end-of-power-and-knowledge/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [There is no end to the power a man can obtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/there-is-no-end-to-the-power-a-man-can-obtain/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“Not your fault, brother. Kronos does not explode good. Next time we will use a big stick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/not-your-fault-brother-kronos-does-not-explode-good-next-time-we-will/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [There is a homely old adage which runs: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." If the American nation will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-a-homely-old-adage-which-runs-speak-softly-and-carry-a-big/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“At the zoo, I stood in front of the primate cage listening to a woman marvel at how “presidential” the four-hundred-pound gorilla looked sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/at-the-zoo-i-stood-in-front-of-the-primate-cage-listening-to-a-woman/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [“I'd tell you to shove your condescending tone up your ass, but a big stick got there first. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-jayne/i-d-tell-you-to-shove-your-condescending-tone-up-your-ass-but-a-big/) [Dawn Jayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-jayne/) > [What I hate is the thought of being under a man's thumb," I had told Doctor Nolan. 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A strong, intelligent woman with the beauty to launch ships and the courage to follow them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-hooper/she-was-one-in-a-million-tyler-was-a-strong-intelligent-woman-with/) [Kay Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-hooper/) > [“Speak softly, but carry a big stick. —Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. president”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/speak-softly-but-carry-a-big-stick-theodore-roosevelt-u-s-president/) [Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/) > [“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-roosevelt/speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick/) [Teddy Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-roosevelt/) > [The president has a big stick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/the-president-has-a-big-stick/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) ## More by Jane Jacobs > [People who try to predict the future by extrapolating in a line of more of what exists - they are always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/people-who-try-to-predict-the-future-by-extrapolating-in-a-line-of/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [Design is people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/design-is-people/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [To approach a city, or even a city neighborhood, as if it were a larger architectural problem, capable of being given order by converting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/to-approach-a-city-or-even-a-city-neighborhood-as-if-it-were-a-larger/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them… for really new ideas of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/cities-need-old-buildings-so-badly-it-is-probably-impossible-for/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [The notion that you could discard the old world and now make a new one. 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I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. 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