---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not crazy to think that powerful…"
description: "\"It is not crazy to think that powerful people do some pretty horrible things. And maybe they get out of hand. Maybe it just gets away from them. It sno..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/janeane-garofalo-1940_crazy_it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-p_436791.png"
---

#  It is not crazy to think that powerful people do some…

![“It is not crazy to think that powerful people do some pretty horrible things. And maybe they get out of hand. Maybe it just gets away from them. It snowballs.” quote by Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/janeane-garofalo-1940_crazy_it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-p_436791.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/janeane-garofalo-1940_crazy_it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-p_436791.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/janeane-garofalo-1940_crazy_it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-p_436791.png)

> “It is not crazy to think that powerful people do some pretty horrible things. And maybe they get out of hand. Maybe it just gets away from them. It snowballs.”

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

## About This Quote

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

Powerful individuals can commit terrible acts, and their misbehavior may spiral out of control, creating a snowball effect.

**In simple terms:** Power can lead to harmful actions that escalate.

Key Takeaway

Watch power's excesses; hold leaders accountable.

Themes

corruption abuse of power esal

Mood

cautionary analytical

Type

observation commentary

When to use this quote

- political scandals
- corporate fraud
- authoritarian regimes

Key Concepts

ethics responsibility systemic risk

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards can prevent power from spiraling?
- How can societies detect early signs of abuse?

A Different Perspective

Not all powerful people act maliciously; context matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Horrible things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible-things/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Powerful people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [You know, if you think about it, the most powerful people on this earth probably never raise their voices - they just say it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-slezak/you-know-if-you-think-about-it-the-most-powerful-people-on-this-earth/)

[Erika Slezak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-slezak/)

> [There's nothing quite as powerful as people feeling they can have impact and make a difference. When you've got that going for you, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-m-mulcahy/there-s-nothing-quite-as-powerful-as-people-feeling-they-can-have/)

[Anne M. Mulcahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-m-mulcahy/)

> [“Usually, when we think of power, we think of external power. And we think of powerful people as those who have made it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think-of-external-power-and-we/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“When i lost the power to control my legs, I learnt the importance of why we must always walk in the direction of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/when-i-lost-the-power-to-control-my-legs-i-learnt-the-importance-of/)

[Nikki rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/)

> [Technology today is the campfire around which we tell our stories. There's this attraction to light and to this kind of power, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/technology-today-is-the-campfire-around-which-we-tell-our-stories/)

[Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/)

> [I think I'm a very powerful player; I can hit good groundstrokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-thiem/i-think-i-m-a-very-powerful-player-i-can-hit-good-groundstrokes/)

[Dominic Thiem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-thiem/)

> [There are many powerful men and women in mobile. I'm fortunate to be part of that group. But by no means do I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sundar-pichai/there-are-many-powerful-men-and-women-in-mobile-i-m-fortunate-to-be/)

[Sundar Pichai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sundar-pichai/)

> [I don't think of myself as a powerful person. But I do use the platforms I have to make a difference in the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-arison/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-powerful-person-but-i-do-use-the/)

[Shari Arison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-arison/)

> [Making people laugh, I think, is very powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lolly-adefope/making-people-laugh-i-think-is-very-powerful/)

[Lolly Adefope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lolly-adefope/)

> [There are a lot of women that I think are very powerful and would be great presidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bush/there-are-a-lot-of-women-that-i-think-are-very-powerful-and-would-be/)

[Laura Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bush/)

> [I think that I'm a powerful female, a young singer-songwriter with an energy that's not really been done before. I think that's what people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-think-that-i-m-a-powerful-female-a-young-singer-songwriter-with-an/)

[Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/)

> [I think women are very powerful and I think we're more powerful together than separated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zendaya/i-think-women-are-very-powerful-and-i-think-we-re-more-powerful/)

[Zendaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zendaya/)

> [“What I focus on in life is what I get. And if I concentrate on how bad I am or how wrong I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-i-focus-on-in-life-is-what-i-get-and-if-i-concentrate-on-how-bad/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't think of myself as a powerful person,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-powerful-person/)

[Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/)

> [To be empathetic to everyone around you, I think, is such a powerful thing to hold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/to-be-empathetic-to-everyone-around-you-i-think-is-such-a-powerful/)

[Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/)

## More by Janeane Garofalo

> [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [I'm not a disciplined writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-m-not-a-disciplined-writer/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [Listen, young people, I understand narcissism - clearly. But at least I have the decency to hate myself. And that's what's missing from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/listen-young-people-i-understand-narcissism-clearly-but-at-least-i/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [I was a 36C or D, and at 5' 1'', I knew that being a small person with big boobs standing in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-was-a-36c-or-d-and-at-5-1-i-knew-that-being-a-small-person-with-big/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [To combat social awkwardness, I would just act like I couldn't be bothered - that kind of aloof persona or aloof demeanor. It's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/to-combat-social-awkwardness-i-would-just-act-like-i-couldn-t-be/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [A war is going to destroy our economy even further. It's going to be a threefold humanitarian disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/a-war-is-going-to-destroy-our-economy-even-further-it-s-going-to-be-a/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [We're our own worst enemies a lot of the time, but I still blame men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/we-re-our-own-worst-enemies-a-lot-of-the-time-but-i-still-blame-men/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [Should have dogs before they have kids. Everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/should-have-dogs-before-they-have-kids-everybody/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [There's a fake Facebook me. There's a fake me Twittering. Sometimes, when it was at the height of right-wing nonsense picking on me, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/there-s-a-fake-facebook-me-there-s-a-fake-me-twittering-sometimes/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [Here's what the right-wing has in, there's no shortage of the natural resources of ignorance, apathy, hate, fear. As long as those things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/here-s-what-the-right-wing-has-in-there-s-no-shortage-of-the-natural/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [I think people are very cynical with actors trying to tell them what to believe in, or lobbying for any kind of changing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-think-people-are-very-cynical-with-actors-trying-to-tell-them-what/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [Not that I was ever an asshole but I used to be much more of a bulldozer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/not-that-i-was-ever-an-asshole-but-i-used-to-be-much-more-of-a/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [The world would be better off with multiple superpowers. When Communist USSR was a superpower, the world was better off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/the-world-would-be-better-off-with-multiple-superpowers-when/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [Evil is in the face of every frat guy that ever raised a beer cup and went "whoooooo!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/evil-is-in-the-face-of-every-frat-guy-that-ever-raised-a-beer-cup-and/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

[Explore all 196 Janeane Garofalo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

## More Crazy quotes

> [Im wild Im crazy, I'm wild, Im crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dot-dot-curve/im-wild-im-crazy-i-m-wild-im-crazy/)

Dot Dot Curve

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

> [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/)

[Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/)

> [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/)

[Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/)

> [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/)

[Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/)

> [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/)

[Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/)

> [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/)

[Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/)

> [In the middle of a play, I go crazy and don't realize what I'm doing. I'll snap back to reality and I realize, 'Hey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-bosworth/in-the-middle-of-a-play-i-go-crazy-and-don-t-realize-what-i-m-doing-i/)

[Brian Bosworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-bosworth/)

> [ That's probably why my face was looking so crazy when I was crying \[in "Hardball"\] because it was some real. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/that-s-probably-why-my-face-was-looking-so-crazy-when-i-was-crying-in/)

[Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/)

> [I'm always writing. I'm an obsessive. It's not because I'm a disciplined person. It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/)

[Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/)

Browse all 9,039 Crazy quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is not crazy to think that powerful people do some pretty horrible things. And maybe they get out of hand. Maybe it just gets away from them. It snowballs.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Janeane Garofalo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-people-do-some-pretty-horrible/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crazy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-people-do-some-pretty-horrible/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/janeane-garofalo-1940_crazy_it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-p_436791.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/janeane-garofalo-1940_crazy_it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-p_436791.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/janeane-garofalo-1940_crazy_it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-p_436791.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is not crazy to think that powerful people do some pretty horrible things. And maybe they get out of…” — Janeane Garofalo",
                "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": "Janeane Garofalo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is not crazy to think...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-people-do-some-pretty-horrible/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/it-is-not-crazy-to-think-that-powerful-people-do-some-pretty-horrible/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
