--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ideas are the factors that lift…" description: "\"Ideas are the factors that lift civilization. They create revolutions. There is more dynamite in an idea than in many bombs.\" — John H. Vincent" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/john-h-vincent-48672_bombs_ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civiliza_454330.jpg" --- # Ideas are the factors that lift civilization. They create… ![“Ideas are the factors that lift civilization. They create revolutions. There is more dynamite in an idea than in many bombs.” quote by John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/john-h-vincent-48672_bombs_ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civiliza_454330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/john-h-vincent-48672_bombs_ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civiliza_454330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/john-h-vincent-48672_bombs_ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civiliza_454330.jpg) > “Ideas are the factors that lift civilization. They create revolutions. There is more dynamite in an idea than in many bombs.” [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas spark societal progress and can be more powerful than physical weapons. **In simple terms:** Ideas drive change more than bombs. Key Takeaway Cultivate and share bold ideas. Themes innovation civilization revolution power ideas Mood inspired optimistic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - policy making - education reform - artistic movements Key Concepts creative thought social impact catalysts Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a powerful idea into reality? - What barriers stop ideas from reshaping society? A Different Perspective Ideas alone cannot implement change without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) ## Related quotes > [There is more dynamite in an idea than in many bombs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/there-is-more-dynamite-in-an-idea-than-in-many-bombs/) [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) > [What's true for us as individual humans is true for the civilization we create: a sprint culture, seeking ever greater speed and power in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-ayres/what-s-true-for-us-as-individual-humans-is-true-for-the-civilization/) [Ed Ayres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-ayres/) > [She's no flibberti-gibberti mamzell, but a whir-stir-get-lost-sir bundla dynamite!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/she-s-no-flibberti-gibberti-mamzell-but-a-whir-stir-get-lost-sir/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [As was the case for Nobel's own invention of dynamite, the uses that are made of increased knowledge can serve both beneficial and potentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaas-bloembergen/as-was-the-case-for-nobel-s-own-invention-of-dynamite-the-uses-that/) [Nicolaas Bloembergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaas-bloembergen/) > [My family has always called me 'Lay Lay,' and my dad used to always call me 'Dynamite Termite' because I was really short and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-chabert/my-family-has-always-called-me-lay-lay-and-my-dad-used-to-always-call/) [Lacey Chabert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-chabert/) > [Our planning system was dynamite when we first put it in. The thinking was fresh; the form mattered little. It was idea oriented. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-welch/our-planning-system-was-dynamite-when-we-first-put-it-in-the-thinking/) [John Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-welch/) > [People are like sticks of dynamite. The power is on the inside, but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-anderson/people-are-like-sticks-of-dynamite-the-power-is-on-the-inside-but/) [Mac Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-anderson/) > [Babies in silk hats playing with dynamite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/babies-in-silk-hats-playing-with-dynamite/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [Commercialism is the blemish on the fair face of American life. Fighting against the terrible conditions of the explorer and pioneer, our forefathers had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/commercialism-is-the-blemish-on-the-fair-face-of-american-life/) [Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/) > [Because mothers make us, because they map our emotional terrain before we even know we are capable of having an emotional terrain, they know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-walker/because-mothers-make-us-because-they-map-our-emotional-terrain-before/) [Rebecca Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-walker/) > [If you are talking about terrorism, you need to sit down and understand what is making these people put dynamite around their waists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakhdar-brahimi/if-you-are-talking-about-terrorism-you-need-to-sit-down-and/) [Lakhdar Brahimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakhdar-brahimi/) > [Take a young man from Gaza living in the most horrendous conditions - most of it imposed by Israel - who straps dynamite around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/take-a-young-man-from-gaza-living-in-the-most-horrendous-conditions/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [Evolution cannot be brought about by the use of dynamite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-parlby/evolution-cannot-be-brought-about-by-the-use-of-dynamite/) Irene Parlby > [I seriously think I could have sat in the middle of the kitchen floor rubbing two sticks together over a pile of dynamite blocks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-sonnenblick/i-seriously-think-i-could-have-sat-in-the-middle-of-the-kitchen-floor/) [Jordan Sonnenblick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-sonnenblick/) > [Print neatly. That's the kind of advice that the IRS considers a "dynamite" tax tip. If you ask them a real tax question, such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/print-neatly-that-s-the-kind-of-advice-that-the-irs-considers-a/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## More by John H. Vincent > [The teacher should use illustrations for the better teaching of the lesson, and never to fill up time, to amuse the class, or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/the-teacher-should-use-illustrations-for-the-better-teaching-of-the/) [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) > [Reach up as far as you can, and God will reach down all the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/reach-up-as-far-as-you-can-and-god-will-reach-down-all-the-way/) [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) > [In the highest class of God's school of suffering we learn not resignation nor patience, but rejoicing in tribulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/in-the-highest-class-of-god-s-school-of-suffering-we-learn-not/) [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) > [At some time, here or hereafter, every account must be settled, and every debt paid in full.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/at-some-time-here-or-hereafter-every-account-must-be-settled-and/) [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) > [We are pilgrims, not settlers; this earth is our inn, not our home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/we-are-pilgrims-not-settlers-this-earth-is-our-inn-not-our-home/) [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) > [There is more dynamite in an idea than in many bombs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/there-is-more-dynamite-in-an-idea-than-in-many-bombs/) [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) > [He that would speak Divine things in a language which living men of to-day can comprehend, must keep up with the researches and discoveries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/he-that-would-speak-divine-things-in-a-language-which-living-men-of/) [John H. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) [Explore all 8 John H. Vincent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/) ## More Bombs quotes > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I had a very well-respected writer ask me point blank to my face whether it actually mattered to me. Now, without wanting to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-furyk/i-had-a-very-well-respected-writer-ask-me-point-blank-to-my-face/) [Jim Furyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-furyk/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There are cameras nowadays that have been developed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-are-cameras-nowadays-that-have-been-developed-to-tell-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) [Browse all 1,253 Bombs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ideas are the factors that lift civilization. They create revolutions. There is more dynamite in an idea than in many bombs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John H. Vincent" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civilization-they-create-revolutions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bombs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civilization-they-create-revolutions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/john-h-vincent-48672_bombs_ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civiliza_454330.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/john-h-vincent-48672_bombs_ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civiliza_454330.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/john-h-vincent-48672_bombs_ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civiliza_454330.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ideas are the factors that lift civilization. They create revolutions. There is more dynamite in an idea…” — John H. Vincent", "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": "John H. Vincent", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-vincent/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ideas are the factors that lift...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civilization-they-create-revolutions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-vincent/ideas-are-the-factors-that-lift-civilization-they-create-revolutions/#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 } } ] } ```